The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has set a series of new benchmarks in the competition’s history including a first co-hosted edition, and a debut in Oceania, as Australia and New Zealand took over hosting duties.
However, the most eye-catching update for the 2023 tournament is the increase from 24 to 32 national teams competing for glory in the largest bracket the competition has seen.
The expansion to 32 teams makes the group-stage-to-knockout-stage picture more straightforward and boosts the chance of an unexpected shock, with eight sides making their World Cup debut in 2023.
The battle for glory will be a fascinating race in the coming weeks, and with so many nations involved, The Sporting News is tracking the teams as they are eliminated throughout the tournament.
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The tournament kicked off on July 20, as New Zealand and Australia started their campaign with wins against Norway and the Republic of Ireland respectively.
However, as the tournament progresses, the schedule will stretch out to allow more rest days between knockout-stage matches before the final in Sydney on August 20.
Below are the key dates for the 2023 Women’s World Cup:
- Group stage:Â Thu, Jul. 20 – Thu, Aug. 3
- Round of 16: Sat, Aug. 5 – Tue, Aug. 8
- Quarterfinals: Fri, Aug. 11 – Sat, Aug. 12
- Semifinals: Tue, Aug. 16 – Wed, Aug. 16
- Third-place: Sat, Aug. 19
- Final: Sun, Aug. 20
Teams out of the Women’s World Cup: Every nation eliminated
The table below will be updated throughout the 2023 tournament as teams are eliminated with the final entrant the losing finalist.
To date, just three sides have been officially knocked out of the competition before the culmination of the group stage.
| Nation | FIFA Ranking |
Date Eliminated |
Stage Eliminated |
How Eliminated |
| Costa Rica | 36 | Jul. 26 | Group Stage | Loss vs. Spain, Japan |
| Zambia | 77 | Jul. 26 | Group Stage | Loss vs. Japan, Spain |
| Republic of Ireland | 22 | Jul. 26 | Group Stage | Loss vs. Australia, Canada |
MORE:Â Women’s World Cup attendance tracker 2023 with full breakdown of fans at matches
How many teams play at the Women’s World Cup?
The changes ahead of the 2023 tournament have brought the competition entrants up to 32 nations spread across FIFA’s continental federations.
With more teams involved, extra games have been added to the schedule, with eight groups of four teams meaning each side will play a minimum of three group-stage games.
The process to decide the qualifiers for the knockout Round of 16 is now simplified, with the top two teams from each group moving to the next phase, with group standings determined by overall points, goal difference and head-to-head record.
Each game from the Round of 16 onwards is a straight knockout match, with 30 minutes of extra time added if a game is tied after 90 minutes of play, with a penalty shootout then used if the scores remain level.
