Looking Ahead
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ may be over but there is plenty more to look forward to in the months ahead, including the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ as well as the FIFA Club World Cup™. Indonesia and Peru will also be hosting FIFA tournaments, as football continues to be truly global. In addition, an election for FIFA President will take place in March.
February: FIFA Club World Cup 2022™
Seven clubs representing the six confederations, including Real Madrid (UEFA), Wydad (CAF), Flamengo (CONMEBOL), Seattle Sounders (Concacaf), Auckland City (OFC), Al Ahly (CAF) and Al Hilal (AFC), will compete in the 19th edition of this tournament in Morocco in 2023.
February: Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™
Ten teams – two each from the AFC, Concacaf, CAF and CONMEBOL and one each from the OFC and UEFA – will travel to Aotearoa New Zealand to compete in an inter-zonal competition for the final three slots at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™. Matches will take place in Hamilton/Kirikiriroa and Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau from 18 to 23 February.
February: The Best FIFA Football Awards™
On 27 February, in Paris, FIFA will honour the beautiful game’s most outstanding performers in 2022. In addition to crowning the best male and female players of the year – and the best coaches – the FIFA Puskás Award will also be given to the best goal of the year. There will also be awards for fair play and fan commitment.
March: 73rd FIFA Congress
The 73rd FIFA Congress will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, on Thursday, 16 March and will include the election of the FIFA President for a four-year mandate.
March: Draw for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Indonesia 2023™
The draw for the group stage of the tournament will be held in Jakarta in March 2023. The 24 teams will be divided into pots, according to their seedings, and drawn into six groups of four. Hosts Indonesia will be automatically seeded to Pot 1 and placed into the first position of Group A. Teams include the Dominican Republic, who will be taking part in a FIFA tournament for the first time.
May-June: FIFA U-20 World Cup Indonesia 2023™
Indonesia will stage a major FIFA event for the first time when it hosts the 23rd edition of a tournament that is firmly established in the football calendar. The 24-team contest often provides a sneak preview of some of the stars of the future. The tournament, which will take place from 20 May until 11 June, was originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
20 July-20 August: FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™
The ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ kicks off at Eden Park Stadium in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau on 20 July and will feature 32 teams, having been expanded from the previous 24-team format in response to the remarkable growth of the women’s game.
It will be the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to be staged in the southern hemisphere and the first to be co-hosted by two member associations. It will also be the first senior FIFA tournament to be held in Oceania.
The tournament, which will see the USA try to defend the title they won in France in 2019, will be played across nine cities and ten stadiums and will end on 20 August 2023 with the final in Sydney/Gadigal at Stadium Australia.
November – December: FIFA U-17 World Cup Peru 2023™
Peru will stage the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ for the second time, having previously hosted the tournament in 2005 when it was won by Mexico. Twenty-four teams will take part with matches to be played in five cities – Lima, Callao, Tacna, Chiclayo and Piura. The competition – which will be played from 10 November until 2 December 2023 – was originally planned for 2021 but had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
November – December: FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup UAE 2023™
After first playing host to the tournament in 2009, Dubai will again be the setting for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ at the end of 2023 – when 16 nations will compete for the title of world champions. It will be the 12th edition of the tournament.