THE Super Falcons will be based in a world-class hotel in Brisbane for the 2023 Women’s World Cup to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, FIFA has announced.
Twenty-nine Team Base Camps across Australia and New Zealand were today confirmed by the governing body for the tournament, which will be held from July 20 to August 20 in the two neighbouring countries.
“For the first time in FIFA Women’s World Cup history, competing countries will use dedicated Team Base Camps in next year’s tournament. A Team Base Camp (TBC) is the “home away from home” for teams and includes a training site and accommodation,” FIFA said in a press release made available to Naija Times today.
“In Australia, 14 TBCs have been confirmed across five Host Cities and two regional centres for the 14 qualified teams that will play group matches in Australia.
“In Aotearoa New Zealand, 15 TBCs have been confirmed across four Host Cities and three regional centres for the 15 qualified teams that will play group matches in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“The three teams that qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 via the Play-Off Tournament in February 2023 will select their TBC after qualification.”
The Super Falcons, who finished fourth in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in July to qualify for the World Cup, will be accommodated at the Sofitel Brisbane Central. They will train at the Lions FC Stadium, also in Brisbane, Australia.
The Nigerian team will play two of their Group B games in Brisbane against Ireland and co-hosts Australia, while their opening match is in Melbourne against Canada.
The Sofitel Brisbane Central is described as ‘a five-star luxury hotel with 416 luxury rooms and suites’.
It is located in the heart of Brisbane’s Central Business District and offers world-class facilities, including a rooftop swimming pool, free Wi-Fi and a state-of-the-art fitness centre, according to its website.
“Following the draw for the tournament in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau on 22 October, the 29 qualified teams visited the short-listed TBC sites in the country where they were drawn to play their group matches and then submitted their preferred TBC options to FIFA. Following each team’s selections, FIFA confirmed the TBCs for the 29 qualified nations,” FIFA explained the process of selecting the base camps.
FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman said that the addition of TBCs at the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time will ensure that teams and players are provided with the best possible platform to perform at their peak.
“Our mission for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is to go ‘Beyond Greatness’, and to do that we must provide elite environments for the 32 teams to train, rest and recover,” Bareman said.
“With great support from our Host Countries, Governments, and the Host Cities, FIFA will provide each team with the best training and preparation environment possible, enabling them to focus on their performances at the tournament while at the same time offering them the chance to connect with people and communities where they are based.”
“FIFA is committed to enhancing the standards and conditions for teams at each FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the introduction of dedicated Team Base Camps is a clear demonstration of that commitment and our drive to grow and develop women’s football.”
Australia & New Zealand 2023 will be the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to be co-hosted, the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere and the first with 32 teams – up from 24 in 2019.
