Australia is "hoping to host the Women's World Cup" in '23, with the Australian federal government announcing "it will financially back Football Federation Australia" to put together a bid proposal, according to the ABC. The federal government will provide initial funding worth A$1M ($753,900), with a further A$4M ($3M) "to be made available should it be satisfied the bid has a chance of being successful." The two-step approach, which the government described as "cautious," is in "stark contrast to Australia's disastrous bid" for the 2022 World Cup, for which FFA received A$45.6M in federal funding. Final bids are expected to be made by late '18, with FIFA "set to announce the successful host the following year." The government "noted the potential economic benefits of hosting the Women's World Cup," with the '15 edition in Canada attracting more than 1 million spectators and a global TV audience of more than 760 million viewers. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra "would be expected to host the 24-team tournament," which will feature 52 matches, with each city having staged fixtures in the men's Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in '15 (ABC, 6/13). REUTERS' Nick Mulvenney reported the Australian women's national team is currently ranked eighth and reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the third successive tournament in Canada in '15. Australia PM Malcolm Turnbull said, "It's a great initiative. It's a great goal. And I'm excited to announce that the government will be backing the FFA's bid for Australia to host the 2023 Women's World Cup." Colombia, Japan, New Zealand and Thailand have all expressed interest in hosting the '23 tournament but "Australia's experience of successfully staging major sporting events and the government backing would put them among the favourites." Turnbull: "We set the bar, the highest level, in hosting great global sporting events. A women's World Cup hosted in our back yard would inspire a new generation of women and girls right across Australia" (REUTERS, 6/13).
