The Women’s World Cup is being staged in 10 stadiums in nine cities in Australia and New Zealand. The tournament starts on July 20 and the final is set for Aug. 20.
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NEW ZEALAND
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AUCKLAND
Indigenous name: Tamaki Makaurau
Venue: Eden Park will stage the first match in New Zealand between co-host New Zealand and Norway. It will be the first of five group matches. The stadium will also host one match in the round of 16, one in the quarterfinals and one in the semifinals. The stadium has a capacity of 40,000 to 60,000, depending on configuration. It was the main stadium for the 1990 Commonwealth Games and hosted the finals of the 1987 and 2011 Rugby World Cups, and a semifinal game at the 2015 Cricket World Cup. It stands in suburban Mount Eden near the dormant volcano of that name, known to indigenous Maori as Maungawhau.
Weather: Auckland is sub-tropical with warm summers and wet winters. Temperatures average 8-23 degrees Celsius year round (46-73 degrees Fahrenheit). Temperatures in July and August typically range from 11-15 Celsius (52-59 Fahrenheit).
Soccer
About: Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with an urban population of about 1.6 million. About 41% of Auckland’s population was born overseas, giving it the eighth-largest proportion of foreign-born residents of any city in the world. It has the largest ethnic Polynesian population in the world. Maori have lived in the area since the 14th century. Europeans settled Auckland in 1840 and made it New Zealand’s capital until Wellington replaced it in 1865. Auckland is built on an isthmus between the Waitemata Harbor on the Pacific Ocean and Manukau Harbor on the Tasman Sea. One of its landmarks is the 328-meter (1,076 foot) Skytower, the second tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. Auckland is surrounded by the Auckland Volcanic Field, which comprises about 50 dormant or extinct volcanoes. Auckland is known as the City of Sails for its large sailing community. It is the home to the America’s Cup syndicate Team New Zealand and has hosted the America’s Cup regatta three times. Many workers commute to downtown Auckland by ferries which serve points on the Waitemata Harbor and Hauraki Gulf. Waiheke Island is the largest in the Gulf with a population of about 10,000 and is famous for its vineyards.
Hometown Football Ferns: Erin Nayler (IFK Norrkoping), Ashleigh Ward (Southampton), Jaqui Hand (Colorado College).
HAMILTON
Indigenous name: Kirikiriroa
Venue: Waikato Regional Stadium has a capacity of 25,800 and is primarily a rugby venue. Formerly known as Rugby Park, it was due to host a match on the contentious 1981 tour of New Zealand by South Africa's Springboks. But anti-apartheid protesters broke down fences and occupied the ground, preventing the rugby international from taking place. The stadium will host five matches in the group stage.
Weather: temperatures in July and August range from 6-14 degrees Celsius (43-57 degrees Fahrenheit).
About: Hamilton, with a population of 180,000, is an inland city on the banks of the Waikato River in Waikato province. Waikato is a leading farming center known for crop and dairy farms and home to some of New Zealand’s top thoroughbred stud farms. Colloquially known as “the Tron” by New Zealanders, it has the relaxed vibe of a large rural town. It also is a center of indigenous Maori culture. The largest iwi (tribe) in the region is Waikato-Tainui, which has substantial land and property holdings, including two major Hamilton hotels.
The city of Rotorua, popular among tourists for its boiling mud pools and geysers, is 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. Hobbiton, a location in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie series, is 43 kilometers (26 miles) away near the township of Matamata.
Hometown Football Ferns: Michaela Foster (Wellington Phoenix), the daughter of Ian Foster, head coach of the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby team.
WELLINGTON
Indigenous name: Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Venue: Wellington Regional Stadium, otherwise know as Sky Stadium or as the “Cake Tin” for it’s circular shape, seats 35,400 and is situated on the waterfront close to the central railway station. The stadium will host seven group matches, including the United States vs. Netherlands on July 27, one match in the round of 16 and one in the quarterfinals.
Its proximity to downtown means fans can walk to the ground from the central city or from trains arriving from Wellington’s suburbs. Ferries that cross the Cook Strait to link the North and South Islands leave nearby.
Weather: Wellington isn't known as “Windy Wellington” for nothing. It is one of the windiest cities in the world by average windspeed. Temperatures in July and August on average are between 7-12 degrees Celsius (45-54 degrees Fahrenheit). Rain is common in those months.
About: New Zealand’s capital has an urban population of 212,000 and is known as a civil service city but with a bohemian vibe. Parliament buildings and the adjacent “Beehive” executive offices are not far from the stadium. Much of the central business district stands on land reclaimed since 1840 and the city also sits on one of New Zealand’s most active fault lines.
Wellington mostly nestles between steep hills to the west and it’s natural harbor. Houses perch above the city and harbor among native bush on steep hillsides. The city is home to film director Peter Jackson, who made the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, including at locations nearby, and Weta Workshops, which creates special effects and props for film and television, recently for the Avatar series of movies.
Wellington is popular for its compact city center, making it is easy to walk to most places. The city has one of the best restaurant and cafe scenes in New Zealand.
Hometown Football Ferns: C.J. Bott (Leicester), Emma Rolston (Wellington Phoenix), Kate Taylor (Wellington Phoenix).
DUNEDIN
Indigenous name: Otepoti
Venue: Dunedin Stadium, otherwise known as the Forysyth Barr Stadium, is the only indoor venue for matches in New Zealand. It has a capacity of 31,000. It is situated in northern Dunedin, close to the University Oval cricket venue and near the wide Otago University Campus, an easy walk from the central city.
Weather: Average temperatures in July and August range from 1-13 degrees Celsius (34-55 degrees Fahrenheit).
About: Dunedin is a college town and has a deep Scottish heritage. The name Dunedin, or Dùn Èideann, is the Scottish Gaelic form of Edinburgh. Scots first settled the city in 1848 and many thousands more arrived later.
The city’s many stone buildings remember the Scottish towns from which the settlers came and Dunedin has a tradition of pipe bands which often play at major sporting events. Dunedin also has a long history of Asian settlement. Many settlers from mainland China were attracted to Dunedin by the goldrush in Otago province in the 1860s.
The college campus and ornate railway station are landmarks near the central city. Lanark Castle on the Otago Peninsula was built by politician and entrepreneur William Lanark in 1872 in the style of an English stately home. It is reputedly haunted. Lanark committed suicide by shooting himself in the Parliament in Wellington in 1898 after the collapse of the Colonial Bank of New Zealand, of which he was a director and shareholder.
The Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head is the only mainland breeding colony of Royal Albatross in the world. It is open daily to visitors who can see adult birds which have a wing span of more than three meters (10 feet) and their chicks which are hatched and remain at the colony until they are able to fly.
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AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY
Indigenous name for Sydney Cove: Warrane
Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is the only city with two venues for the tournament.
The 82,500-seat Stadium Australia, the centerpiece of the 2000 Olympics, is in the western suburbs on the way to Parramatta. It will host the opening game in Australia featuring the Matildas against Ireland in Group B, as well one round of 16 match, one quarterfinal match, one semifinal match and the final.
Sydney Football Stadium, a 42,000-seat venue on the southeastern edge of downtown on the route to Bondi Beach, will host five group games and one in the round of 16.
Weather: Average temperatures range from 8-18 degrees Celsius (46-64 degrees Fahrenheit) in late July and August, with moderate humidity and relatively low chance of rain.
About: Australia’s biggest and most vibrant city is renowned for its vast natural harbor, a spectacular backdrop to the Sydney Opera House — the iconic building with the white, wave-like roof on Bennelong Point — and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
It was the site of the first European settlement in Australia in 1788. Remnants of the colonial period are evident in the Rocks, where some of the buildings are made of convict-chiseled sandstone blocks. The precinct is on the western side of Sydney Cove and close to Circular Quay, where there's a terminal for ferries that travel across the harbor to such places as Manly on the northern beaches.
Hometown Matildas: Alanna Kennedy (Manchester City). Caitlin Foord (Arsenal) and Emily van Egmond (San Diego Wave) grew up nearby.
In a country featuring some unique native fauna, the animal emblems of New South Wales are the platypus and kookaburra.
MELBOURNE
Indigenous name: Naarm
Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, also known as AAMI Park, will host four group games and two in the round of 16. It is a 30,000-seat soccer and rugby venue in the Victoria state capital's expansive sports precinct across the road from Melbourne Park, home to the Australian Open tennis tournament. It's within walking distance of the city along the Yarra River and from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, venue for the 1956 Olympics and spiritual home of Australian Rules football.
Weather: Average temperatures in late July and August range from 6-15 degrees Celsius (43-59 degrees Fahrenheit), with moderate humidity and a regular prospect of light rain.
About: Melburnians call the city of 4.6 million the sporting capital of Australia. It’s the only Southern Hemisphere venue for one of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments, as well as a regular early-season stop on the Formula One calendar. The Melbourne Cup — the most prestigious horse race in the Southern Hemisphere — is held each November and is dubbed “The race that stops a nation.” The Australian Football League’s Grand Final in late September is cause for a government-mandated holiday in Victoria. Melbourne has a thriving restaurant scene and a love for laneway cafes and coffee culture. Trams have been a popular mode of public transport since the 1880s, in the wake of the gold rush that made Australia’s second city one of the most prosperous in the world.
Hometown Matildas: Steph Catley (Arsenal).
The state's animal emblem is the Leadbeater’s possum.
BRISBANE
Indigenous name: Meeanjin
Venue: Brisbane Stadium, also known as Lang Park or Suncorp Stadium, is a 52,000-seat venue on the northwestern edge of the downtown area, usually Queensland’s home of rugby league. It will host five group games, one in the round of 16, one in the quarterfinals and the playoff for third place.
About: A lush, laidback sub-tropical bayside city, Brisbane is the fastest growing state capital in the country. The city, dissected by the Brisbane River, is a hub for a regional population of 4 million, including the Gold Coast to the south and the Sunshine Coast to the north, which are popular for their long, sandy surf beaches. The southeast corner of the so-called Sunshine state is well into planning for the 2032 Olympics, with Brisbane set to be the third Australian host city. The city staged the World Expo in 1988 on a strip of riverfront land now called Southbank, which is across the Go Between bridge from the stadium.
Weather: Average temperatures in late July and August range from 10-22 degrees Celsius (50-72 degrees Fahrenheit), with low humidity and relatively low chance of rain.
Hometown Matildas: Clare Polkinghorne (Vittsjo GIK) and Katrina Gorry (Brisbane Roar on loan from Vittsjo GIK).
Koalas are the animal emblems of Queensland.
ADELAIDE
Indigenous name: Tarntanya
Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium, also known as Coopers Stadium, will host four group games and one in the round of 16. It's an 18,000-seat soccer stadium on the northeastern edge of the downtown area.
Weather: Average temperatures in late July and August range from 8-17 degrees Celsius (46-63 degrees Fahrenheit), with moderate humidity and prospect of rain.
About: A stepping-off point for Kangaroo Island, the Great Australian Bight and the Nullarbor Plain, Adelaide is within easy driving distance of South Australia’s most prestigious vineyards in the Barossa and McLaren Vale. The city has abundant parkland, wide open streets in a grid pattern and has been called Australia’s City of Churches, reflecting its many stone religious buildings dating back to the 1840s. Adelaide was the first Australian city established by free settlers rather than as a penal colony. It was home to the Australian Grand Prix from 1985-96 and hosts the annual Tour Down Under, the opening race of the international cycling union’s world tour. The Adelaide Oval is rated among the most picturesque cricket venues in the world.
Adelaide is in the central Australian time zone, which is 30 minutes behind the east coast cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane during the winter months.
Hometown Matildas: Alex Chidiac (Melbourne Victory on loan from Racing Louisville).
The southern hairy-nosed wombat is the animal emblem of South Australia.
PERTH
Indigenous name: Boorloo
Venue: The 22,000-seat Perth Rectangular Stadium, also known as HBF Park or Perth Oval, is east of the city’s downtown area and will host five group games.
Weather: Average temperatures in late July and August range from 8-19 degrees Celsius (46-66 degrees Fahrenheit), with moderate humidity and high chance of rain.
About: In terms of distance, it's closer to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta than it is to Sydney, which is an almost 4,000-kilometer (2,450-mile) drive to the east. Situated on the Swan River, which is a sacred place for the Noongar First Nations people, Perth is the capital of the biggest state in Australia and is one of the most isolated cities of 1 million-plus in the world. Yet after riding the gold rush in the 1890s and the more recent mining and resources boom, Perth has become prosperous and is often rated among the world's most livable cities. Locals often refer to the two-thirds of Australia beyond the state border as “over east.” It’s close to some of Australia’s famous surf spots, including Main Break at Margaret River, and has more bright sunny days than any other city in Australia.
Perth is in the Australian western time zone, which is two hours behind Australian eastern standard time and 90 minutes behind Adelaide in the winter months.
Hometown Matildas: Sam Kerr (Chelsea).
The Numbat and Black Swan are the animal emblems of Western Australia.