The 2023 Women's World Cup officially kicked off on July 20. With 32 teams competing at the tournament for the first time ever, the opening match in Auckland, New Zealand marked a historic moment. The first day of matches, which featured joint hosts New Zealand and Australia in action, also harbored several shocking headlines. Here's everything you need to know about Day One of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Mass Shooting Occurs Hours Before Women's World Cup
The city of Auckland was rocked by a violent mass shooting just hours before it was due to host the first match of the 2023 Women's World Cup. A man reportedly two people and himself at a construction site in the city center. Furthermore, six others were injured. The incident occurred on Queen Street, about two miles north of Eden Park. Hours later, the stadium would host the first match of the tournament. However, government officials stressed that the shooting was an isolated incident and not related to the tournament.
New Zealand Stun Norway For First-Ever World Cup Win
Co-hosts New Zealand were drawn into a tough group for their sixth World Cup. They would need a little bit of magic to help them escape a group that also includes European powerhouse Norway and dark horse teams Switzerland and The Philippines. However, the Football Ferns did just that. They stunned the Norwegians in front of a sold-out crowd at Eden Park.
Melbourne City's Hannah Wilkinson scored the only goal of the game, hammering home a close-range effort in the 48th minute. Aside from giving their World Cup campaign the perfect start, the win was also historic for New Zealand. Despite qualifying for the World Cup five times before, the Ferns had never won a match. Through 15 World Cup fixtures, they had managed three draws and 12 losses. That included a 4-0 loss to Norway in the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991. New Zealand is next in action against The Philippines on July 25.
Kerr-less Australia Secures Win
Australia's World Cup campaign got off to a mixed start. While they secured a 1-0 win over tournament debutants Ireland, they had to do it without captain Sam Kerr. The 29-year-old was ruled out for at least two matches after sustaining an injury during training. The Matildas hope that their all-time leading goalscorer will be ready for the team's final group match against Canada on July 31.
Despite dominating Ireland in terms of possession and shots, Australia needed a penalty to secure all three points. Defender Steph Catley slotted home the spot kick in the 52nd minute to give the co-hosts their first win of the tournament. However, Ireland showed resolve in the loss, frustrating Australia with good defensive work throughout the game.
Alexia Putellas Cleared To Start Spain Opener
Despite not playing a full 90 minutes in over a year, Alexia Putellas will start Spain's July 21 tournament opener against Costa Rica. The back-to-back Ballon d'Or winner has slowly rehabbed from an anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered prior to the 2022 Euros. That caused her to miss both the tournament and most of the 2022-23 season.
However, Spanish national team manager Jorge Vilda confirmed that Putellas had passed her fitness tests. Furthermore, he confirmed that she would be starting in the team's first game of the tournament. Spain is considered one of several potential challengers to the consensus favorite United States.