News in Pictures / Japan Victorious as Women’s World Cup Opens

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:29 JST, July 25, 2023

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is being cohosted by Australia and New Zealand, kicked off on Thursday.

The opening match between New Zealand and Norway was held in Auckland as scheduled despite a shooting that morning in the city which left three people dead including the shooter.

In response to the incident, the players and spectators held a moment of silence before the opening match to mourn the victims. New Zealand won the match 1-0.

A total of 32 teams will play in eight qualifying groups, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the round of 16. The final will be held in Sydney on Aug. 20.

The 11th-ranked Japanese team, known as Nadeshiko Japan, started off with a 5-0 victory over Zambia, ranked 77th, in its first Group C match on Saturday.

Japan, which aims to win the World Cup for the first time since 2011, will next face 36th-ranked Costa Rica on Wednesday.

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