FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: how to watch opening ceremony on UK TV - start-times, locations and performances

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is now only hours away from commencing in Australia and New Zealand. It is set to be the biggest Women’s World Cup to date with organisers anticipating two billion television viewers which would double what was seen at the 2019 edition. Alongside the Republic of Ireland, seven other nations will also be making their debut as this year’s competition welcomes 32 teams as opposed to the 24 which were allowed in 2019.

Vietnam, Zambia, Haiti, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines and Portugal will all be making their Women’s World Cup debut but it’s the United States who will be hoping to secure their fifth world title with Megan Rapinoe ready for her final tournament after announcing her retirement.

England’s first fixture takes place on Saturday and they will play one of the debutants, Haiti, with a bid to extend their title as Euros victors to World Cup champions. As the world prepares for the opening weekend of Women’s World Cup action, here is all you need to know about the opening ceremony...

When is the 2023 opening ceremony?

The World Cup opening ceremony will take place on Thursday 20 July 2023 with it starting at 7.30am BST. It will take place at Eden Park in Auckland, directly before the first game of the tournament which will be New Zealand hosting Norway.

Eden Park hosts up to 50,000 spectators and is usually used for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer. The stadium is also set to host six group matches, one round of 16, one quarter-final and one of the two semi-final clashes.

How to watch the 2023 opening ceremony?

BBC One will be broadcasting the opening ceremony and the subsequent match. BBC and ITV are to share the broadcasting rights of the tournament following a dramatic battle with FIFA which saw Gianni Infantino threaten to withhold all broadcasting in the UK.

However, the BBC and ITV will once again share the role, similarly to the Men’s World Cup, and BBC One will show the ceremony with coverage starting at 7.30am. BBC iPlayer will also be live streaming the event, as will the BBC Sport website.

Who will be performing at the 2023 opening ceremony?

New Zealand singer Benee and Australian singer Mallrat will both be performing at Auckland and they are expected to perform ‘Do It Again’ which is the official song of the World Cup.

Speaking ahead of their performance, Benee said: “Being a small part of this incredible celebration of women’s sport is an absolute dream come true for me. As a keen young football player I just couldn’t have imagined this. I’ve loved the experience of writing a song which I hope reflects my excitement at having the world’s biggest women’s sports event held on my home turf. I can’t wait to perform ‘Do It Again’ live with Mallrat at the opening ceremony.”

The ceremony will also see the New Zealand Maori All Blacks perform the Haka while the Sydney Symphony Orchestra are set to put on a beautiful set before a vocal group of children from across the world perform a poem about the power of football.