Australia first to qualify for 2027 World Cup in Brazil (original) (raw)

Australia first to qualify for 2027 World Cup in Brazil

One of the last teams out at the last women's World Cup is first in for the next one.

Australia became the first team to qualify for the 2027 tournament in Brazil, securing its spot with a 2-1 win over North Korea in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup on Friday, March 13.

The Matildas, who went out in the semifinals of the 2023 tournament they co-hosted with New Zealand, have played in every World Cup going back to 1995.

The 32-team World Cup will be played June 24 to July 25, 2027, across eight cities in Brazil. It will be the first time the women's World Cup will be played in South America.

Results at the Asian Cup, which is taking place in Australia, will determine the six automatic qualifiers from the Asian Football Confederation.

Australia and the other three semifinalists are assured spots while North Korea and the other teams that lose in the quarterfinals will have a play-in tournament to decide AFC's remaining two places.

The losers of that play-in tournament can still get to the World Cup through a worldwide playoff tournament later this year.

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USWNT all-time leading goal scorers

1. Abby Wambach - 184 (2001-15)

(Michael Chow, USA TODAY Sports)

“There’s nothing like the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Only 32 teams earn the chance to step onto the biggest stage in women’s sport, and that moment represents years of belief, sacrifice and hard work. These players wore the Australia shirt with such pride – this is the realization of a dream – this moment belongs to them,” said Jill Ellis, FIFA's chief football officer.

“Being here in Australia, you can feel the energy around the women’s game. The football has been world-class, and the passion from the fans shows just how much the game has grown.

"The level of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup continues to rise every year, and you can see how much qualifying means to these teams. The players and staff should be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved, and I wish them every success as they continue their journey towards 2027.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Australia becomes first team to qualify for 2027 World Cup in Brazil