Australia, New Zealand PMs back joint hosting of 2023 Women's World Cup

CANBERRA - The prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand sent a letter to FIFA on Tuesday showing their support for a joint bid to host the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Australia and New Zealand have become clear favorites to host the tournament after Japan withdrew its bid on Monday.

The combined bid scored 4.1 out of 5 in a FIFA inspection report, performing significantly stronger than its only remaining rival, Colombia, which was rated 2.8.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern wrote in an open letter to FIFA that the two countries would host a tournament to be proud of.

"An Australia-New Zealand FIFA Women's World Cup would embody our passion for women's football and proud commitment to equality and fairness, creating a profound and enduring legacy for the future of women's football within the region and beyond," they said.

"Football is the game that connects us all. We sincerely hope that an Australia-New Zealand FIFA Women's World Cup will bring us all together again in 2023, when we can all celebrate humanity, community and unity through football," they emphasized.

Should Australia and New Zealand win the hosting rights, it would represent the first time that a World Cup has been split across two confederations.

While New Zealand have always played in the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), Australia moved from that organization to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006.

FIFA's Executive Council will vote on the matter on Thursday.