FRANCE will host the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time when the tournament kicks off on Friday, June 7.

England and Scotland are among the 24 teams taking part with the final in Lyon on July 7. The tournament will be hosted in nine cities and played in nine different venues.

The competition runs for a month, until July 7. Hosts France get the competition under way with their opening group match against South Korea in Paris.

Scotland, who are making their first appearance at the World Cup, will meet England in Nice on June 9 – the opening game for both countries.

Holders the United States will begin the defence of their title against Thailand, who are ranked 29th in the world, on June 11 in Reims.

The semi-finals and final are being held in Lyon and will take place from July 2.
Last month, FIFA revealed that more than 720 000 tickets have already been sold for the tournament – exceeding the number sold at this stage for the World Cup in Canada in 2015.

The opening match, along with the semi-finals and final, were sold out within 48 hours of going on sale.

There are nine venues in total, including the Parc des Princes – home of Paris St-Germain.
The opening match will take place there, while seven of the venues will host at least three group games.

The semi-finals and final will be held at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, also known as Groupama Stadium. It has the largest capacity of the venues being used and will hold up to 59 186 fans.

The stadium, which hosted last year’s Europa League final, will also be one of the venues for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

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Women’s World Cup groups
Group A: France, South Korea, Norway, Nigeria
Group B: Germany, China, Spain, South Africa
Group C: Australia, Italy, Brazil, Jamaica
Group D: England, Scotland, Argentina, Japan
Group E: Canada, Cameroon, New Zealand, Netherlands

Group F: USA, Thailand, Chile, Sweden
Defending champions United States are seeking a fourth title and are ranked number one in the world.

Hosts France have never gone beyond the semi-finals of the World Cup and have only reached the last eight at the European Championship. However, they are ranked fourth in the world and are hoping to replicate the success of the men’s team, who won in Russia last year.

Olympic champions Germany are also a threat. The side were knocked out in the semi-finals in 2015 – and in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in 2017 – but remain number two in the world.

World number seven Japan were World Cup winners in 2011 and runners-up in 2015, while European champions the Netherlands could also challenge for the title. (BBC Sport)