As women’s sport attracts greater attention and larger crowds worldwide, now’s your chance to soak up the inspiration, enjoy elite sport, and marvel at greatness. This summer we’ve seen Barbie reminding us that “you can be anything” and she’s no stranger to sport herself, having explored everything from horse riding to NASCAR racing. But it’s the real sportswomen we want to celebrate with our list of 10 key events shining a light on women in sport.
FIFA Women’s World Cup (20 July-20 August 2023), Football
Venues across Australia and New Zealand
One of the biggest events in all of women’s sport is the FIFA Women’s World Cup, in which the world’s best teams battle it out for football’s most sought-after prize. We’re moving into the business end of the tournament now as the teams bid to secure their place in the final 4. The United States – the 2-time defending champions – were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Sweden, blowing the tournament wide open for the remainder of the field, which still includes hosts Australia and reigning European champions England. The semifinals will be held at Eden Park and Stadium Australia, respectively, on 15 and 16 August, with prices starting at NZD $30 (USD $18) and AUD $30 (USD $20) for adults.
Las Vegas Aces v New York Liberty (15 August 2023), Basketball
Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, USA
There’s just less than a month remaining of the WNBA regular season, and things are hotting up in the United States’ premier women’s basketball league. With around three quarters of the campaign gone, teams are starting to secure their playoff berths. The Las Vegas Aces have led the way atop the standings, thanks in part to a perfect home record. That record will soon be put to the test, however, with a mouth-watering double-header against New York Liberty on 15 and 17 August. The Liberty have been the Aces’ closest rivals all season and sit immediately behind them in the standings. Star players such as Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and A’ja Wilson will be in action, so it promises to be a pair of must-watch clashes. Tickets start at USD $13.
Women’s European Volleyball Championship (15 August-3 September 2023), Volleyball
Venues across Belgium, Italy, Estonia, and Germany
Known as Women’s EuroVolley, this year’s championship is not only a true celebration of the continent – with 8 venues hosting games across 4 counties – but of course an enticing opportunity for fans to witness some of the world’s greatest women’s volleyball players. The 2021 champions Italy will benefit from a home crowd, while the current world no.1 Turkey will hope to go all the way. The tournament serves up a pool stage, followed by a Round of 16, and then the closing stages with the final on 3 September taking place at Palais 12 in Brussels, Belgium. To provide options for all ranges of enthusiast, the tournament has released tickets to cover a day of the action (and all the matches included at one venue on that day), to cover all the events at one venue, or to follow your team! Tickets are available from as little as EUR €14.
World Athletics Championships (19-27 August 2023), Athletics
Nationals Athletics Centre, Budapest, Hungary
The biennial World Athletics Championships is set to be front and centre in August with Budapest’s brand-new National Athletics Centre playing host to the sport’s greatest competitors. With just under a year to go until the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, this competition matters more than ever as athletes battle it out to secure their place on one of the biggest stages on Earth. Just a few of the top female athletes confirmed to compete at the Worlds are Jamaican speed-machines Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the elegant Dutch Femke Bol and Sifan Hassan, and the great Brits Dina Asher-Smith, Laura Muir, Keely Hodgkinson, and Katarina Johnson-Thompson. Tickets can be purchased for individual sessions and start from HUF 3,000 (USD $9).
World Rowing Championships (3-10 September 2023), Rowing
Ada Ciganlija, Belgrade, Serbia
The World Rowing Championships is the highlight of the year for international rowing. Over the course of a week, the sport’s elite athletes have the chance to win medals for their country against the toughest possible opponents. After a successful drive to improve gender parity at major rowing regattas, the Championships now features 10 boat classes for female rowers. The Dutch crews starred in 2022, claiming medals in 7 of those classes. Karolien Florijn, an Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo, became 1 of just 19 rowers in history to win World Championships medals in both scull and sweep events. Florijn and Team Netherlands will be back for more in 2023 when the competition heads to Belgrade, with grandstand tickets available from 624 din (USD $6).
San Diego Open (9-16 September 2023), Tennis
Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, USA
The San Diego Open was first played in its current form in 1984, although antecedent tournaments in the Southern California area date back to 1887. Previous winners at the now WTA 500 event include some of the biggest names in women’s tennis across the last 40 years, such as Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, and Maria Sharapova. Despite its illustrious honour roll, the competition was discontinued following the 2015 edition, however the women’s event returned to the tour in 2022 and proved such a success that it will be held again in 2023, with women’s number one Iga Świątek the defending champion. Day tickets for this historic event start from USD $25.
SLS Sydney (7 October 2023), Skateboarding
Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre, Sydney, Australia
When Rayssa Leal was just 7, Tony Hawk enthusiastically shared a viral video of the Brazilian skateboarder. Since then, Leal has claimed gold at the Summer X Games, 5 World Championship medals, and a silver in Tokyo that made her the youngest Olympic medallist in 85 years. In 2021, Leal broke another record when she performed a 360° flip and handrail manoeuvre, earning the highest score in women’s Street League Skateboarding (SLS) history. Last year, Leal added to her trophy cabinet with her first SLS Super Crown title. Tickets are still available for fans who want to see "the Little Fairy” and her fellow star skateboarders when the tour heads to Sydney in October, with prices from AUD $39 (USD $26).
Denmark Open (17-22 October 2023), Badminton
Jyske Bank Arena, Odense, Denmark
First held in 1936, the Denmark Open is arguably the second biggest annual badminton event in Europe, boasting an illustrious history and a reputation as a fun, family-friendly event, suitable for racquet sport fanatics and casual spectators alike. Today, the Denmark Open is a Super 750 tier event, one of the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) foremost tournaments, and as such, this high-profile competition attracts some of the best female servers, slicers, and smashers in the game across its women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles draws, with respective defending champions including He Bingjiao, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan, and Huang Yaqiong. Adult day tickets start at DKK 245 (USD $37), whilst child tickets can be purchased for as little as DKK 185 (USD $28).
Women’s Big Bash League (19 October-2 December 2023), Cricket
Venues across Australia
It’s been a landmark year for women’s cricket. First, back in February, the Women’s T20 World Cup wowed crowds across South Africa, before the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League in India broke new ground for the sport in March. The excitement continued over the summer as England and Australia played out a thrilling Women’s Ashes series full of nail-biting finishes and historic individual performances. To round off a spectacular year, the stars of women’s cricket will head Down Under on 19 October for the start of the 2023 Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). Back for its ninth season, the tournament will feature the likes of Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Hayley Matthews, and Harmanpreet Kaur. As always, cricket fans can expect big hits, flying wickets, and family-friendly fun at WBBL games, with many tickets available for less than AUD $10 (USD $7).
Survivor Series (25 November 2023), Wrestling
Allstate Arena, Chicago, USA
A permanent fixture on the WWE calendar since 1987, Survivor Series is one of the highlights of the year for wrestling fans. The pay-per-view, which will next take place on 25 November 2023, has historically featured some of the greatest women’s bouts in pro-wrestling history, including a brutal hardcore match between Trish Stratus and Victoria in 2002, and the first-ever women’s WarGames match at last year’s event. When Survivor Series arrives at Chicago’s Allstate arena this fall, the women of WWE will, once again, be the stars of the show, with Women’s Champion Iyo Sky and Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley both likely to be in action. Tickets for this year’s Survivor Series are moving fast, but wrestling fans can still secure a seat for around USD $134.
For more information on these events, including ticket prices, click the links below:
- FIFA Women’s World Cup (20 July-20 August 2023), Football
- Las Vegas Aces v New York Liberty (15 August 2023), Basketball
- Women’s European Volleyball Championship (15 August-3 September 2023), Volleyball
- World Athletics Championships (19-27 August 2023), Athletics
- World Rowing Championships (3-10 September 2023), Rowing
- San Diego Open (9-16 September 2023), Tennis
- SLS Sydney (7 October 2023), Skateboarding
- Denmark Open (17-22 October 2023), Badminton
- Women’s Big Bash League (19 October-2 December 2023), Cricket
- Survivor Series (25 November 2023), Wrestling