South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana scored a last-gasp winner to send her team through to the World Cup knockouts for the first time, before revealing she was mourning the recent deaths of three family members.
Kgatlana kept her composure in the 92nd minute to take the score to 3-2 against Italy, clinching South Africa’s first ever win on the world stage. It was all the more poignant for Kgatlana because she had been playing through grief after tragic news from back home in the last fortnight since the tournament started.
“Over the last two weeks, I’ve lost three family members. I could have gone home but I chose to stay with my girls,” Kgatlana said. “Because that’s how much it means.”
Read more on this story HERE
Full results and fixtures from the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023
(Times local/UK/ET)
Thursday, July 20
- New Zealand 1 Norway 0, Group A, Eden Park, Auckland
- Australia 1 Ireland 0 , Group B, Stadium Australia, Sydney
Friday, July 21
- Nigeria 0 Canada 0 , Group B, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
- Philippines 0 Switzerland 2 , Group A, Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin
- Spain 3 Costa Rica 0 , Group C, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
Saturday, July 22
- USA 3 Vietnam 0, Group E, Eden Park, Auckland
- Zambia 0 Japan 5 , Group C, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
- England 1 Haiti 0, Group D, Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
- Denmark 1 China 0 , Group D, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
Sunday, July 23
- Sweden 2 South Africa 1 , Group G, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
- Netherlands 1 Portugal 0 , Group E, Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin
- France 0 Jamaica 0 , Group F, Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Monday, July 24
- Italy 1 Argentina 0 , Group G, Eden Park, Auckland
- Germany 6 Morocco 0 , Group H, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
- Brazil 4 vs Panama 0 , Group F, Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
Tuesday, July 25
- Colombia 2 South Korea 0 , Group H, Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
- New Zealand 0 Philippines 1 , Group A, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
- Switzerland 0 Norway 0 , Group A, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Wednesday, July 26
- Japan 2 Costa Rica 0 , Group C, Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin
- Spain 5 Zambia 0 , Group C, Eden Park, Auckland
- Canada 2 Ireland 1, Group B, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
Thursday, July 27
- USA 1 Netherlands 1, Group E, Wellington Regional Stadium
- Portugal 2 Vietnam 0 , Group E, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
- Australia 2 Nigeria 3 , Group B, Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
Friday, July 28
- Argentina 2 South Africa 2 , Group G, Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin
- England 1 Denmark 0, Group D, Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
- China 1 Haiti 0 , Group D, Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
Saturday, July 29
- Sweden 5 Italy 0 , Group G, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
- France 2 Brazil 1 , Group F, Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
- Panama 0 Jamaica 1 , Group F, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
Sunday, July 30
- South Korea 0 Morocco 1 , Group H, Hindmarsh Stadium
- Norway 6 Philippines 0 , Group A, Eden Park, Auckland
- Switzerland 0 New Zealand 0 , Group A, Dunedin
- Germany 1 Colombia 2 , Group H, Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Monday, July 31
- Costa Rica 1 Zambia 3 , Group C, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
- Japan 4 Spain 0 , Group C, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
- Canada 0 Australia 4 , Group B, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
- Ireland 0 Nigeria 0 , Group B, Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
Tuesday, August 1
- Portugal 0 USA 0, Group E, Eden Park, Auckland
- Vietnam 0 Netherlands 7 , Group E, Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin
- Haiti 0 Denmark 2 , Group D, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
- China 1 England 6, Group D, Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
Wednesday, August 2
- South Africa vs Italy , Group G, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, 7pm/8am/3am (BBC)
- Argentina v Sweden , Group G, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, 7pm/8am/3am (BBC)
- Panama vs France , Group F, Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, 8pm/11am/6am (ITV)
- Jamaica vs Brazil , Group F, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, 8pm/11am/6am (ITV)
Thursday, August 3
- South Korea vs Germany , Group H, Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane, 8pm/11am/6am (BBC)
- Morocco vs Colombia , Group H, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, 6pm/11am/6am (BBC)
Saturday, August 5
- Round of 16: Switzerland vs Spain , Eden Park, Auckland, 5pm/6am/1am
- Round of 16: Japan vs Norway , Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, 8pm/9am/4am
Sunday, August 6
- Round of 16: Netherlands v Runner-Up G , Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, noon/3am/10pm Sat, Aug 5
- Round of 16: Winner G v United States , Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, 7pm/10am/5am
Monday, August 7
- Round of 16: England v Nigeria , Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane, 5.30pm/8.30am/3.30am
- Round of 16: Australia v Denmark , Stadium Australia, Sydney, 8.30pm/11.30am/6.30am
Tuesday, August 8
- Round of 16: Winner H v Runner-up F , Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, 6pm/9am/4am
- Round of 16: Winner F v Runner-up H , Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, 8.30pm/noon/7am
Friday, August 11
- Quarter-final 1 , Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, 1pm/2am/9pm Thu, Aug 10
- Quarter-final 2 , Eden Park, Auckland, 7.30pm/8.30am/3.30am
Saturday, August 12
- Quarter-final 3 , Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane, 5pm/8am/3am
- Quarter-final 4 , Stadium Australia, Sydney, 8.30pm/11.30am/6.30am
Tuesday, August 15
- Semi-final 1 , Eden Park, Auckland, 8pm/9am/4am
Wednesday, August 16
- Semi-final 2 , Stadium Australia, Sydney, 8pm/11am/6am
Saturday, August 19
- Third-place play-off , Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane, 6pm/9am/4am
Sunday, August 20
- Final , Stadium Australia, Sydney, 8pm/11am/6am (ITV & BBC)
Use the below tool to filter out just your team’s fixtures
What are the groups?
- Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
- Group B: Australia, Ireland, Nigeria, Canada
- Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan
- Group D : England, Haiti, Denmark, China
- Group E: United States, Vietnam, Netherlands, Portugal
- Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Panama
- Group G : Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
- Group H: Germany, Morocco, Colombia, South Korea
Where is the World Cup taking place?
The tournament is being jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, who beat Colombia to win the vote. Venues include those that will be well known to rugby fans, such as Eden Park (Auckland), Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) and Stadium Australia (Sydney).
Latest news
Kgatlana, 27, who plays club football for Racing Louisville in the US National Women’s Soccer League, only recently recovered from an Achilles injury to be fit for the World Cup. That journey made this tournament even more important to her: “I came back from a very brutal injury to be here, to play for the country, to represent every single girl that wanted to be here, to make history with the girls for South Africa.”
In what was an exhilarating match, South Africa equalised in the 32nd minute through an own goal from Benedetta Orsi. They then went ahead after the hour mark from Hildah Magaia’s close-range shot, which Kgatlana assisted.
Though Italy thought they had salvaged their World Cup hopes with a 74th-minute equaliser from Arianna Caruso - who also scored the opener - Kgatlana’s stoppage-time winner ended up securing a historic win for the African nation.
“They fought like warriors,” said South Africa coach Desiree Ellis, who was a founding member of the South Africa women’s side in 1993. “They fought like the heroines that we know that they are. They fought to be historically remembered and they’ve made history not just getting our first win, but going to the round of 16 and that is freaking amazing.”
It was all the more impressive as South Africa had been locked in a dispute with their association over pay and other issues ahead of the World Cup. The squad refused to play their final warm-up game against Botswana ahead of travelling to Australia, forcing their coaches to scramble to pull together a group of inexperienced players which included a 13-year-old for the match.
On Sunday, South Africa will play the Netherlands in Sydney in the last-1
Women’s World Cup stadiums: Your guide to the venues
Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
Tournament capacity: 13,327
Home to professional football side Adelaide United who play in the A-League, Hindmarsh Stadium was one of the venues chosen to host preliminary matches for the men’s football at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Eden Park, Auckland
Tournament capacity: 40,536
Used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer, Eden Park will host the opening match of the tournament between co-hosts New Zealand and Norway.
Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
Tournament capacity: 46,851
Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, opened in 1914, on the site of the former North Brisbane Cemetery, and in its early days was home to multiple different sports, including cycling, athletics, and soccer. Will host several matches during the tournament, and matches at the 2032 Olympics.
Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin
Tournament capacity: 24,243
The ‘Glasshouse’ – as it is nicknamed – is located in Logan Park, Dunedin, and is the only fully roofed, natural turf stadium in the world. It uses this remarkable feature to collect rainwater that is used to irrigate the pitch grass.
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Tournament capacity: 16,271
Opened in 1925, the Waikato Stadium, which is a major sporting and cultural venue in Hamilton, hosts five group games with Argentina, Costa Rica, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Vietnam and Zambia all featuring.
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
Tournament capacity: 24,870
Having previously been used for rugby league Four Nations matches in 2010 and 2014 and the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, will host group games and two Round of 16 ties.
Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
Tournament capacity: 13,932
The stadium will host to five Women’s World Cup group games, kicking off with the Group D battle between Denmark and Asian champions China. Republic of Ireland will also play here, against Olympic champions Canada in Group B.
Stadium Australia, Sydney
Tournament capacity: 69,314
The jewel in the crown of Australian football grounds, the stadium will host Australia’s opening match of the tournament against Republic of Ireland. Three further knock-out ties will be played here, as will the final on August 20.
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Tournament capacity: 38,841
Having hosted men’s and women’s football for more than three decades, the stadium host six matches, including five group games and a knock-out tie.
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
Tournament capacity: 31,089
Nicknamed ‘The Cake Tin’ by locals, the ground was the first bowl-style stadium in the country offering more space for large crowds, such as cricket fans who go to the venue for one-day international cricket matches.
How to get tickets
Tickets for multi-match packages are available from just $20 AUD/NZD for adults and $10 AUD/NZD for children.
Who are the defending champions?
United States, who beat Netherlands in Lyon in 2019.
What ball is being used at the tournament?
The official ball uses the same technology that was deployed during 2022’s men’s tournament in Qatar, to send Var officials real-time data to contribute to semi-automated offside decisions.
The ball, created by Adidas and named ‘OCEAUNZ’, contains a motion sensor powered by a rechargeable battery, which can be charged by induction and is suspended in the centre of the ball.
“Adidas has created an iconic [ball] that reflects diversity, inclusivity and togetherness, fitting themes for the first-ever Fifa Women’s World Cup to be co-hosted by two different countries from different confederations,” Fifa’s secretary general Fatma Samoura said. “This edition of the tournament will be extremely special.”
What are the best of the latest odds?
- US 16/5
- Spain 4/1
- Germany 8/1
- England 13/2
- Japan 17/2
- Australia 11/1
- France 13/1
- Netherlands 14/1
Odds correct as of August 1
You can take advantage of these Women’s World Cup free bets throughout the whole tournament.
