World Cup 2023: What to expect on Day 1
Fireworks – on and the pitch.
It's an early start for soccer fans in the Northern hemisphere and RTÉ will be there to take you through every moment of the opening day of the 2023 World Cup.
The action starts at 7:25am on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player where Evanne Ní Chuilinn presents live coverage from Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand of the opening ceremony.
Organisers have promised the usual razzamatazz and while they’re keeping details of exactly who will be performing at the ceremony close to their chest, Kiwi popstar Benee and Australian singer Mallrat will be on hand to perform the official song of the tournament, Do It Again.
The song itself is an absolute belter, all fast-paced, lo-fi beats guaranteed to play over hundreds of match montages over the course of the tournament.
Mercifully the ceremony looks like being short but sweet because 35 minutes after it starts, we have kick-off in the opening game of the tournament.
Live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 8am
New Zealand are hosts and will almost certainly be backed by the biggest female soccer crowd ever seen in the country but they have it all to do against one of the big dark horses for the tournament.
The Football Ferns have yet to win a World Cup game in five campaigns and are underdogs against a Norwegian side that scored 47 goals in ten qualifying games and conceded just two.
Norway, who have 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg back in the mix after an extended absence prompted by a dispute with her federation, are a dangerous attacking side and New Zealand's biggest issue will be to keep things tight at the back.
Despite the pressure of kicking off the World Cup in front of their own fans, New Zealand co-captain Ria Percival said the Football Ferns are relishing the role of the underdog.
Playing in the same Auckland stadium where the 'Black Ferns' secured their sixth women's Rugby World Cup title last year, New Zealand are determined to give home fans more reasons to celebrate by beating the 1995 champions.
"We're always seen as the underdogs," Percival said. "And for us, we've always taken it in stride and we'll do exactly the same with the first game tomorrow but for us we're just excited to be here, we're ready to go.
"They can bring an attack," she added. "So for us, it's just focus on our job that we want to do to obviously stop them from... being dangerous."
Tottenham defensive midfielder Percival will be key to stopping the likes of Hegerberg as she sits in front of the central defensive duo of Rebekah Stott and Katie Bowen.
Hannah Wilkinson will be the Ferns most important attacking player as she leads the line against the Norweigians and the Melbourne City player has an eye for goal but she'll need support from midfield if her side are to get anything from the game.
Norway meanwhile are looking to put a to shake off memories of a disappointing group stage exit at the European Championship and the return of Hegerberg is a huge boost for them.
"We must play every match as if it's our last," Hegerberg said. "We need to really bleed for each other and bleed for our uniform, because nothing comes free."
Live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 10:30am
As soon as the opening game finishes, our attentions turn to Sydney were Vera Pauw's Republic of Ireland team get their campaign underway against tournament co-hosts Australia.
Ireland know they are in for one of the biggest games of their lives against 10th-ranked Australia in their opener in front of what is expected to be a record crowd of 82,500.
The good news is that Denise O'Sullivan is fit and expected to start following her injury scare in the abandoned warm-up game with Colombia.
North Carolina Courage captain O'Sullivan suffered a soft tissue and bone bruise injury during a warm-up match on Friday with the South Americans that was aborted after only 23 minutes due to it being an "overly physical" contest.
But Pauw confirmed: "Denise is fit, she will play."
Ireland skipper and talismanic midfielder Katie McCabe is confident that he side can handle anything that the Australians throw at them and insists her side won't be found wanting physically.
"We're Irish, we don't shy away from physicality," McCabe said. "It's ingrained in us in the hardworking team we are.
Ireland will certainly have to work hard if they're to get the better of a side that many consider to be the best that Australia have ever produced.
The Matildas come into the tournament have won nine of their last 10 matches, including a 1-0 victory over France in a friendly last Friday and a 2-0 win against England in April that ended the Lionesses' 30-game unbeaten streak.
Led by free-scoring captain Sam Kerr, who is taking part in her fourth World Cup, Australia are one of the favourites for the tournament and represent a huge early test for Ireland.
However the Girls in Green have recent history against Australia, spoiling Kerr's 100th appearance for the Matildas with a 3-2 victory when they met for the first time in history at Tallaght Stadium in September 2021.
Ireland have the ability and belief to stun the hosts in their opening game and as McCabe explains, their main goal in the tournament is to help inspire a new generation of supporter.
With memories the men's exploits at Italia '90, USA '94 and Japan '02 serving as cultural touchstones, McCabe wants to create new memories and help to write the names of the this squad into Irish folklore.
"'The Irish girls in Australia and New Zealand 2023. Ahhh, remember that summer?' That what we're fighting for," she said. "Back home in Ireland, I know that lots of little girls will be watching us...I'm just hoping, with all my heart, that some of them will be sitting there thinking, 'One day, I'm going to do that.'
"If that happens, we have already won."
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