BeIN will broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies and matches, semi-finals and finals across the MENA region on its free-to-air channel, beIN Sports.
BeIN Sports will be airing live and exclusive all 64 matches of FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – the first of the tournament’s nine editions to feature 32 teams.
Through its beINSPIRED initiative, beIN is committed to elevating the profile of under-represented sports globally and recognises the value that all sports, particularly women’s sports, play in advancing equality across the international sports ecosystem.
On its free-to-air channel, beIN Sports, BeIN will broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies, matches, semi-finals, and finals across the MENA region. The remaining matches will air over a non-stop one-month programming schedule on beIN Sports 1 Premium in Arabic, and in English on beIN Sports 1 English, from July 20 to August 20. Match timings vary between 04:00 Mecca – 15:30 Mecca with most games between 08:00 MECCA – 13:00 Mecca.
Arabic coverage on beIN Sports 1 Premium will feature in-studio commentary of the tournament’s opening ceremony and match between co-hosts New Zealand and Norway live from the Football Ferns’ national stadium in Auckland’s Eden Park, as well as all the games featuring the Moroccan national team, the semi-finals and the final. The in-studio coverage will be presented by the first female Arab presenter Areej Sleem.
BeIN Sports will also provide an in-depth analysis hosted by former Jordanian team captain Ala’a Othman, who led her national side to West Asian Championship victories in 2005 and 2007, as well as winning the 2010 First Arab Cup Championship in Bahrain. Joining Othman is Fatima Zohra, the former Moroccan player and referee, and the current coach of both the women’s and men’s teams at Olympique Club de Khouribga (OCK) in her home country.
Over on beIN Sports 1 English all 64 matches will be available live and exclusive. There will also be a nightly studio World Cup Today on air at 18:00 MECCA, that will show the best of the day’s action. The analysis will be provided by Jodie Taylor, the current Arsenal FC player and a 51 international cap holder, who was part of the England team that finished third at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Taylor will be joined by Claire Rafferty the former England international and regular UK TV pundit.
BeIN Sports News will also dedicate a 26-minute nightly bulletin to the tournament at 18:00 Mecca to review all the day’s action, preview upcoming games, and air exclusive feature stories and interviews. The bulletins will be presented by a female team of a beIN Sports news presenter and guests, and will include reactions from participating nations, including Morocco.
Duncan Walkinshaw, Director of Programmes at beIN MENA, said: “This will be a historic FIFA Women’s World Cup with the tournament’s biggest ever line-up of competing national sides reflecting women’s soccer growing global status. We anticipate strong consumer demand across the region, with Arab fans expected to support the Moroccan side’s fortunes. We will also extend our offering to a ‘free TV channel’ in each MENA territory for the opening ceremony and match, the semi-finals, the final and the closing ceremony. We look forward to providing outstanding coverage of this exceptional tournament and wish all the competing sides the best of luck.”
