2.1 CONCLUSION AND KEY OBSERVATIONS Introduction The FIFA administration has prepared this summary of key findings in accordance with the regulatory framework of the bidding process. A critical aspect of the role of the FIFA administration is to indicate in what manner and to what extent the bids fulfil FIFA’s requirements, so as to secure the best possible hosting conditions in the host country (or host countries) and thereby further develop the unique status of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ as the biggest women’s sporting competition in the world Since this report serves to support an informed decision-making process by the members of the FIFA Council, itis the duty of the FIFA administration to highlight its key observations relating to the evaluation of the bids, which will also facilitate a comprehensive understanding of each bid. These observations incorporate not only the technical scoring of each bid, but also a thorough assessment of the perceived risks, a5 well as potential ‘opportunities and challenges. The assessments of each of the components reviewed have also taken full account of the increased complexity of the requirements related to the new 32-team format, and the incremental increase in quality that is expected of FIFA’s flagship women’s event from one edition to the next. The tables set out on the following pages are designed to provide an overview of the most pertinent statistics, overall risk evaluations and technical scores (for each of the components that were scored) in relation to all three bids. It should be noted that the bids are presented in alphabetical order (by country name) throughout this report. Key observations Each of the bids submitted (by Australia¢New Zealand, Colombia and Japan) presents its own unique opportunities and challenges, which warrant highlighting. ‘The Australia/New Zealand 2023 bid provides a variety of very good options in terms of sporting and general infrastructure. it would also appear to present the most commercially favourable proposition, taking into consideration the financial commitments made by the governments of both countries towards the operational costs of the tournament. As the first joint (and cross-confederation) bid to host a FIFA Women's World Cup™, it also offers the opportunity for unity and cooperation with a view to boosting the development of the ‘women’s game across the Asia-Pacific region - which would be hosting the tournament for the first time. A joint bid, however, can also be a more complex undertaking, since it requires the management of cross-border components for the delivery of the event.