The ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup gets underway in Auckland on Thursday as co-host New Zealand takes on Norway.

Between July 20 and August 20, 32 teams will compete across 64 matches at 10 different venues, making this year’s tournament the biggest to date.

The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) arrives as the two-time defending champion and arguably the favorite to win an unprecedented third consecutive title and a record-extending fifth overall.

However, many expect this year’s World Cup to be a much closer competition compared to previous editions, particularly with European nations closing the gap on the high-flying US team.

As kick-off approaches, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the tournament.

For the first time ever, the Women’s World Cup will be hosted across two countries: Australia and New Zealand. It is also the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere.

Games will be held in six stadiums across Australia – in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney – and four in New Zealand – in Dunedin, Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington. The final is set to be held in Sydney’s 81,500-capacity Stadium Australia.

Last month, ticket sales for the tournament overtook the previous edition held in France, making this likely to be the most attended standalone women’s sporting event in history, according to governing body FIFA. In the US, games will be aired on FOX Sports, while Telemundo is providing Spanish-language coverage.

Seven Network and Optus Sport are broadcasting matches in Australia and the BBC and ITV have the rights in the United Kingdom.

A full breakdown of media rights holders in each country is available on the FIFA website.