Inside the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: On the Ground Across Australia
The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 was one of the most significant sporting events ever staged on Australian soil. For PUP Creative, it represented an opportunity to contribute to the official legacy of that tournament, working on the ground across three cities as part of the production team behind the official FIFA Moments film.
The Quick Stats
Event - FIFA Women's World Cup 2023
Client / Production Company - FIFA Films / GoodShout
Role - Field Producer and Second Shooter
Crew - Three-person crew
Locations - Sydney, Melbourne and Perth
Matches Covered - Multiple match days across three cities
Coverage Type - Non-live ENG
End Product - Official FIFA Women's World Cup Moments Film
Tournament Attendance - 1,977,824 fans across 64 matches, a new World Cup record
Global Viewership - Projected 2 billion viewers worldwide
The Project
The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 was a landmark moment for Australian sport and for women's football globally. Co-hosted across Australia and New Zealand, it was the largest Women's World Cup in history, drawing nearly two million fans across 64 matches and projecting a global viewership of over two billion people. For the teams, the fans, and the football community, it delivered moments that will be remembered for generations.
PUP Creative joined the production as field producer and second shooter, working within a three-person crew on behalf of Fate for Films. The assignment spanned three Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, covering multiple match days and the distinct atmosphere each city brought to the tournament.
The end product was the official FIFA Moments film for the tournament. Not match coverage, not broadcast highlights, but the kind of cinematic, emotionally driven storytelling that captures the human experience of an event like this. The footage that makes you feel like you were there.
The Approach
ENG production at a tournament of this scale is a different discipline to controlled studio or set work. You are working in live, unpredictable environments where the best moments are often the ones you didn't plan for. The brief was to capture the Moments: the emotion, the detail, the texture of the tournament across three cities and across the full sweep of the event.
That required being genuinely present and responsive. Knowing when to follow the brief closely and when to trust your eye. Understanding what the director and lead producer were looking for, and then finding it in the spaces between the obvious shots.
Working within a three-person crew across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth meant tight coordination was essential. Every crew member needed to understand the vision and execute independently when needed, because at an event like this, you can't always be side by side. Covering multiple locations, multiple match days, and multiple storylines simultaneously is a logistical puzzle that only gets solved through clear communication and a shared creative understanding.
On the Ground
Productions at this scale don't follow a fixed script. Briefs evolve, conditions shift, and schedules change. Navigating those demands while maintaining creative focus and output quality is part of what makes major international events genuinely challenging, and genuinely rewarding. For PUP Creative, the ability to stay fluid and keep delivering under those conditions is something built across years of working at the highest levels of sports production.
The Deliverables
Non-live ENG coverage across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth match days and tournament events
Field production and second shooter content contributed to the official FIFA Women's World Cup Moments film
Cinematic B-roll and observational footage capturing the atmosphere, emotion and human stories of the tournament across three Australian cities
The Result
The footage captured by the PUP Creative crew across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth became part of the official FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Moments film, a permanent, prestigious piece of content in the tournament's legacy archive.
The tournament itself made history. Nearly two million fans attended 64 matches, a new record for the Women's World Cup, with an average attendance of 30,911 per game. Global viewership was projected to reach over two billion, nearly double the 1.12 billion who tuned in for the 2019 edition. The Moments film that PUP Creative contributed to is the document of all of that, content that will be seen by football audiences around the world long after the final whistle.
Key Takeaways
ENG at scale requires creative and logistical intelligence. Covering three cities, multiple venues, and a full tournament schedule within a three-person crew demands both sharp creative instincts and rigorous coordination.
The best footage comes from genuine presence. The Moments film brief isn't about capturing the expected. It's about finding what's real, and that requires being genuinely engaged, not just technically competent.
International productions demand fluid collaboration. Working alongside a different producer and crew at the highest level of the game sharpens your skills and broadens your creative perspective in ways that carry through to every project that follows.
Working on Something Big?
If you're planning coverage for a major event, whether that's an international tournament, a national championship, or anything in between, PUP Creative brings proven experience at the highest levels of sports production.
Get in touch at pat@pupcreative.com.au to talk about your project.