US emerges sole bidder for 2031 Women's FIFA World Cup, UK to host in 2035

FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday said the US was the sole bidder for the 2031 Women's World Cup, while the 2035 tournament will be hosted by the UK.

The announcement by Infantino was made during the 49th UEFA Congress in Belgrade, Serbia, The Athletic reported.

What did Gianni Infantino say?

Speaking at the event, the FIFA president confirmed to have received a single bid for 2031 as well as "one valid bid for 2035," according to AFP.


He stated that the 2031 bid was from the "USA and potentially some other CONCACAF members together," while the one for the 2035 Women's World Cup is from the home nations in Europe, referring to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The UK will get to host the Women’s World Cup for the first time ever, should a compliant bid be submitted by the end of this year.

On the other hand, the tournament was hosted for two consecutive times in the US in 1999 and 2003.

This comes after the respective football associations of England, Scotland, Wales as well as Northern Ireland announced earlier in March to submit an expression of interest to host the event.

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An increase in teams

At the Belgrade event, Infantino also announced that FIFA has planned to increase the total number of participating teams from 32 to 48 at the 2031 tournament of Women's World Cup.

In March this year, FIFA said it was only ready to welcome bids for the 2035 Women's World Cup from Europe or Africa. The expressions of interest for the same are to be made in the first quarter of 2025.

In a statement, English Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said they were "honoured to be the sole bidder for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2035".

Bullingham said that hosting the maiden World Cup in England since 1966 along with its partner nations will be "very special".

"The hard work starts now, to put together the best possible bid by the end of the year," AFP quoted the official as saying.

The US also stated weeks ago that it is pushing ahead with its bid for the 2031 event.

Earlier, South Africa and Morocco were also considered as the options with African nations to bid for the same, but Infantino's recent remarks suggests these regions are now out of the contention for the event.

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As per FIFA authorities, hosts' identity will get officially confirmed at its congress in 2026's second quarter.

The United States is already gearing up to co-host the men's FIFA World Cup next year along with Canada and Mexico.

FAQs

1. When and where will the next Women's World Cup take place?
The next women's tournament will take place in Brazil in 2027.

2. How many teams played in the last Women's World Cup?
The 2023 event in Australia and New Zealand saw teams getting expanded from 24 to 32 for the first time.