FIFA: U.S.-Mexico Among Four Groups Bidding For ’27 Women’s World Cup

By Barry Janoff

UPDATED May 22, 2023: FIFA today said the four associations that expressed interest in hosting the 2027 Women’s World Cup have signed bidding agreements, which makes their bid official and “ensures that the key principles of the bidding process are observed.”

Bidders include Belgian-Netherlands-Germany, Brazil, South Africa, U.S. Soccer.

The associations will be required to submit their bids to FIFA by Dec. 8, 2023.

FIFA will then “conduct a thorough evaluation process, including on-site inspection visits, before publishing its findings in a Bid Evaluation Report in May 2024.”

The host association is scheduled to be made by the FIFA Congress via a public vote on May 17, 2024.

April 24, 2023: With the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand just months away (July 20-Aug. 20), FIFA said today it has received “four expressions of interest from member associations representing the same number of confederations received” interested in hosting the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

FIFA said the total of four expressions are from (in alphabetical order by country):

• The Royal Belgian Football Association, the Royal Netherlands Football Association and the German Football Association (joint expression of interest)

• The Brazilian Football Association

• The South African Football Association

• The U.S. Soccer Federation and the Mexican Football Association (joint expression of interest)

FIFA said it would now begin “implementing the most robust and comprehensive bidding process in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup."

FIFA Congress plans to name the host(s) on May 17, 2024.

“We are thrilled by the expressions of interest received, not least because they come from member associations with a strong football tradition representing four confederations, thus confirming the consistent popularity of women’s football across the world,” Fatma Samoura, FIFA secretary general, said via the organization.

“All member associations can rely on the most robust and comprehensive bidding process in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

FIFA said the competition in 2027 would maintain the format of the 2023 edition: a 32-team tournament with a group stage involving eight groups of four teams each, followed by a knockout stage commencing with the round of 16, making for a total of 64 matches altogether.

Should the U.S.-Mexico bid be accepted, it would give the U.S. an unprecedented three-year run also including the FIFA 2026 Men’s World Cup to be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico; and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The U.S. has previously hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1999 and 2003.

“The United States has always been a global leader for the women’s game, and we would be honored to co-host the world’s premier event for women’s soccer along with Mexico,” USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone, said via the organization.

“Hosting the 2027 Women’s World Cup provides us an incredible opportunity to cap off two historic years of World Cup soccer in the Concacaf region, helping us continue to grow the game among our confederation associations.

"A record six teams from Concacaf will play in the Women’s World Cup this summer, and the United States and Mexico want to continue to push the envelope for the development of women’s soccer across the entire region.”

According to FIFA’s Women’s World Cup 2027 Bid Regulations, “Recognizing the scale and importance of the FIFA Women’s World Cup as the flagship women’s football tournament and arguably the largest women’s single-sport event in the world, FIFA has enhanced the bidding process for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

"Key objectives highlighted in FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy are firmly entrenched in the bidding process for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, including the importance of optimizing the sporting and commercial value of the tournament.

“Moreover, FIFA drew upon lessons learnt from the revamped and highly successful FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 bidding process, adopting important principles and mechanisms where appropriate.

“Factoring in these elements, the following principles have been applied to this bidding process: objectivity, integrity, transparency and a commitment to sustainability and human rights."

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