Women’s FIFA World Cup set to get expansion with 48 teams to participate at the 2031 tournament to be held in USA.
Women’s FIFA World Cup will expand to 48 teams from the 2031 tournament onwards after the proposal was approved by the Fifa council on Friday.
The tournament, which would now feature 12 groups of four countries and more than 100 matches, will be held in the UK in 2035. Its format will be similar to the recently expanded men’s World Cup. It is believed that FIFA made this decision after conferring with the continental confederations and that the enlargement of its most significant competition is appropriate given the women’s game’s explosive growth.
The number of teams participating in the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand rose from 24 to 32. 32 teams will compete in the 2027 edition in Brazil. Earlier this week, the eight locations for the 2027 event were confirmed, including Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã.
There were no competing bids to host the 2031 tournament or the 2035 event, hence the United States will host the latter. It is anticipated that the formal ratification of the United States and the United Kingdom as hosts will be a formality.
The UK’s 2035 tournament preparations may need to include more host towns and venues due to the Women’s World Cup’s expansion. It is believed that, if constructed in time, as-yet-unbuilt stadiums like Manchester United’s new stadium and Birmingham City’s projected new 62,000-seater home might compete to host games alongside Wembley, Hampden Park, and Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.