FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said the United States and the United Kingdom are poised to be named as hosts of the Women’s World Cup in 2031 and 2035, respectively.
Infantino told the UEFA Congress in Belgrade on Thursday that the joint bid from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was the only “valid bid” of interest for the 2035 tournament after the deadline passed, with the United States also putting forward the only bid for the 2031 edition.
“As part of the bidding process, we received one bid for ’31 and one bid, valid bid, I should add for ’35,” he said.
“The ’31 bid is from the United States of America and potentially some other Concacaf members together and the ’36 bid is from Europe from the Home Nations so the path is there for the Women’s World Cup to be taking place in ’31 and ’35 in some great countries and some great nations to boost even more the women’s football movement.”
The UK has never hosted a Women’s World Cup. England hosted the Women’s Euros in 2022, winning the tournament on home soil. The men’s team last hosted the World Cup in 1966. The 2035 bid could pave the way for the men’s team to host a subsequent edition.
The UK’s 2035 project was quickly supported by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in March when FIFA said it was formally seeking bids from member federations. FIFA excluded Europe from the 2031 contest, clearing the way for a long-expected U.S. win.
The Spanish Federation said last week they hoped to bid, possibly in conjunction with Portugal and Morrocco — the trio are hosting the men’s 2030 World Cup. However, Infantino stated that there was only one “valid bid” for the 2035 edition, ruling out the possibility of the reigning world champions hosting the tournament.
“We are honoured to be the sole bidder for the Women’s World Cup 2035. Hosting the first FIFA World Cup since 1966 with our home nations partners will be very special. The hard work starts now, to put together the best possible bid by the end of the year,” England FA CEO Mark Bullingham said in a statement.
The United States were the only bid for the 2031 edition, having withdrawn plans to host the 2027 edition which Brazil will host. Likely in combination with several other Concacaf nations, likely Mexico, the U.S. will host their third edition after hosting the 1999 and 2003 tournaments.
The four-time winners will be the first nation to host the tournament three times, with China having hosted the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991 and again in 2007.
Following a successful expansion of the tournament at Australia and New Zealand in 2023, the 2027 tournament will again feature 32 nations. The competition is set to expand to 48 teams for the 2031 World Cup.
Formal bids for 2035 must be submitted this winter, with a vote taking place next year to confirm hosts for 2031 and 2035.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report
