FIFA has cleared the bids for the next two Women’s World Cups to go to a final vote, bringing the tournaments of 2031 and 2035 one step closer to being confirmed.
World football’s governing body published its bid evaluation reports on Wednesday, November 11, and found that both joint bids meet the minimum hosting requirements. The decision now rests with FIFA’s member associations, who will vote at an Extraordinary FIFA Congress on November 23.
The 2031 tournament is set to be hosted by the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. It is the only bid for that edition, and it earned an overall evaluation score of 4.4 out of 5. The bid proposes 20 stadiums in 20 host cities, and the tournament will expand from 32 teams to 48 for the first time — with around 4.5 million fans expected to attend.
Jamaica’s place in the bid is a landmark moment for the Caribbean. Matches would be played in the region for the first time at a senior Women’s World Cup, and the Reggae Girlz would have the chance to play on home soil at the biggest tournament in the women’s game.
The 2035 edition, meanwhile, is set for the United Kingdom, with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland submitting the only bid. It also passed FIFA’s evaluation, scoring 4.3 out of 5, with 19 stadiums proposed across 15 host cities.
Clearing the evaluation does not yet award the hosting rights. Both bids must still be approved by the FIFA Congress vote on November 23, but with no rival bids in either race, the path to confirmation now looks clear.
For the women’s game, the news underlines just how far the tournament has come. A 48-team World Cup in 2031 would be the biggest in the competition’s history, and back-to-back tournaments in North America and the United Kingdom would put the women’s game on two of its biggest stages within four years.
The 2027 Women’s World Cup will be held in Brazil, the first time the tournament has been staged in South America.
