U.S. Soccer Federation And Mexican Football Federation Will Launch Bid To Co-Host The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup™
Tournament Would Be Third Women’s World Cup Held in the United States and First in Mexico
CHICAGO (April 19, 2023) – The U.S. Soccer Federation and the Mexican Football Federation have informed FIFA of their intention to submit a bid to co-host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup™.
FIFA set a date of April 19, 2023, for member associations to submit their expressions of interest to host the world’s largest women’s sporting event, while May 19, 2023, is the deadline to submit the Bidding Agreement. U.S. Soccer and the FMF will make more information on the bid available around that date.
The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ will be the second tournament with 32 nations as this summer’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Australia and New Zealand marks the first time that 32 teams have contested the most important trophy in women’s soccer. This summer’s competition will also be the first Women’s World Cup with multiple hosts and the first in the southern hemisphere.
The United States has previously hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ twice: in 1999, when the USA won a historic tournament that broke attendance and viewing records, ushering in a new era for the women’s game globally, and in 2003, when U.S. Soccer had just 12 weeks to organize a highly successful competition after it was hastily moved from China PR.
Mexico has never hosted a Women’s World Cup, but the recent growth of the Liga MX Femenil has been wildly impressive in terms of attendance, fan attention and quality of play on the field.
“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,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone, who played in two Women’s World Cups and was a key part of the USA’s 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship. “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.”
"Women's football in Mexico has experienced sustained growth over the last five years and its development, both on and off the field, coupled with the female empowerment it has achieved and will continue to achieve, is one of the strategic priorities of the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF),” said Yon de Luisa, President of the FMF. “It is with pleasure that we are teaming up again with the U.S. Soccer Federation in the pursuit of this World Cup for our region, which will undoubtedly be historic."
The dual bid for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ will come on the heels of the USA, Mexico and Canada hosting the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, which is shaping up to be the largest, most impressive and highest-attended World Cup in history.
The host for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is expected to be named by the FIFA Congress on May 17, 2024, after what FIFA is calling “the most robust and comprehensive bidding process in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™.”
FIFA will establish a Bid Evaluation Task Force to evaluate all bids submitted for the tournament. The composition of the Bid Evaluation Task Force will be approved by the FIFA Council following confirmation of the bidding member associations. The FIFA Council will select up to three bids with the FIFA Congress then appointing the host(s) through an open vote.
In addition to engaging with an independent audit company to monitor FIFA’s compliance with the principles and procedures of the bidding process, each bidder will also be required to appoint a Bid Compliance and Ethics Officer to monitor their compliance with the bidding process.
A bid workshop and observer program will take place at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Australia and New Zealand, and countries will be required to submit their official bids to FIFA on December 8, 2023.
In February 2024, FIFA will conduct on-site inspection visits to bidding countries and will publish the FIFA Bid Evaluation Report in May 2024.
Between the United States and Mexico, including 2026, the two countries will have hosted matches in seven combined Women’s and Men’s World Cups. Mexico also hosted the 1983 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which it won on home soil.