FIFA unveiled its plans for a new annual women’s competition, the 2028 Women’s Club World Cup, and the bid process for the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cup tournaments, on Wednesday. The announcements, made by FIFA council in their annual report, are a significant step forward in the global development of women’s football.
Among the most notable developments is the confirmation the formal bids to host the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cup are narrowed to specific regions. The 2031 hosts will be determined from countries in CAF (Africa) or the Concacaf regions, while 2035 hosts will be pulled from CAF or UEFA (Europe). A four-nation bid (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) from the UK has already stated their intent to bid for 2035.
In 2024, U.S. Soccer and Mexico announced a joint but to host in 2027, but ultimately pulled the bid to focus planning on 2031. After Wednesday’s announcement, U.S. Soccer posted on social their intent and excitement to put forth their bid for the 2031 tournament, but any mention of Mexico was notably absent and the Mexico Football Federation has not put out any statements on future World Cup.
“U.S Soccer, in partnership with Concacaf and its members, will complete the bid process to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup,” the U.S. Soccer statement said. “We are excited by the opportunity to welcome teams and fans, inspire the next generation and grow the game regionally and globally.”
Sources familiar with the FIFA bid process have confirmed to CBS Sports that there is still interest in a joint bid though not as urgent as when the 2027 bid initially launched due to the local organizing committee’s current attention on the upcoming 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
The 2026 tournament will be a showcase of the Concacaf region, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico football federations. The competition will return to a summer format after a shift to a winter calendar for the December 2022 World Cup took place in Qatar. The United States previously hosted the Women’s World Cup in 1999 and 2003, while Mexico has yet to host the event.
The previous World Cups in the United States set new standards for attendance, viewership, and commercial success. The 1999 tournament, famously held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, was a watershed moment for women’s football, drawing a record-breaking crowd of over 90,000 fans for the final and cementing the U.S. women’s national team’s status as a global powerhouse.
U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone has been a vocal advocate for the bid, stating that hosting the tournament would provide an opportunity to “inspire the next generation of female athletes and continue the momentum we’ve built in women’s soccer.” USSF’s bid for the 2031 tournament is expected to emphasize its existing infrastructure, state-of-the-art stadiums, transportation networks, and passionate fan base.
While no bid has formally been submitted yet, U.S. Soccer has emerged as a frontrunner in the race to host ever since their intent to bid for 2027. The build-up to the 2031 World Cup, will only provide more ample planning for a large-scale event. The host nation for the 2031 Women’s World Cup is scheduled to be decided by the 76th FIFA Congress in 2026.
