Decision was unanimously taken at the meeting of the FIFA Council; next edition of the tournament will be in 2027, and will be held in Brazil
Football will go from 32 to 48 participating selections, the same amount as the men’s tournament, from the 2031 edition, announced on Friday (9) a. The decision was unanimously made at the FIFA Council meeting “taking into account the remarkable progress made by women’s football in the world,” the entity said in a statement, before the beginning of the Thursday next week of its 75th Congress in Asuncion, Paraguay. In the men’s World Cup, the expansion to 48 teams will take effect in the 2026 edition, which will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In the Women’s Cup, the last edition, won by Spain in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, was the first with 32 teams, and the next, in 2027 in Brazil, will repeat the same number. The move to 48 will be held in 2031, an edition that does not yet have an official headquarters, although the United States is emerging as a possible host country. This new expansion of the Women’s World Cup was suggested by an announcement made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the last UEFA Congress (the European Confederation) in Belgrade in April.
“It’s not just about 16 additional selections (…), but to take another step in the development of women’s football in general,” explained Infantino, quoted in this Friday’s statement. The leader expressed his hope that “more members now have the opportunity to take advantage of the tournament to develop their own women’s football structures.”
“Accelerate investments”
FIFA pointed out that more teams “can have access to elite competitions” to accelerate investment in women’s football worldwide. The United States is the only candidate for the 2031 World Cup until now, and the United Kingdom, with its four federations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), expects to host the event in 2035. To organize the 2031 tournament, Americans could partner “with other members of Concacaf [Confederação da América do Norte, Central e Caribe]”Specified Infantino in Belgrade. If this happens, the model for the 2026 Men’s World Cup will be followed.
Against racism
Meanwhile, FIFA’s Council has approved new anti -racism measures in its disciplinary code, increasing a maximum fine of 1 to 5 million Swiss francs ($ 1.2 million to US $ 6 million, or $ 6.77 million to $ 34 million for the current quota). Federations will also have to adapt their own disciplinary codes, and FIFA may resort to the Arbitral Tribunal of Sport (TAS) if you consider that national sanctions are insufficient, as occurs currently in cases of doping.
This provision had already been announced in May 2024 at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. FIFA’s advice also approved a strategy to support Afghan players, with a plan to create an Afghan Refugee women (AWRT). FIFA “is working directly with the players involved,” said the statement. Your goal is to “give all girls the opportunity to play soccer”, according to Infantino.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Fernando Dias
