The addition of 16 other teams to the FIFA Women’s World Cup will see the number of games go from 64 to 104, a big boost for the women’s match.
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The Women’s World Cup will go from 32 to 48 teams from the 2031 edition after the Director of World Football FIFA said that its advice had approved the proposal at a virtual meeting on Friday.
The 48 team World Cup will adopt a format of 12 groups, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104 – such as the extended male World Cup in 2026 – and extending the one -week tournament.
The 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil, will have 32 teams. The 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand was the first to have 32 teams, against 24 in the 2019 tournament organized by France.
“It is not only a question of having 16 other teams playing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but passing the next stages concerning the women’s match in general,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
“… other FIFA members’ associations have the opportunity to benefit from the tournament to develop their women’s football structures from a holistic point of view.”
The 2026 male World Cup, which will be co-organized by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first to have 48 teams. The male World Cup had 32 teams from the 1998 edition until the last tournament in Qatar in 2022.
The United States is about to be appointed host of the 2031 Women’s World Cup as the only offer, marking the third time that the country will organize the tournament after having welcomed it before in 1999 and 2003.
The United Kingdom is the only tenderer of the 2035 tournament. The hosts of editions 2031 and 2035 have not yet been ratified.
Although the games are unilateral with 48 teams, Infantino said that the 2023 edition has shown that teams are filling the gap on the elite.
“The FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup, the first in which teams from all confederations won at least one match and teams of five confederations have reached the direct elimination stadium, among many other records, have set a new standard for global competitiveness,” he added.
“This decision guarantees that we maintain the momentum in terms of the growth of women’s football worldwide.”
The Union FifPro players praised the expansion of the Women’s World Cup because it has demonstrated the growth of women’s football.
“However, players’ support depends on inclusive decision -making and cooperative planning that respects all stakeholders,” FifPro said in a statement.
“It is essential that the global development of women’s competitions goes hand in hand with improved working conditions and the progress of players, as well as development further in the pyramid.”
