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The U.S. Soccer Federation and the Mexican Football Federation dropped their bid to co-host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, they announced on Monday, and are expected to shift their focus to the 2031 edition of the competition.
The two remaining bids to host the 2027 World Cup come from Brazil and a neighborly effort from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. All but Germany would be first-time hosts of the competition after they hosted the 2011 World Cup, while Brazil would be a first time host from South America.
FIFA will decide the host of the next Women’s World Cup at the FIFA Congress on May 17 in Bangkok, Thailand, and are expected to award rights to the 2031 edition next year.
“Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking – and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe,” U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “I’m proud of our commitment to provide equitable experiences for the players, fans and all our stakeholders. Shifting our bid will enable us to host a record-breaking Women’s World Cup in 2031 that will help to grow and raise the level of the women’s game both here at home as well as across the globe.”
The decision means the U.S. and Mexico will not host back-to-back men’s and women’s World Cups, which could have been a possibility since the pair will host the 2026 men’s edition with Canada. The USSF and the FMF plan to use that World Cup as a big data point for the success of a 2031 edition.
“The strength and universality of our professional women’s leagues, coupled with our experience from organizing the 2026 World Cup, means that we will be able to provide the best infrastructure as well as an enthusiastic fan base that will make all the participating teams feel at home and to put together a World Cup that will contribute to the continued growth of women’s football,” FMP president Ivar Sisniega said in a statement.
The joint U.S.-Mexico bid was projected to set attendance records thanks to the high-capacity NFL stadiums around the U.S., plus draw record revenue. The bidders projected that 4.5 million people would be in attendance and that the tournament would rake in $3 billion in total revenue. The bid also called for equal investment in the women’s and men’s World Cups.
The U.S. has hosted two Women’s World Cups — once in 1999 and another in 2003. Should they host another edition, though, it would be the first time since the exponential boom of women’s soccer, which attracts more eyeballs and investment than ever before.
Though no one has formally bid to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup, the U.S. and Mexico are not the only ones contemplating the move — England has teased the idea of hosting the tournament for the first time that year.
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