The FIFA Council on Friday unanimously approved plans to expand the Women’s World Cup to 48 teams.
The tournament will be expanded from 32 to 48 nations for the 2031 edition, which is expected to be hosted by the United States.
It’s the only bid on the table, and will be ratified by FIFA in 2026.
It will bring the women’s competition in line with the men’s, which will feature 48 international teams as of 2026 and is being hosted by the same three Concacaf countries.
The 48-team FIFA Women’s World Cup will adopt a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104 and extending the tournament by one week.
The hosting requirements for the 2031 and 2035 editions of the Women’s World Cup have been adapted accordingly, FIFA said on Friday.
The first Women’s World Cup was held in 1991 and featured 12 countries, before expanding to 16 in 1999, then 24 in 2015 and 32 teams for the most recent tournament in 2023.
The 2027 event, being played in Brazil, will still have 32 competing nations.
“This is not just about having 16 more teams playing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup but taking the next steps in relation to the women’s game in general by ensuring that more FIFA Member Associations have the chance to benefit from the tournament to develop their women’s football structures from a holistic point of view,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a news release.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the first in which teams from all confederations won at least one game and teams from five confederations reached the knockout stage, among many other records, set a new standard for global competitiveness. This decision ensures we are maintaining the momentum in terms of growing women’s football globally.”
On Friday, FIFPRO said it supported the rapid expansion.
“In principle, FIFPRO welcomes the expansion of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, as it reflects the global growth of the women’s game,” FIFPRO said in a statement. “However, the support of players depends on inclusive decision-making and cooperative planning that respects all stakeholders.
“It is critical that the global development of women’s competitions goes hand in hand with improved labour conditions and the advancement of players, as well as development further down the pyramid. This is the only path to true sustainability, expansion, and progress.”
U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said last month that the federation would strongly support the latest expansion.
“Forty-eight teams is something that we’ve been passionate supporters for,” Batson said. “We think it would be incredible for growing the women’s game.
“One of the things we hear from folks who lead federations around the world is they view the Women’s World Cup as an opportunity for them to, one, make a World Cup and, two, really go compete in a way that conceivably they wouldn’t be able to on the men’s side.
“So, what this would lead to in terms of spurring investment all around the world in women’s and girls’ soccer, we think would be incredible.”
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman used the term “catalyst” in describing the United States’ opportunity to host the 2031 tournament.
“I think to the extent people see the men’s World Cup as a catalyst for the growth of men’s soccer here, the Women’s World Cup being here in 2031 is directly a catalyst for growth,” Berman told ESPN, referencing 1999 as an inflection point.
“The idea that we actually will have a thriving league going into it and coming out of it, no doubt should create an incredible amount of excitement for the future of the NWSL and we absolutely will capitalize on it.”
The UK submitted the only “valid bid” to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup, which will also now feature 48 teams.
Also on Friday, FIFA approved the establishment of the Afghan women’s refugee team. According to FIFA, the team — composed of female players of Afghan nationality who obtained refugee status abroad — would first operate under a one-year pilot phase, which will help the organization determine the long-term viability of the program.
FIFA regulations require teams to receive recognition by a national federation in order to compete.
The Afghan Football Federation, however, has not acknowledged its women’s teams, in fact banning all women’s sports across the country.
Afghanistan has not had a women’s side compete in an official match since 2018.
Information from ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf and Reuters was used in this report.