The landscape of women’s football is set to transform significantly as FIFA announces its plans for future Women’s World Cup tournaments. England rejoiced in an amazing home victory at the Women’s European Championship in 2022, winning on the hallowed turf of Wembley. Since then, enthusiasm for women’s football is through the roof. England’s success story suffered a setback in the 2023 World Cup final, where their women’s team lost 1-0 to Spain. As the sport evolves, FIFA’s decision to expand the Women’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams signifies a pivotal moment for women’s football globally.
This expansion will not only add some of the world’s best teams, increasing the number of participating teams but raising the bar for competition. The 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil will be the first to include 32 teams. Here’s the big change— beginning in 2026, the tournament will expand to 48 teams! This modification will expand the match field from 64 to 104. It will provide a wider range of countries the opportunity to present their quality on the global stage.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his enthusiasm for these developments, stating, “This decision ensures we are maintaining the momentum in terms of growing women’s football globally.” The 2031 Women’s World Cup is set to be hosted in the United States. Together, these conditions create a once-in-a-lifetime moment to accelerate the development of women’s soccer in a key market.
In an unprecedented bid, England, together with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will host the Women’s World Cup in 2035. This year’s event will be extra special. This will be the first time England has hosted a FIFA World Cup since 1966! Mark Bullingham, CEO of the FA, emphasized the significance of this occasion by saying, “Hosting England’s first FIFA World Cup since 1966, along with our home nations partners, will be very special.”
The Women’s Super League (WSL) continues to thrive, with Chelsea recently securing another title and achieving six consecutive WSL championships. Emma Hayes, the recently departed manager of Chelsea, was instrumental to this success. Although she has now passed, her legacy has continued to break through the barriers in the advancement of women’s football in England.
FIFPRO welcomes the expansion of the Women’s World Cup but insists that recent progress must be accompanied by overall improvements. They stress the need for strategic investment and community-driven visioning from here on out. “In principle we welcome the expansion of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, as it reflects the global growth of the women’s game,” they stated. They further added that “the support of players depends on inclusive decision-making and cooperative planning that respects all stakeholders.”
Under this transition, players are optimistic about what’s to come. Chloe Kelly, an influential figure in women’s football, reflected on the inspiration stemming from recent tournaments: “The Euros here was amazing and a World Cup would be absolutely incredible.”
FIFPRO underlines that meaningful progress in women’s football can only be achieved if labor conditions improve. The Youth Sports non-profit advocates for growth at all tiers of the sport. “It is critical that the global development of women’s competitions goes hand in hand with improved labour conditions and the advancement of players,” they emphasized.
These next few years will be the most important for women’s football. It’s picking up steam and recognition all over the world! Exciting stuff is happening, stay tuned! It’s time for stakeholders to step up and ensure that this growth translates to meaningful progress for on-field competition and off-field entertainment value.
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