Women's World Cup expanded to 48 teams from 2031

THE Women's World Cup will be expanded from 32 to 48 teams, like the men's competition, starting with the 2031 edition, FIFA announced on Friday (9).

The FIFA Council unanimously agreed to enlarge the competition "given the remarkable recent strides made by women's football across the world," the sport's governing body said.

The 48-team tournament will adopt a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104 and extending the tournament by one week, FIFA said.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the expansion followed the success of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, won by Spain.

"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," said Infantino.

"This is not just about having 16 more teams playing ... 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," he said.

"This decision ensures we are maintaining the momentum in terms of growing women’s football globally."

The 2027 tournament in Brazil, which will be the tenth edition of the women's event, will remain at 32 teams.

FIFA have still to ratify the 2031 and 2035 hosts.

The 2031 edition is expected to take place in the US, sole candidate to host the tournament.

The UK, including 2023 finalists England, are bidding to host the 2035 event.

"I can confirm as part of the bidding process that we received one bid for 2031 and one valid bid for 2035," Infantino said last month.

The men's tournament will be expanded to 48 teams for the World Cup in 2026, to be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

On Friday, the FIFA Council also adopted new anti-racism measures notably by increasing fines.

Federations will also have to bring their own Disciplinary Code into compliance, and FIFA can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if they believe national sanctions are insufficient, as is the case in doping cases.

The 211 FIFA Council members were also informed about preparations for the 75th FIFA Congress that will take place on May 15 in Asunción, Paraguay.

The FIFA Council also approved the strategy to support Afghan women footballers, which includes the creation of an Afghan Women's Refugee Team (AWRT).

"FIFA is engaging directly with the relevant players," football's governing body said.

"This is a landmark initiative," added Infantino. "FIFA is committed to giving every girl the possibility to play football."

(AFP)