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The U.S. is set to co-host the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup alongside Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica. Concerns arise about whether the men's World Cup will overshadow this historic women's event, which will feature 48 teams for the first time.
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Is the menâs World Cup hindering the womenâ 2031 edition as the U.S. prepares to co-host both?
When U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone announced in October her federationâs bid to co-host the 2031 FIFA Womenâs World Cup, the excitement in the room was palpable.
âAs the only bidders, I admit, I like our chances,â she said, with a smile, to the standing-room-only crowd inside the Solow Building in Manhattan. âWhen we are officially selected, weâll work with FIFA to deliver the biggest, most impactful womenâs sporting event in history.â
The 2031 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica, will be the first womenâs tournament to feature 48 teams â matching the expanded version of the menâs edition debuting this summer across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
âThis Womenâs World Cup will be equal in every sense of the word to a menâs World Cup, not just in the number of teams and matches,â Parlow Cone continued, âbut equal in the quality of the facilities with the same type of travel accommodations and support.â
The U.S-led bid was set to be confirmed at the FIFA Congress on April 30. However, the formality has been postponed to later this year. The focus instead now turns to this summerâs menâs World Cup, which is likely to influence organizational talks for 2031.
As JT Batson, U.S. Soccerâs CEO and secretary general, told reporters the afternoon of the bid announcement last year, the menâs tournament would serve as a âtest runâ for organizers.
âWeâre excited about using the post-26 as an opportunity to come together with the host cities, the (host) countries, and with FIFA to be able to outline the best approach for 2031,â he said.
There are concerns that the men's World Cup may overshadow the women's 2031 edition, impacting its visibility and significance.
The 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.
The 2031 Women's World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, matching the expanded format of the men's tournament.
Cindy Parlow Cone, the president of U.S. Soccer, expressed optimism about their bid to co-host the 2031 Women's World Cup, highlighting their chances as the only bidders.

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The hope was to build from the 2026 World Cup. Instead, it is holding organizers back.
This summerâs World Cup, less than two months away, has been plagued with controversy, from a host country at war with a participating nation to exorbitant prices making this the most expensive World Cup in recent memory.
Tensions continue between host cities (many of whom will be involved again in 2031) and FIFA, with the latest snafu involving proposed transit costs across various cities. In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill has taken a stance against FIFA, in a public spat that continues to escalate around the 2026 final venue. Meanwhile, the White House seems willing to hold the 2031 tournament as collateral for its own political interests.
If the 2031 bid had been confirmed this month as planned, it would have given organizers an unprecedented five-year runway to prepare, bringing it more closely in line with the typical runway for menâs World Cups. Hosts for the 2023 and 2027 Womenâs World Cups were each selected three years in advance, while the hosts for the 2026 menâs World Cup were selected eight years prior. Then thereâs Qatar, which was selected as the 2022 menâs World Cup host in 2010.
The milestone to select a host early for the Womenâs World Cup has been applauded by stakeholders in the game because it allows leaders across the space to better capitalize on the tournamentâs momentum. Various figures across U.S. Soccer and even the National Womenâs Soccer League have described the 2031 event as a potential âcatalystâ for growth.
That historic lead-up continues to dwindle as uncertainty lingers around the bidâs confirmation.
The bid was set to be confirmed on April 30 at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. Last month, FIFA changed course, saying publicly it would instead convene an Extraordinary Congress âbefore the end of 2026â to formally select the 2031 hosts. It would also select the host for the 2035 Womenâs World Cup, which is likely to be a joint effort by England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as they are also the sole bidders for that yearâs competition.
Federations submitted their official bid book for the 2031 World Cup to FIFA in November, circling 35 markets and 50 stadiums as potential host cities for the tournament across the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. As with most bids, organizers submit more options than needed, with selections dwindling as the planning process unfolds.
Every U.S. and Mexican host city from the 2026 World Cup was also offered as a potential host for 2031 â Atlanta, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. In the case of Miami, though, the city lists Chase Stadium, the former home of Major League Soccerâs Inter Miami, rather than Hard Rock Stadium, a 2026 World Cup venue.
Behind the scenes, however, The Athletichas reported that FIFA has found itself unable to officially confirm the bid for 2031 because of missing government guarantees and a tough negotiating stance by U.S. cities and venues, who want a larger slice of the financial pie than they were afforded for the 2026 World Cup. Negotiations for 2031 will likely be informed by whatever happens between now and the menâs World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
Separately, the White House is seeking to leverage being the only bid for the 2031 event to pressure FIFA to change its policy on transgender players in womenâs soccer before providing any government guarantees, according to multiple people familiar with the process, who spoke to The Athleticon condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. This would follow the actions of the International Olympic Committee, which, beginning with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, will effectively ban transgender athletes from competing in any event.
FIFA did not address questions presented by The Athletic about the missing government guarantees or the hesitation of host cities. However, they did provide a statement saying that the FIFA Council had âunanimously decidedâ to delay the bid confirmations, adding: âIt is an identical process to the appointment by acclamation of the hosts of the (menâs) 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA World Cup.â
When asked about the White House pressuring FIFA to adopt a policy like the IOCâs ahead of this window, U.S. head coach Emma Hayes said bluntly, âLook, my job is to follow FIFA regulations or IOC regulations â and, yeah, I think thatâs all I will say on the matter.â Her focus, as it has been since her hiring, is to qualify for the 2027 World Cup and win it.
Though the guarantees have not arrived, U.S. Soccer sources said there have been âpositive dialoguesâ among the parties involved and say they see âa path forward.â
When announcing the bid in October, Parlow Cone, who was on that World Cup-winning team in 1999, told the room that being in New York City always brings her back to that summer.
She was 21 years old sitting on the team bus next to U.S. Soccer legends Mia Hamm, Carla Overbeck and Julie Foudy, while on their way to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., for the opening match of the World Cup.
âAll of a sudden, weâre stuck in traffic,â Parlow Cone said. âWe are barely moving, and weâre all looking around at each other. Weâre getting nervous. Weâre looking at our watches, thinking weâre going to be late to the game. Weâre wondering, why in the hell is there so much traffic?â
Thatâs when they realized the roads were jam-packed by fans going to their match. People were honking at the team bus. Car windows painted in red, white and blue. âOur opening match was sold out with 80,000 fans â something most people didnât think was possible,â she said.
That match set the pace for the remainder of the World Cup, which the U.S. went on to win at home after a nail-biting match against China at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Parlow Cone and the rest of the team would be remembered as âthe 99ersâ who unleashed an explosive momentum for womenâs soccer in the U.S. that led the womenâs game to where we are today.
Over the last five years, the sportâs growth has only exploded since â not just in the U.S., but around the world.
The success of the 2023 Womenâs World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which produced swells of support, is a product of that growth. Next year, the first Womenâs World Cup on South American soil has the potential to propel the womenâs game forward in a continent already in love with the beautiful game.
The goal of the 2031 competition is to continue to inspire investment in the sportâs infrastructure globally.
According to the 2031 bid book, organizers are projecting more than 4.5 million fans will attend the tournament. They predict it will be âthe highest TV viewership ever for a womenâs sporting eventâ and project more than $4 billion in total revenue will be generated.
âIn 1999, our legacy was growing the womenâs game here in the US,â said Parlow Cone. âIn 2031, our legacy will be inspiring every country to embrace and invest in womenâs soccer, not because itâs the right thing to do, but itâs the smart thing to do. Itâs a smart investment.
âThere is an extraordinary opportunity to grow the womenâs game around the world, and we want this World Cup to help unlock that potential.â
For the USWNT, which has won four World Cups, more than any other nation, to win another World Cup at home would mean more game-changing impact. It would symbolize a full-circle moment for the womenâs game in the country, at a time when the sportâs potential for growth feels limitless.
While there are roadblocks to overcome, the U.S. still currently presents the best market to support and showcase the next phase of growth for the tournament. Hopefully, it and FIFA wonât get in their own way.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
US Women's national team, NWSL, Sports Business, Women's Soccer, FIFA Men's World Cup, FIFA Women's World Cup
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