FIFA expands Women’s World Cup to 48 teams for 2031

FIFA announces the expansion of the Women’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams starting in 2031, mirroring the men’s competition and aiming to further global growth of the women’s game

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]IFA, the world’s football governing body, announced on Friday that the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams, aligning it with the format of the men’s competition, beginning with the 2031 edition.

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The FIFA Council unanimously approved the expansion, citing the “remarkable recent strides made by women’s football across the world.”

The expanded tournament will feature a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from the current 64 to 104. This expansion will also extend the duration of the tournament by one week.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized that this decision builds upon the resounding success of the 2023 Women’s World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, which saw Spain lift the trophy.

He highlighted the increased global competitiveness of the tournament, noting that “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.”

Infantino further explained the broader implications of the expansion: “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.

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

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

The upcoming 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil will remain with the current format of 32 teams. FIFA has yet to officially ratify the hosts for the 2031 and 2035 editions.

However, the 2031 tournament is anticipated to be held in the United States, which is the sole candidate. The United Kingdom, including 2023 finalists England, is bidding to host the 2035 event.

In other decisions made by the FIFA Council on Friday, new anti-racism measures were adopted, including increased fines for federations found guilty of racist incidents.

Federations will also be required to align their own Disciplinary Codes with FIFA’s standards, and FIFA will have the authority to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if it deems national sanctions insufficient, mirroring the process in doping cases.

The 211 FIFA Council members also received updates on the preparations for the 75th FIFA Congress, scheduled to take place on May 15th in Asunción, Paraguay.

Additionally, the FIFA Council approved a strategy to support Afghan women footballers, which includes the establishment of an Afghan Women’s Refugee Team (AWRT).

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FIFA stated that it is “engaging directly with the relevant players” in this “landmark initiative,” with President Infantino affirming FIFA’s commitment to “giving every girl the possibility to play football.”

Quadri Olaitan