The FIFA Parliament will handpick two candidates to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup when it meets in Bangkok this week.
Joint Bids by the US and Mexico were withdrawn Late last month, South Africa withdrew its candidacy in November. This left only two bids on Friday’s vote.: A joint proposal by Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, and a joint proposal by Brazil.
This is the first time that all 211 FIFA member associations have had the opportunity to consult on who should host a women’s tournament. Previously, decisions were made by the governing body’s decision-making committee, the FIFA Council.
Brazil is especially likely to win the subsequent contest. Ranked high in FIFA evaluation report last week.
“This document shows that Brazil has successfully fulfilled all the strict requirements of the bidding process,” said Edonardo Rodríguez, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation.
Brazil’s bid, titled “Natural as Football,” highlights events that not only inspire women and girls, but also raise awareness of issues such as sustainability, social responsibility and inclusivity. ing.
Brazil was also in the running for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, but withdrew due to the lingering hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Japan also withdrew along the way. When bids were finally considered, there were only two, Colombia and a joint proposal from Australia and New Zealand, which ultimately won with 63% of the board vote.
Brazil has hosted two Men’s World Cups in 1950 and 2014 and the 2016 Olympics. The South American country has never hosted a Women’s World Cup before, and fellow CONMEBOL countries are likely to support the effort.
“The results announced by FIFA will make us even stronger, so we can work even harder in the final spurt,” Rodriguez said. “We will work harder to get as many votes as possible. We want your support.”
Germany hosted the Women’s World Cup in 2011 and the Netherlands hosted the Women’s European Championship in 2017. The advantage of the “BNG” proposal is that there are 13 host cities accessible by rail.
The bid, titled “Breaking New Ground” using the initials of both countries, will mark the first time that the three traditional rivals will be working together as host candidates. Belgium and the Netherlands jointly hosted the men’s European Championship in 2000.
“It’s a great combination of the knowledge gained from organizing big tournaments together and some new ideas,” Heike Ulrich, secretary general of the German Football Federation, told The Associated Press. “One of the things that is very important for us when organizing a tournament is that it is compact, so ‘local but global’ is one of our slogans,” he said. The longest distance between two venues is 300 kilometers (185 miles), meaning for teams and fans they simply need to find a basecamp and get from point A to point B. ”
The assessment report pointed to risks within the legal “contractual framework” that FIFA requires to stage the event in BNG’s proposal. Mr. Ulrich countered that any complications arising from working with three different governments would be resolved and that things like transportation, for example, would only be arranged after a successful bid. The men’s European Championships will be held in Germany this year, and ticket holders will receive free local transport to the matches and discounted long-distance services.
“It’s just a matter of timing and when we take these steps,” Ulrich said. “Of course, we will meet all the requirements of FIFA to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
Organizing events also increases economic benefits. The 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada attracted 1.35 million spectators. Last year’s tournament and Under-20 Women’s World Cup generated $493.6 million in economic activity.
Last year’s World Cup nearly doubled, with Australia generating $865.7 million and co-hosts New Zealand $67.87 million.
The United States and Mexico withdrew at the end of April after claiming an economic benefit of $3 billion. But the sports calendar was already crowded with the 2026 Men’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
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AP Sports Writer Ciaran Fahey in Berlin and Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo contributed to this report.
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