U.S. Soccer will bid unopposed for the 2031 Women's World Cup, and the "path" is clear for the United States to host the tournament, which will expand to feature 48 teams, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Thursday.
Technically, the U.S. still must "win" a vote at next year's FIFA Congress, a gathering of the world's 211 national soccer federations. But that vote will be a foregone conclusion and probably a charade, much like the ones last November that awarded the 2030 and 2034 men's World Cups to Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (2030) and to Saudi Arabia (2034).
The only unknown is whether the U.S. bid will include proposals to hold a small handful of games in other countries throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Multiple sources told Yahoo Sports earlier this month that U.S. Soccer and its counterparts throughout the CONCACAF region were discussing a so-called "regional bid."
Infantino, speaking Thursday at a gathering of European soccer officials, confirmed that the "bid is from the United States of America and potentially some other CONCACAF members together."
He also said it is the only bid for the 2031 tournament, and a joint United Kingdom bid — from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — is the only "valid bid" for the 2035 Women's World Cup.
Formal bidding documents are due by the end of April, but with both bids unchallenged, the handpicked hosts will have flexibility to modify and finalize plans throughout the year.
FIFA's, U.S. Soccer's 2031 Women's World Cup plans
Despite the regional talks, it's clear that the vast majority of 2031 Women's World Cup games will be held in the U.S. — just five years after the vast majority of 2026 men's World Cup games are held in the U.S.
Canada and Mexico, with 10 games apiece, are co-hosts of that 2026 men's tournament. They and/or others, such as Jamaica and Costa Rica, could share side stages at the women's ...
