United States slated to host 2031 Women’s World Cup

Photo Credit: Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press

When the United States of America hosted the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup, there was no inkling that soccer would become so big in the United States. Over the next five-plus years, America will be at the center of attention for the world’s most popular sport.

In a little over a year, the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will begin in North America after a successful joint bid from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Now, it has been reported that the United States will host another World Cup not long after.

While the official announcement will come from FIFA next year, the organization’s President Gianni Infantino told the UEFA Congress that the only valid host bid for the 2031 Women’s World Cup was made by the United States. Just like the 2026 Men’s World Cup, the 2031 Women’s World Cup could feature other host nations in the CONCACAF region.

U.S. Soccer released a statement on social media Thursday morning acknowledging the news.

“We are excited about the opportunity to co-host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup and, in collaboration with our partners, are committed to delivering a tournament that leaves a lasting legacy - one that elevates women’s soccer across the world and inspires future generations of players and fans.

“As FIFA finalizes the number of participating teams in the tournament, we will solidify our partnership structure with fellow Concacaf nations. We look forward to sharing more details and unveiling our full vision for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the near future.”

The first deadline to submit hosting bids to FIFA for the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cups was this week. Official documents and plans are due to FIFA at the end of the month. The United States’ bid is expected to run unopposed. The participating neighboring countries from the Concacaf region are still unknown. Per Infantino, the 2035 Women’s World Cup joint bid from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will also run unopposed.

Infantino made these announcements at the 49th UEFA Congress in Belgrade, Serbia this week.

“The ’31 bid is from the United States of America and potentially some other Concacaf members together and the ’35 bid is from Europe from the Home Nations of the United Kingdom,” Gianni Infantino said. “So the path is there for the Women’s World Cup to be taking place in ’31 and ’35 in some great countries and some great nations to boost even more the women’s football movement.”

This will be the third time the United States has hosted the Women’s World Cup with the tournament being held in America in 1999 and 2003. The United States Women’s National Team has won the Women’s World Cup a record four times and will look to win it for the second time on home soil (1999) in 2031.

Soccer, especially women’s soccer, has grown exponentially since Brandi Chastain scored the winning penalty kick against China in the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final.

Along with two more World Cup wins after that historic day at the Rose Bowl, the Women’s National Team has won four Olympic gold medals (five in total) and six CONCACAF Women’s Championships (nine in total). Now with the NWSL, an established and successful professional women’s soccer league in America, rapidly expanding from eight teams in 2013 to 16 in 2026, the women’s game is at an all-time high in the United States.

The 2031 Women’s World Cup will be the third consecutive marquee soccer tournament in the United States and the fourth major sporting event over the next six years. The FIFA Club World Cup takes place this June and July with the Men’s World Cup the following Summer and the Women’s World Cup in 2031. The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will also see the expansion of women’s soccer by having more women’s teams than men’s, per Infantino.

The 2031 Women’s World Cup will cap off a long run of international sporting events taking place in the United States.