Next summer, Brazil will welcome the world's best players when the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off on June 24th. The tournament, which marks a historic first for the continent, runs through July 25th across eight cities, from Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã to São Paulo's Arena Corinthians.
Once play begins, 32 nations will compete for the title across 64 matches. The expected lineup includes defending World Cup champion Spain and the US women's national team, a four-time winner chasing a fifth star.
Teams Already Qualified for the 2027 Women's FIFA World Cup
With Brazil earning an automatic spot as host, the remainder of the world's top teams have already begun their qualifying runs. So far, 10 additional nations from four different continental federations have punched tickets to South America.
- AFC (Asia): Australia, China PR, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, and the Philippines all qualified via the 2026 Women's Asian Cup.
- CONMEBOL (South America): Argentina and Colombia qualified through the CONMEBOL Women's Nations League as the top two finishers behind Brazil.
- UEFA (Europe): Germany qualified as a UEFA Women's World Cup qualifying's League A group winner, while three more European teams will join once the league stage wraps up, with an additional seven spots decided via the upcoming UEFA playoffs.
- OFC (Oceania): New Zealand won the final Oceania qualifying knockout round to earn its direct spot.
While no teams from Concacaf or Africa's CAF have qualified yet, several paths remain open across the confederations.
Inside the Next Women's World Cup Qualification Format
UEFA is allotted 11 direct spots and one intercontinental playoff spot, with a qualifying campaign running February through December 2026. Four League A group winners qualify directly. The remaining seven European teams enter via two playoff rounds, while one final team enters through the intercontinental playoff.
Concacaf has four direct spots and two intercontinental playoff spots. Running November 24th through December 5th, the Concacaf W Championship features Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and the USWNT. The four semifinalists qualify directly, while the four quarterfinal losers compete for two intercontinental playoff tickets.
CAF has four direct spots and two intercontinental playoff spots. All four semifinalists from the rescheduled 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations — now set for July 25th through August 16th — will qualify. Four quarterfinal losers then via for two intercontinental tournament slots.
CONMEBOL has three direct spots, including host Brazil, plus two intercontinental playoff spots. Argentina and Colombia have already claimed the two non-host spots. The third- and fourth-place CONMEBOL Women's Nations League finishers then enter via the intercontinental playoff tournament.
Ten teams from six confederations will later battle for the final three FIFA Women's World Cup spots through a two-phase knockout tournament. So far, three of the 10 playoff spots are taken by Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, and Papua New Guinea.
Women's World Cup 2027 Format and Group Stage
When the 2027 Women's World Cup finally kicks off, the teams will be split into eight groups of four.
Each team subsequently plays three group-stage matches, before the top two from each group advance to a single-elimination knockout round starting with the Round of 16.
The Women's World Cup takes the field on June 24th, 2027, streamed exclusively on Netflix.
The 2031 Women's World Cup will expand to 48 teams, with the 16-team increase announced among other landmark decisions by the FIFA Council on Friday.
The decision to expand the World Cup aims to "broaden representation, offering more nations and players access to elite competition and accelerating investment in women's football worldwide," according to the FIFA release.
"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," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
"This decision ensures we are maintaining the momentum in terms of growing women’s football globally."
The expanded 2031 World Cup, hosted by the US, will adopt a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104 while extending the competition for an additional week.
The World Cup expansion announcement comes on the heels of last month's increased Olympic tournament news, with the IOC boosting the women's soccer field to 16 teams at the 2028 LA Games.
The decision also puts the women's competition in line with the men's World Cup, which will feature FIFA's first 48-team tournament in 2026.
FIFA approves Afghan women's refugee team
In the same Friday announcement, the FIFA Council also approved the creation of an Afghanistan women's refugee team, which would provide evacuated Afghan women players the ability to compete on an officially recognized FIFA team.
While FIFA requires that national federations sponsor teams, the Afghan Football Federation ceased acknowledging its women's team once the Taliban-controlled government banned women's sports.
Originally formed by the country's Olympic Committee in 2007, the Afghanistan women's national team has not played a FIFA-recognized match since 2018, and most of its athletes fled the country amidst the Taliban's second takeover in 2021.
Since then, players have petitioned FIFA for the opportunity to compete. Their efforts earned a one-year trial phase from the governing body on Friday, though the success of the program could see it expanded to refugees from other nations in the future.
"We are happy that FIFA has created a pathway for Afghan players to finally return to the field," team founder and former captain Khalida Popal told CNN on Friday, adding that the squad "remain[s] hopeful FIFA can amend its statutes to provide official recognition for our players as the Afghanistan Women's National Team."
Popal — who helped hundreds of Afghans, including the team, escape the Taliban — previously said the team "could show the world that Afghan women and girls belong in sport, in school and everywhere in society — and we will not be defeated."
FIFA announced the eight cities that will host matches at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil on Wednesday, primarily selecting sites on the South American country's East Coast over tropical regions that require more extensive travel.
In addition to Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracanã Stadium, the tournament's 64 games will take place across Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and São Paulo.
"The selection of the host cities represents the moment where the dream begins to take shape," said Brazil’s minister of sport André Fufuca. "Each of the selected host cities represents Brazil — a diverse and vibrant Brazil, with people who are passionate about football, and places that already live and breathe the sport and that will now have the opportunity to leave a transformative legacy for their communities and for generations to come."
The 32 teams battling for the 2027 World Cup will begin their hunt on June 24th of that year, with the final taking place on July 25th.
Marta, Formiga help announce 2027 World Cup cities
To bolster the news, FIFA tapped famous Brazilians for its announcement video, including star futsal player Amandinha and two-time NWSL champion Debinha.
Also helping drop the eight cities were the country’s most iconic women's soccer legends, Marta — the World Cup's all-time leading scorer — and Formiga, the only athlete to compete in seven editions of the tournament.
"I won't be on the pitch in 2027, but I'm always ready to represent Brazilian football – even more so at a special moment like this," said the retired Formiga.
"I know every corner of our country, and I can tell you: Each of these cities is full of women's football talents who need support and inspiration," she continued. "The Women's World Cup will be an opportunity for them to see the greatest up close and think, 'If they can be there, so can I.' That's the impact that only an event of this size can have."
Using the 2027 World Cup — the first ever hosted in South America — to grow the women's game is top-of-mind for former player Mariléia "Michael Jackson" dos Santos, who now serves as the country's director of women's football promotion.
"We want to create a solid network that will last well beyond 2027," said dos Santos. "The idea is to decentralise the impact so that women's football flourishes in every corner of the country."
"It's a unique opportunity to change the game, and we're going to make the most of it because Brazilian women's football deserves it, and so do the girls in our country."
FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed two future Women’s World Cup hosts at the UEFA Congress in Belgrade earlier today.
The 2031 event belongs to the United States, while the United Kingdom will host in 2035.
Infantino cited the UK “Home Nations” (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) as providing the only “valid bid” for 2035. The US submitted the sole bid for 2031 after ceding a prior campaign to host the 2027 tournament to Brazil.
“As part of the bidding process, we received one bid for '31 and one bid, valid bid, I should add for '35,” said the FIFA president.
“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.”
US set to host third global FIFA tournament
2031 will mark a record third US-hosted Women's World Cup after successful runs in 1999 and 2003.
The national federation confirmed its intent to submit a 2031 Women's World Cup bid early last month. The decision came soon after FIFA said the 2031 tournament must be played either in North America or Africa.
“We are excited about the opportunity to co-host the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup and, in collaboration with our Concacaf partners, are committed to delivering a tournament that leaves a lasting legacy,” U.S. Soccer posted. “One that elevates women's soccer across the world and inspires future generations of players and fans.”
Following a successful 2023 expanded tournament in Australia and New Zealand, 32 countries will again feature in the 2027 Women's World Cup. The competition is set to grow to 48 teams by the time the US hosts in 2031.
UK to host first Women's World Cup in 2035
Unlike the US, the UK has never before welcomed the global women’s tournament. England did host the 2022 Women’s Euros, eventually winning the tournament on home soil.
2023 Women's World Cup winners Spain explored a late Women's World Cup bid in conjunction with Portugal and Morocco — their partners in hosting the 2030 men's event. However, FIFA quickly ruled out the possibility in favor of the UK's joint bid.
“Football is and always will be at the core of our country's identity,” UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said last month.
“Whether we watch on TV, play at the weekends like I do, or simply enjoy soaking up the atmosphere in the pub, it brings communities together like little else. That pride was on full display when England hosted UEFA Women's Euro 2022. It not only showed the best of our nation to the world but inspired a generation of girls into the game, all whilst boosting the economy.”
Brazil has been named the host for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with FIFA announced early Friday.
The decision came after a vote at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, with Brazil earning 119 votes to the joint European bid’s 78.
This will be Brazil’s first time hosting the Women’s World Cup, with the country having hosted the men’s World Cup twice before in 1950 and 2014. It will also be the first Women’s World Cup held in South America. The tournament will follow the same 32-team format as the 2023 WWC in Australia and New Zealand.
Brazil winning the bid was not entirely surprising after FIFA issued a report just last week, stating that the Brazilian bid had pulled ahead as host following technical inspection. After evaluation, Brazil was given a score of 4.0 out of 5, compared to the 3.7 awarded to the Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Brazil ranked higher in a number of key areas, including stadiums, accommodations, fan zones, and transport infrastructure. Though considered to be a frontrunner, the US and Mexico withdrew their joint bid prior to the technical inspection period, saying they would instead focus their efforts on 2031.
On Friday, Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues called it a "victory."
"We knew we would be celebrating a victory for South American women's soccer and for women," he told reporters. "You can be sure, with no vanity, we will accomplish the best World Cup for women."
"We are working on a transformation, not only for the country but for the continent," added bid team operational manager Valesca Araujo.
Brazil intends to use 10 of the venues utilized at the 2014 men’s World Cup, including holding the final in Rio de Janeiro on July 25th. The CBF's proposal outlines that the 2027 tournament run from June 24th through the end of July. Last summer’s World Cup began at the end of July and concluded on August 19th.
Another notable element of Brazil's newly unveiled plan to grow of the women’s game is that "all [men’s] clubs wishing to take part in high-level national and continental competitions must now provide a structure for a women’s team." While the definition of "structure" was not specifically identified, the country has set targets with CONMEBOL to help increase the number of women’s club teams in the country.
In last week's inspection findings, FIFA noted that selecting Brazil as the next WWC host could "have a tremendous impact on women's football in the region."
Brazil has officially become the favorite to host the 2027 Women's World Cup after FIFA’s technical inspection team awarded them a higher rating than the joint European bid.
After the US and Mexico dropped out of the running last month, the bid from Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands had previously been pegged to win hosting rights for the next Women's World Cup. But FIFA's latest report shows that Brazil was given a score of 4.0 out of 5 in its technical evaluation, besting the European contender's score of 3.7.
Brazil ranked higher in a number of key areas, including stadiums, accommodations, fan zones, and transport infrastructure. The country is aiming to reuse 10 of the venues used for the 2014 Men's World Cup in 2027, with the final set to take place in Rio de Janeiro.
"The Bid Evaluation Report reflects the comprehensive evaluation model that has become a hallmark of FIFA’s enhanced bidding processes for men’s and women’s flagship events, which incorporates a variety of criteria, ranging from event vision and key metrics, infrastructure, services, commercial aspects, and sustainability and human rights," FIFA wrote in a press release.
The report also highlighted the fact that this would be the first Women's World Cup in South America, noting that the decision could "have a tremendous impact on women's football in the region."
Should the EU bid win, it wouldn't be the first WWC in Europe, as Germany played host to the event in 2011 before France in 2019. There could also be further complications for the Germany-Belgium-Netherlands bid: In its report, the evaluation team regarded the bid's legal and contractual framework as "high-risk."
FIFA has promised more planning time for the 2031 Women's World Cup. While the Men's World Cup hosts have already been secured through 2034, the WWC is only three years away with a host yet to be named.
The final vote is set to take place at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok on May 17th. It will be the first time FIFA determines a World Cup host via an open vote.
The United States and Mexico have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, per a Monday afternoon release from U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation.
According to the statement, they will instead focus on developing a "more equitable" bid for the 2031 tournament, with the ultimate goal of "eliminating investment disparities" between the men’s and women’s tournaments.
The federations went on to cite the upcoming 2026 Men’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico as an opportunity to build support for local infrastructure, improve audience engagement, and scale up media and partnership deals in preparation to "host a record-breaking tournament in 2031."
"Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking — and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe," said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. "Shifting our bid will enable us to host a record-breaking Women’s World Cup in 2031 that will help to grow and raise the level of the women’s game both here at home as well as across the globe."
The decision leaves just Brazil and a joint bid from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands in the running for the 2027 host spot. Brazil — the rumored frontrunner — has never hosted a Women’s World Cup, while Germany hosted the 2011 tournament as a solo venture.
Furthermore, this postponement doesn’t mean the U.S. is a shoo-in for 2031, as it's been previously reported that 2022 UEFA Women's EURO host England is considering their own Women's World Cup bid. FIFA is scheduled to confirm the winning bid after the FIFA Congress votes on May 17th.
The U.S. women’s national team roster is here, and preparations will soon begin for the team’s World Cup title defense later this summer.
Before the 23 players named to the U.S. roster board the plane for New Zealand and kick off the group stage against Vietnam on July 21, test your knowledge on the USWNT with our interactive quiz!
Players on the Canada women’s national soccer team want their pay dispute with their national federation settled before they leave for the 2023 World Cup next week.
The pre-tournament camp is scheduled to start on June 28 in Australia, with the tournament kicking off on July 20. Canada captain Christine Sinclair told the Canadian Press that players want to get a deal done so that they don’t have the issue hanging over their heads throughout the World Cup.
And while the team hasn’t reached its breaking point yet, time is running out.
“We’re not at a point where we’re not getting on a plane, but time’s coming where we want it done so as players we’re not having to deal with it while we’re trying to prepare,” Sinclair told the Canadian Press.
Sinclair is not expecting a long-term solution to the long-standing battle for pay equity and funding.
“But us as a women’s team have flat out told the CSA (Canada Soccer Association) that we need a deal in place for at least the World Cup and this year before we head down there,” she said. “I think it will happen. Will it be a long-term deal? No. But something will be done before the World Cup starts.”
The women’s team has been without a labor deal since its previous one expired at the end of 2021. Earlier this year, players threatened it sit out the SheBelieves Cup before being strong-armed into playing the tournament by their federation.
In March, the two sides agreed to an interim deal, which covered the period of time in 2022 for which team members had not been paid. But players said there remained “a lot of work to be done.”
A permanent deal has not been reached due to a number of factors, the players’ association said at the time, including repeated failure by Canada Soccer to properly disclose financial numbers as well as the fight by the women’s team for an agreement that “establishes fair and equitable standards.”
Players did take part in the April FIFA window after saying they would only do so provided that “meaningful progress” has been made in negotiations. Still, a final deal has not been reached; the Canada men’s national team also is still negotiating its contract.
The reigning Olympic gold champion, Canada enters the final month of World Cup preparation among the top 10 contenders, according to the betting odds.
“I don’t know all the details on the men’s side of things but we’re fighting the same fight,” Sinclair said. “I think us as players, we fear that we as national teams could get left behind when you see the support that other federations are putting into their teams, putting into their youth programming, putting into professional leagues.
“If we want to remain relevant, yes, some things are going to have to change.”
Becky Sauerbrunn will not travel with the U.S. women’s national team to the 2023 World Cup due to an injury. But the longtime captain is sending a message to the next generation of USWNT leaders.
“This is your guys’ team now,” Sauerbrunn told her USWNT teammates Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis on the latest episode of their podcast. That’s the same message she is sharing with any USWNT teammates who have reached out to her about her absence from the World Cup roster.
The 38-year-old defender has been a mainstay on the national team since the 2011 World Cup, and this summer’s tournament would have been her fourth. She also became the first president of the USWNT Players Association in 2020, a position she still holds. Still, she remains demure when asked about her legacy.
“I’m not going to claim to have any sort of influence over anybody,” she said. “I hope that I have impacted people in a really positive way. I am really glad that the veteran leaders on the team made a pretty conscious effort to really start empowering that next group of players.
“So I do hope that we pass the baton on well, and that we’ll see that at the World Cup. But I’m not going to claim that I did anything crazy good, that’s gonna make that much of an impact.”
In passing the baton, Sauerbrunn has offered support in particular to 29-year-old midfielder Lindsey Horan, who has taken on the captain’s armband in Sauerbrunn’s absence at times.
“She gets to lead this team out at a World Cup and to really appreciate what that means, in the course of your career,” Sauerbrunn said. “Like, that’s such a crazy, cool accomplishment.”
Sauerbrunn referred to Horan as her “co-captain,” though USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski did not commit to a new captain Wednesday after the roster announcement.
Sauerbrunn also has been telling her teammates to soak in the moment, which is something that she says you can’t replicate, especially as she begins to look back on her career and appreciate it even in the face of her disappointment.
“I’m super upset about potentially missing my fourth World Cup, when, talk to me about 15 years ago, I never even thought I was gonna have a national team cap,” she said. “And so it’s kind of like, I can’t be too woe is me. I’ve already done a lot of things and have been very fortunate in my career. And so I’m trying to keep perspective on it as well.”