Women’s World Cup 2031: USF chief supports expansion to 48 teams

Los Angeles – American football CEO JT Batson said the Federation would strongly support the expansion of the Women’s World Cup to 48 teams in 2031.

Us Soccer submitted a single “valid offer” to the 2031 tournament before FIFA, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday.

“Forty -eight teams are something we were passionate for fans,” Batson told a small group of reporters on Friday. “We think it would be incredible for growing a female game.”

Infantino has previously proposed the idea of ​​expanding the competition to 48 teams. Batson said that “all grades are positive” for 48 team expansion and that US football President Cindy Parlow Cone will use his new FIFA seat to vote for this support.

The United States It is expected that the World Cup of Women’s 2031 Cup with other Concacaf nations is expected. Batson said that the number of teams participating in the tournament will dictate which other countries will join the US as hosts.

Mexico Previously, it joined the US in a common offer at the Women’s World Cup in 2027, which was eventually abandoned to allow the US to concentrate on 2031. Brazil He will host the tournament 32-team 2027.

The United Kingdom submitted the only “valid offer” to host the World Cup of Women 2035. FIFA previously set geographical restrictions on which the continents could host every event.

In 2015, the Women’s World Cup spread from 16 to 24 teams, and in 2023 it spread to 32 teams.

The World Cup of Men 2026, which will be a US host, will present 48 teams for the first time.

“One of the things we hear from people who lead federations around the world is that they perceive the world’s World Cup as an opportunity for them, one, creates a world cup and two, really go to compete in a way that they could not be able to be on the side of men,” Batson said. “That would lead to what would do when it comes to decomposing investments around the world on female and girls’ football, we think it would be incredible.”

The US hosted the World Women’s World Cup of 1999 and 2003, the latter, the emergency for the SARS epidemic in China, the original host of this year. Canada He hosted the Women’s World Championship in 2015.

Batson i Ns Commissioner Jessica Berman used the term “catalyst” to describe the opportunity to organize the tournament 2031.

“I think that to the extent that people see the World Cup of Men as a catalyst for male football growth here, the World Women’s World Cup in 2031 is directly a catalyst for growth,” Berman said, referring to 1999 as an infection point.

“The idea that he will have a prosperous league and it will come out that it should undoubtedly create and an incredible amount of excitement for the future of NWSL and we will absolutely earn it.”

Emma Hayes, head coach, described the World Cup 2031 in the US as “Dreamland”, which quoted the existing infrastructure for the next year’s World Cup, which will also take place in Mexico and Canada.

Hayes, who grew up in England but launched his professional coaching career in the US, expressed excitement for 2031 and 2035.

“It is fair to say, in any capacity – fans or coaching – I will certainly be at these world cups,” Hayes said.