LOS ANGELES — U.S. Soccer is formulating a bid for the 2031 Women’s World Cup that could include proposals to stage some games in other countries throughout North, Central America and the Caribbean, three people familiar with the plans told Yahoo Sports this week.
The United States will definitely bid to host the tournament; the question is whether it will do so alone or jointly with regional partners. Discussions remain ongoing ahead of upcoming deadlines to formally express and affirm interest to FIFA.
But the increasingly likely answer, those three sources indicated, is that the U.S.-led bid will loop in multiple nations from CONCACAF, the soccer confederation that stretches from Canada down to Panama and out into the Caribbean.
U.S. Soccer initially said that it would bid jointly with Mexico. The two North American neighbors had previously bid together for the 2027 Women’s World Cup. They then withdrew that halfhearted bid and said they would “instead focus on bidding to host the tournament in 2031.”
But over the past year, plans have evolved. A traditional joint bid has morphed into novel proposals that would bring the vast majority of games to the States, but a small handful to smaller countries — such as, say, Costa Rica and Jamaica — as well.
No matter the exact construction, the bid will be a heavy favorite after FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, announced that only countries from CONCACAF and Africa would be eligible to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup. That opaque decision — vaguely justified by continental rotation, and combined with a decision to restrict 2035 hosting rights to Europe and Africa — left the U.S. and its regional partners with only a few semi-realistic competitors in the seemingly rigged race to host the tournament.
Two sources said they expect South Africa to launch a bid, but it’s unclear if that would be for 2031 or the 2035 edition (for which a joint United Kingdom bid is heavily favored).
FIFA leadership clearly prefers the U.S.-led bid for 2031, and there is a chance it will proceed unchallenged.
That would leave months and years for FIFA, U.S. Soccer, U.S. cities, U.S. stadiums and their counterparts in other CONCACAF countries to iron out what, exactly, the tournament would look like; and where, exactly, it will be held. (Although formal expressions of interest are due within weeks, the belief is that the list of potential co-hosts could still evolve after that deadline.)
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani — who serves as a FIFA vice president and key powerbroker within global soccer’s most powerful ruling body, the Bureau of the FIFA Council — confirmed the ongoing discussions Thursday. Speaking to Yahoo Sports and others at an industry conference here in Los Angeles, he also said he “100%” supported “a regional bid.”
“I would like to see perhaps a potential Caribbean [host], a potential Central America [host],” Montagliani said. “So, over and above just a North American World Cup.”
“Obviously, there’s some realities with that, because not every country has the infrastructure to host a Women’s World Cup,” he clarified. “But, I think we’re open minded on that.
“We all know the U.S. is a very strong candidate, even if they went on their own. But I think those discussions are being had by U.S. Soccer, by Mexico, and others as well. And CONCACAF is at that table. And obviously, whatever we decide, we’re gonna support [the bid] 100%. And hopefully we can win it.”
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