In a surprising turn of events, the joint bid by the United States and Mexico to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup has been withdrawn. The decision to withdraw has left many people baffled, as it was widely expected that the bid would be successful due to the potential for FIFA to make a significant amount of money.
Despite American sponsors being prepared to invest in hosting the 2026 men’s World Cup, the 2027 women’s World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics consecutively, the bid lacked strong support both publicly and behind the scenes. Cities were unsure of what would be involved in hosting such an event, and this lack of preparation was evident in the bid presentation which recycled host city information from the 2026 men’s World Cup.
Looking forward, it is likely that the U.S.-Mexico bid will be a favorite for the 2031 Women’s World Cup, competing against possible bids from Spain, Britain, China, South Africa, and a joint effort between Germany-Dutch-Belgium. The decision to withdraw from hosting in 2027 may have been influenced by other upcoming events such as hosting the 2026 men’s World Cup and Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics.
As a result of their withdrawal from hosting in 2027, only two bids remain for this tournament – one from Brazil and another joint effort from Belgium-Germany-Netherlands. Brazil is considered a strong contender for this tournament as it is located in South America where FIFA has never hosted a Women’s World Cup before. The outcome of FIFA’s decision on who will host in 2031 will be announced on May 17th with continental block voting potentially playing a role in determining which country wins out.
Overall, while many are disappointed about this change of plans, it will be interesting to see how FIFA decides on who will host this prestigious event in four years time.