Brazil To Host 2027 Women’s World Cup

Brazil will host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, a first for South America, after their bid was chosen by FIFA over the tri-nation candidacy of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

Soccer’s global governing body FIFA is taking its flagship women’s tournament to South America for the first time after the Brazilian bid won the vote 119-78 at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2014, Brazil last staged a major FIFA tournament when the World Cup returned to the country after 64 years. “It is a victory for the world and for women’s football,” said the president of the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) Ednaldo Rodrigues.

For the organization of the 2030 World Cup, South America had to settle for a minor role, and the 2027 Women’s World Cup will represent a consolation prize for the region. The Brazilians did little lobbying to convince the FIFA electorate of the merits of their bid, but they were heavily favored after FIFA’s bid evaluation marked Brazil’s bid with an average score of 4.0 whereas the European bid got 3.7. The European bid was knocked down because of a high-risk score on its legal framework.

At the Congress, both bids made a final presentation. BNG promised the best-ever Women’s World Cup with the highest commercial revenue in the history of the women’s game. The Europeans brought star power with Clarence Seedorf, the former AC Milan player.

The triumvirate of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany campaigned for months targeting the vote-rich confederations of Africa and Asia on a message of sustainability and diversity, but ultimately they fell short. In 2019, Europe last staged the Women’s World in France.

In its slick presentation, the Brazilian bid with its slogan ‘A Natural Choice’ argued that it was the ‘country of soccer’ and had never staged the tournament. It highlighted that the Brazilian federal government had offered the guarantees that FIFA requires to stage the competition.

It was the first time that the entire electorate voted. The United States and Mexico had previously withdrawn from the race to focus on a bid for the 2031 tournament.

With the decision, FIFA wants to build on the success of the 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand which generated $570 in revenue according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The final and Spain’s maiden victory were overshadowed by the unwanted kiss of then-Spanish soccer chief Luis Rubiales on the lips of Jennifer Hermoso.