2027 Women’s World Cup: USA, Mexico Withdraw Joint Bid
- Plan to represent bid for 2031 tournament
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and the Mexican Football Federation (MFF) on Monday confirmed that their joint bid for the 2027 World Cup has been formally withdrawn.
After officially pulling out of the race to host the 2027 global spectacle, the two Federations announced that they will prioritise a bid for the 2031 Women’s World Cup.
Both countries were planning for the tournament just a year after co-hosting the 2026 men’s tournament with Canada. Instead, they now intend to use the experience of 2026 to strengthen a revised bid for the 2031 Women’s World Cup.
The 2027 joint bid package had predicted 4.5 million fans, with projections of selling out large stadiums. However, it also faced potential challenges attracting high-level sponsorship, sandwiched directly between the 2026 World Cup and Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympics. The bid was calling for the same investment as the men’s tournament and will retain that for the 2031 proposal, although there could be competition from England by then.
Officially explaining the decision, a U.S. Soccer statement read thus; “The revised bid will allow U.S. Soccer to build on the learnings and success of the 2026 World Cup, better support our host cities, expand our partnerships and media deals, and further engage with our fans so we can host a record-breaking tournament in 2031.”
Specifically, the U.S. Soccer President, Cindy Parlow Cone said; “Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking – and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe”.
Parlow Cone, herself a World Cup winner on home soil in 1999 further added; “I’m proud of our commitment to provide equitable experiences for the players, fans, and all our stakeholders. 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.”
Going forward, the 2027 Women’s World Cup is yet to have an assigned host just over three years away. By contrast, the next three men’s World Cup tournaments up to and including 2034 have confirmed locations. Like the United States/Mexico bid, a South African bid has also been withdrawn.
The development leaves two remaining bids, Brazil, and a joint venture from Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. FIFA will soon publish its bid evaluation report, with the winning bid to be announced at the upcoming FIFA Congress in Bangkok on May 17.
