U.S. and Mexico withdraw 2027 women’s World Cup hosting bid, moving to 2031 instead

The U.S. and Mexico have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 women’s World Cup and will instead bid for 2031, the nations’ soccer governing bodies announced Monday.

“Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking — and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe,” U.S. Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “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.”

The move is a surprise, as the U.S.-Mexico bid was expected to win because it would make FIFA by far the most money of any of the competitors. American sponsors were, according to sources, ready to spend for it and help the U.S. host the 2026 men’s World Cup, 2027 women’s World Cup, and 2028 Olympics in consecutive years.

But the bid itself never had much force behind it, in public or behind the scenes. As one example, the bid presentation repeated the 2026 host cities, with an understanding that the actual cities would be picked after the FIFA Congress on May 17. Cities hadn’t gotten too much information so far about what would be involved.

The withdrawal announcement said the 2031 bid “will call for equal investment as the men’s tournament, eliminating investment disparities to fully maximize the commercial potential of the women’s tournament,” and “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.”

» READ MORE: Subaru Park will host two NWSL games in July, including one with champions Gotham FC

There are now two bids left for 2027, one from Brazil and a joint one from Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

The European bid has much global appeal because of its location, and bid officials have put in a lot of legwork to lobby for it. But the proposal has been criticized because seven of its 12 proposed stadiums — including all four in Belgium — have capacities of 35,000 or smaller.

Brazil has infrastructure challenges to face, including the fact that its 13 proposed stadiums include some that haven’t gotten much big-time use since the 2016 Olympics. (American fans will remember the far-flung one in Manaus, in the Amazon rainforest in the country’s northwest.)

But the South American bid might have some edges behind the scenes. For one thing, there’s never been a women’s World Cup in South America.

For another — and this could be more important — let’s see if FIFA spins Brazil’s bid as consolation for forcing South America into a small piece of the 2030 men’s World Cup that will mainly be hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

There had been a competing bid from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first men’s World Cup, which Uruguay hosted. But FIFA cut it off by giving Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay one game each in the tournament’s opening round.

That also eliminated South America from hosting another men’s World Cup until at least 2038, since one continent can’t host the same senior-level World Cup twice in a row. Saudi Arabia has already been given the 2034 World Cup by FIFA officials, with a formal stamp of approval expected by the congress next month.

Steering 2027 to Brazil could allow FIFA to claim it’s giving South America something big along the way, even if it feels underhanded.

» READ MORE: Rose Lavelle waits to return from an injury as the USWNT races toward the Olympics