Brazil was chosen to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup on Friday, beating a joint Belgium-Netherlands-Germany bid at a Fifa congress marked by debate about the war in Gaza.
After the success of the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand, which earned a record US$570 million in commercial revenue, Fifa chose to continue its push to expand women’s football by taking the tournament to South America for the first time.
Delegates meeting in Bangkok voted by 119 votes to 78 to send the 10th edition to the land of samba football, sparking jubilant celebrations from the Brazilian bid team.
Brazil, home of women’s football great Marta, scored higher than its European rival in Fifa’s evaluation report.
The FIFA inspectors noted the “tremendous impact on women’s football in the region” that South America hosting the Women’s World Cup would have.
Brazil’s bid includes 10 stadiums used for the men’s World Cup in 2014, with Rio de Janeiro’s famous Maracana lined up for the opening match and the final.
But work needs to be done, in particular to the Amazonia stadium in Manaus, which has stood almost unused for a decade.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has also been in turmoil with legal challenges to its president.
Unlike their male counterparts, who have won five World Cups, Brazil’s women have never lifted the trophy, and made a group-stage exit in 2023.
The 2023 tournament defied fears that increasing the size from 24 to 32 teams would dilute the spectacle, with over 1.4 million fans streaming through the turnstiles to witness a host of shocks, dramatic turnarounds and breakthrough results.
Gone were the lopsided scorelines that were a feature of the previous eight World Cups, reflecting a growth in the standard of women’s football.
Seven teams notched their first World Cup wins and the United States and Germany, who between them had won six of the previous eight tournaments, were both dumped out early. –Nampa/AFP