FIFA Women’s World Cup set to expand to 48 teams for 2031 tournament following ‘remarkable strides’

In anticipation of the World Cup World 2031, the tournament will expand from 32 to 48 countries. That shift will bring it into line with the World Cup gentlemen, who also extends to 48 countries prior to the 2026 edition, which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This expansion comes after the World Cup for women has just gone from 24 to 32 teams, a leap that came into force at the World Cup 2023 in Australia and Nieuw -Zeeland.

“After consultation with the Confederations and other stakeholders, and given the remarkable recent steps that have been taken by women’s football around the world, the FIFA council unanimously decided to expand the number of participating teams in the FIFA Women’s World Cup from 32 to 48 from 32 to 48,” FIFA said in a statement. The decision, taken during a meeting that is almost held, will considerably broaden the representation, which offers more countries and players access to elite competence and accelerating investments in women’s football worldwide. “

“The 48-Team FIFA World Cup World Cup will take on a size of 12 groups, which increases the total number of competitions from 64 to 104 and expand the tournament by one week. The hosting requirements for the 2031 and 2035 editions of the FIFA World Cup have been adapted accordingly.”

With improvements in the women’s game, expansion is needed because the tournament only included 24 teams before moving to 32. There are suggestions for expansion further than 48 for the men’s world cup, but that is something that would be controversial with the growing demands on players around the world.

Spain will look to defend their world cup title for women during the next edition of the tournament, including 32 teams. In 2027 it will take place in Brazil, which is running from 24 June 25 July. Under Emma Hayes, the national team of the United States will be looking for improvement in that tournament. During the World Cup 2023 they were eliminated by Sweden in the round of 16 after a loss of 5-4 penalty shootout. Although the increase in teams will make it more difficult to win the World Cup world, it offers the USWNT an easier chance of winning their groups, something that can create a more favorable path in the knockouts.