The Women’s World Cup will take place in South America for the first time after Brazil was chosen to host the 2027 edition at a FIFA congress on Friday marked by debate over the war in Gaza.
Following the success of Australia and New Zealand last year, FIFA members chose Brazil over a European bid in an effort to expand women’s football to new continents.
Delegates gathered in Bangkok voted 119 votes to 78 to send the tenth Women’s World Cup to the land of football samba, beating a joint bid from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
The decision generated celebrations from the Brazilian candidacy team.
The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Ednaldo Rodrigues, hailed the event as a “victory for Latin American football and women’s football in Latin America”.
Brazil, home of women’s football great Marta, scored higher than its European rival in FIFA’s evaluation report.
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 2014 men’s World Cup, with Rio de Janeiro’s famous Maracanã lined up for the opening match and final.
But some work needs to be done, especially with regard to the Amazonia stadium in Manaus, which has been almost unused for a decade.
Unlike their male counterparts, who have won five World Cups, Brazilian women have never lifted the trophy and were eliminated from the group stage in 2023.
Last year’s tournament broke records, including bringing in $570 million in commercial revenue.
On the pitch, it defied fears that increasing the size from 24 to 32 teams would dilute the spectacle, with more than 1.4 million fans passing through the turnstiles to witness a series of clashes.
Gone are the uneven results that were a feature of previous World Cups, reflecting a rise in the standard of women’s football.
Seven teams achieved their first World Cup victories and the United States and Germany, who together had won six of the previous eight tournaments, were eliminated early.
The only sour note came in the aftermath of last year’s final in Sydney, in which Spain defeated England 1-0.
The head of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales, sparked outrage when he forcibly kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony and now faces prosecution for sexual assault.
– Debate on Gaza –
FIFA’s 74th congress, which makes its debut in Thailand, made its selection by open vote for the first time as the organization seeks to overcome the corruption and shady dealings that have dogged it in the past.
Delegates had their choice made simpler last month when the United States and Mexico withdrew their joint bid, deciding instead to focus on trying to win the right to host the 2031 edition.
As the Brazilian tournament approaches, the focus will be on the huge financial disparity between men’s and women’s football.
The prize money for the 2023 Women’s World Cup was a record $110 million, but is still far short of the $440 million offered to teams in the 2022 men’s final in Qatar.
The congress also heard a call from the Palestinian Federation (PFA) to suspend Israel from the world body and ban Israeli teams from FIFA events.
PFA chief Jibril Rajoub said the Israel FA (IFA) had broken FIFA rules, adding: “FIFA cannot afford to remain indifferent to these violations or the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
His Israeli counterpart, Shino Moshe Zuares, dismissed the call as “cynical, political and hostile”, insisting that the IFA had not violated any FIFA rules.
FIFA supremo Gianni Infantino said the body would seek independent legal advice on the matter and decide by July 20 what action, if any, to take.
– Significant changes –
The congress also approved changes to FIFA’s statutes, eliminating the rule that established the organization’s headquarters in Zurich, where it has been since 1932.
The rule now says that the location of the headquarters will be “determined by decision approved by congress”, paving the way for it to move from the Swiss city.
Delegates also voted to multiply the number of committees from seven to 35, reversing measures taken in 2016 to clean up FIFA after it was rocked by a wave of corruption scandals.
The new committees’ remit includes women’s football, the fight against racism and eSports, but critics say they risk re-establishing a system of clientelism that the reforms sought to abolish.
Infantino also floated the idea of an under-15 World Cup or festival, as well as a “legendary” World Cup.
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