September 4 – Bolivia has dropped out of the race to stage the 2023 Women’s World Cup, reducing the bidding field to eight member associations.
On Tuesday, FIFA said that it had sent “the updated bidding and hosting documents” to the eight member association that remain in the race. Those bidding nations must submit a bid book by December 13.
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea, who are contemplating a joint-bid with North Korea, are the member associations who remain in the race after expressing a renewed interest in hosting the tournament.
FIFA reopened the bidding process for the 2023 tournament after the world federation and its president Gianni Infantino fast tracked the expansion of the World Cup to 32 teams. FIFA announced that Belgium had become the 10th member association expressing an interest in hosting the tournament, but the Belgian FA was quick to point out that they had merely requested general information about staging a Women’s World Cup.
It means that Europe will not have a representative in the bidding race. Earlier this year, France hosted the Women’s World Cup, which FIFA considered a commercial success and incentivised the world federation to alter the format of the tournament. In 2015, Canada hosted the previous finals.
China and the United State have both staged the tournament twice, but the 2023 finals look destined to touch new territories as none of the members associations in the race have ever staged the tournament before. The Women’s World Cup has never been played in South America, Oceania or Africa.
The world federation will send inspection teams to the bidding nations in January and February 2020 and is expected to announce the winning bid next May.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1714007103labto1714007103ofdlr1714007103owedi1714007103sni@o1714007103fni1714007103