United States moves step closer to hosting 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as joint bid with Mexico goes uncontested

The United States' efforts to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup came a step closer to reality Thursday, when FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that a Mexico-USA joint bid will go uncontested - after the United Kingdom pushed back their primary bid to 2035.

If the U.S. is awarded the tournament, it would complete a memorable run of soccer in the country with four major tournaments held in a six year span from 2025-2031.

U.S. Soccer Federation President Cindy Parlow Cone has previously said that the federation is “committed to bringing" the 2031 Women’s World Cup to the U.S. and Mexico, "And we're going to win it."

U.S. Soccer and Mexico were among the initial bidders for the 2027 competition, but backed out last May ahead of Brazil being awarded it, shifting the focus to 2031. Cone said there was a concern that some fans wouldn't be able to afford to attend World Cups in back-to-back years, following the men's World Cup in 2026.

"It was hard for us to shift from 2027 to 2031, but we all felt it was the best thing for the sport," Cone said. "I wanted that build-up so we can put the same focus and energy into the women's World Cup that we are into the men's World Cup."

The U.S. has hosted the Women’s World Cup before, most recently holding the tournament in 2003. There is the possibility of other CONCACAF nations hosting some fixtures. The Athletic reported in March that there have been discussions about both Jamaica and Costa Rica staging matches.

"Today, I can also confirm that as part of the bidding process, we received one bid for ’31 and one bid - valid bid, I should add - for ’35," Infantino said at the UEFA Congress in Serbia. "The ’31 bid is from the United States of America and potentially some other CONCACAF members together. And the ’35 bid is from Europe, from the home nations.

"So, the path is there for the Women’s World Cup to be taking place in ‘31 and ‘35 in some great countries, in some great nations, to boost even more the women’s football movement.”

Official bids have to be submitted to FIFA by the end of 2025. It seems that an official announcement will soon follow - with no others in the running.