Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany announce joint bid for 2027 Women's World Cup

• Belgium, Netherlands and Germany bid for 2027 Women's World Cup
• It's the first formal bid to be announced
• FIFA opened application process on Thursday

WHAT HAPPENED? The Royal Belgian Football Association, the Royal Netherlands Football Association and the German Football Association have been preparing this bid since 2020 and announced it on Friday, a day after FIFA's process to apply had opened.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Several other nations have previously expressed interest in hosting the 2027 tournament - Chile, Italy and Mexico among them. Former U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro said in 2017 that the United States "can and should" host the World Cup, with reports last summer suggesting that this is still a desire from the federation.

There has been interest from the Nordic countries, too - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden - which are also bidding to host the 2025 Women's Euros.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? With FIFA's bidding process now open, countries can now formalise interest in hosting the tournament with an application to do so. The deadline to express interest is April 21, 2023, and the host is expected to be announced on May 17, 2024.