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FIFA plans Women’s World Cup expansion for 2031

Originally posted on Soccer on ClutchPoints
By Richard Pereira | Last updated May 9, 2025 11:56 PM ET

Expect more teams to participate in future editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

FIFA made a historic announcement on Friday, revealing that the global tournament will expand to 48 teams in the 2031 Women’s World Cup, which the United States and Mexico will host. They worked with 32 teams in the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand, maintaining it in 2027 when the tournament takes place in Brazil.

“This is not just about having 16 more teams playing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup but taking the next steps in relation to the women’s game in general by ensuring that more FIFA Member Associations have the chance to benefit from the tournament to develop their women’s football structures from a holistic point of view,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.

Significance of FIFA Women’s World Cup expansion

Aitana Bonmati (6 Spain) and Keira Walsh (4 England) fight for the ball during the FIFA Womens World Cup 2023 Final football match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia. Noe Llamas/Sipa USA via Imagn Images

Expanding the Women’s World Cup to include more teams is certainly a big move from FIFA.

It obviously follows what they did with the men’s format, which went from 32 teams to 48 teams for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. It will remain the same when Portugal, Spain and Morocco serve as the main hosts for the 2030 edition.

Opening the tournament to give more chances to more teams will pave the way for more representation throughout all regions across the world. A true concept of the World Cup itself.

However, it will bring the challenge of having every team be competitive with one another. Teams that have never qualified would be vulnerable to huge losses due to the lack of experience on the biggest stage of world soccer. On the bright side, there have been underdog stories that allow the idea of expanding the World Cup to be feasible.

How FIFA will approach giving every team in the world a chance to give their best shots in qualifying for the 48 spots will be intriguing. Nonetheless, women’s soccer is here to stay as one of the best sports to look out for.

This article first appeared on Soccer on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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