Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
NEW YORK — After months of speculation and waiting, the United States’ big bid to organize the 2031 women’s World Cup across the continent became official on Monday. The U.S. launched its effort with Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, with one eye on the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams and another on giving women’s soccer in the Concacaf region a big boost. “We’re proud to lead this bid, and we chose to do it together with our Concacaf partners because this moment is bigger than any one country,” U.S. Soccer Federation president Cindy Cone said at a news conference with officials from the three other countries, and a number of former star players. Over 30 U.S. cities have already expressed interest in getting involved, including Philadelphia. The city was a host the last time the women’s World Cup was in the U.S., in 2003, and will host the men’s tournament for the first time next year. “We are excited for the possibility to host the women’s World Cup and learning the bid process, and we’re definitely interested to learn more,” PHL Sports deputy executive director Brea Stanko told The Inquirer. “We hosted the women’s World Cup in 2003 — it’s grown exponentially. It was a great event for us, and we’re excited to see what we could bring here.” The World Cup would come a year after Philadelphia’s WNBA team launches, continuing the growth of women’s sports in the city. » READ MORE: The 2031 Women’s World Cup is heading to the U.S., and Jill Ellis hopes it comes to Philadelphia “You can see the growth of the sport, as we heard tonight,” Convention and Visitors Bureau chief sales officer Maria Grasso said. “I think that’s truly exciting for us. We have a tremendous relationship with FIFA, as well as U.S. Soccer, which just gives us all the reasons we [are] really excited about this, like the rest of this room.” The official bid book is due in November, and this bid is expected to be the only one. While it’s not official yet, it’s likely just a formality. And though the due date is a month from now, the host cities don’t have to be officially set when the bid book goes in. Cone and U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said the selection process won’t happen until after next year’s men’s tournament is done, given how much work is going into that. (For comparison, North America’s 2026 men’s bid won a vote in 2018, and cities were picked in 2022.) “As the only bidders for the FIFA 2031 women’s World Cup, I admit I like our chances,” Cone said with a laugh. “When we are officially selected, we’ll work with FIFA to deliver the biggest, most impactful women’s sporting event in history.” » READ MORE: USWNT star Tierna Davidson visits Kensington to inspire a new generation of young soccer players FIFA’s vote is expected next April at the global governing body’s congress in Vancouver, the host city of the 2015 women’s World Cup final and one of the many hosts of next year’s men’s tournament. “Our confederation’s commitment to women’s football has never been stronger, and hosting the FIFA women’s World Cup [in] 2031 will build on this momentum,” Concacaf president and FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani said in a statement. He was unable to attend in person. Cone said when she pitched the multicountry idea to Montagliani, “he didn’t hesitate for a second. He jumped in immediately, offered his full support, and has been one of the strongest advocates for our vision from day one.” It will be the third time the U.S. hosts the tournament, after the groundbreaking 1999 edition and the on-short-notice 2003 edition. Mexico hosted a world championship for women’s national teams in 1971 before FIFA officially launched a women’s World Cup 20 years later, and the country will become a three-time men’s World Cup host next year — 1970, 1986, and 2026. » READ MORE: What to know about the USWNT squad that will play at Subaru Park this week Costa Rica and Jamaica, meanwhile, will host a senior-level FIFA tournament for the first time. “One of our goals of an inclusive 2031 women’s World Cup was [to be] an instigator for investment, obviously in our countries, but also across the region and ultimately the world,” Batson said. “And for Jamaica and Costa Rica to show the world that they can host a Women’s World Cup and obviously field great teams, that is a great motivator to programs and countries all across the world.” The proposed venues in the other countries aren’t official yet, nor is how many games each country will get. Mexico will also have choices to make, with Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City set to be host cities next year. Monterrey in particular has become a hotbed for the women’s game in recent years. Costa Rica and Jamaica will presumably use their national stadiums: the former’s 42,000-seat modern venue in San José, and the latter’s 35,000-seat historic venue in Kingston. » READ MORE: The USWNT has not just a new era of players, but a new era of leaders “To realize that there’s a chance that globally, people can experience this on this great of a scale, and for the U.S. to recognize the beauty of that, and to be in partnership with us, it means so much,” said former Jamaican national team player Cheyna Matthews, who played in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups and for seven years in the NWSL. “I just think about the impact that this is going to have for young girls in Jamaica,” Matthews continued. “I think even young boys who aspire to be part of the Reggae Boyz [Jamaica’s men’s team], I think that this just provides an opportunity for them to see it. Because some can’t travel, some have never left Kingston. … I think that it will obviously inspire, but it’ll continue to have that dividend later on.”
