Women’s World Cup 2027: Brazil will host, bringing the tournament to South America for the first time

Brazil officially won the rights to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup as it defeated a joint bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands to become the first South American country to host the competition.

The FIFA Council voted on the decision during the FIFA Congress, which took place in Bangkok, Thailand.

The winning bid was considered the favorite to win the rights in recent weeks, when news emerged that Brazil had been favored by the FIFA council to host the competition. These reports emerged shortly after the US and Mexico dropped their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup and shifted their efforts to the 2031 edition. Their case was strengthened a week ago when it was mentioned in the bid evaluation report of the FIFA received a higher rating than the European bid.

Brazil scored a four out of five, while the European bid earned a 3.7 out of five. The former surpassed the latter in three of four categories – accommodation, fan festival venues and stadiums – while the European company received higher marks for team and referee facilities. FIFA also deemed the European bid “high risk” as it involves a legal and contractual framework that could make hosting the tournament more expensive.

The efforts between Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands also drew criticism for choosing smaller venues than Brazil’s bid, something many said would hinder the rapid growth of women’s football. Six of the stadiums in the European bid can hold fewer than 40,000, while each of the stadiums in the Brazilian field reaches this threshold.

The 2027 Women’s World Cup, wherever it would take place, is seen as an opportunity to continue the development of women’s football. It will serve as a follow-up to the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand, which set new tournament attendance records and viewership records in several countries, including the hosts and finalists’ homes, Spain and England. It was also a financially successful tournament, generating $570 million in revenue. per Frontoffice Sportwhich serves as an example of the economic potential of women’s football if stakeholders invest properly.

Pioneering new territory

Brazil has been synonymous with football for decades, but the popularity of women’s sports has lagged behind the prominence of men’s sports due to the long-standing suppression of women’s sports. From 1941 to 1979, it was illegal for women to play football in Brazil, and the first women’s football competition did not start until 2007.

However, the tides are changing. About 11 million people watched Brazil’s first match at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, a 4-0 win over Panama, and working hours across the country were restructured so people could watch the team compete.

That said, there is still room for improvement in Brazil. The rapid growth of women’s football in recent years has been concentrated in the US and Europe, where investment, media coverage and attendance are increasing at club and country level. That’s true despite the success of Brazil’s women’s national team: they were runners-up at the 2007 Women’s World Cup, earned silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, and boast one of the greatest players of all time in Marta. The 38-year-old has won the Best FIFA Women’s Player award six times and although she will not feature in the 2027 competition, she has become one of the sport’s most inspirational figures as a constant supporter of women’s football.

By selecting Brazil to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, FIFA could signal the potential of the country – and South America as a whole – as the next destination to accelerate the development of women’s football worldwide. The 2027 Women’s World Cup is coming to Brazil with the potential to accelerate the development of the game there.

There are concerns about the locations

The 2027 Women’s World Cup will share seven stadiums with the 2014 Men’s World Cup, providing the opportunity to host major matches in stadiums that became a financial burden for teams and taxpayers shortly after the 2014 World Cup.

However, several questions remain about the location – and conditions – of the selected locations. The ten stadiums listed in Brazil’s bid book are spread across the country, as was the case during the 2014 Men’s World Cup. The teams competing in Brazil often traveled thousands of miles, including the US men’s national team, that traveled about 9,000 miles during the group stage.

Two of the stadiums in the bid book could require major updates before 2027 due to severe flooding in Rio Grande do Sul, which started last month and is still ongoing. According to local authorities, at least 149 people have died as a result of the floods, while 108 are missing and more than 620,000 people have been displaced.

Estadio Beira-Rio was flooded, but is no longer, while Arena do Gremio remains flooded. according to the Associated Press. It is unclear how much damage both stadiums suffered during the natural disaster, but the flooding forced the Brazilian Football Federation to suspend the next two rounds of the national men’s competition.