Kathmandu. The number of participating nations in the FIFA Women’s World Cup starting in 2031 will be increased from 32 to 48.
The world football governing body FIFA announced in a public statement on Friday that the decision was unanimously adopted.
According to FIFA, the decision was taken in recognition of the significant progress made in women’s football worldwide. It is believed that this will provide more nations and players with the opportunity to participate in high-level competition and help accelerate investment in women’s football worldwide.
The new format of the 48-team participation will now have 12 groups, which will increase the total number of matches from 64 to 104 and extend the tournament by an additional week. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, “This is not just about adding 16 more teams, this decision will encourage member states to develop the structure of women’s football as a whole.”
The Women’s World Cup began in 1991 with 12 teams. It expanded to 16 teams by 2011, and 24 teams took part in the 2019 edition in Canada and France. In 2023, the tournament, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will feature 32 teams for the first time.
The next World Cup will be held in Brazil in 2027. Meanwhile, the Men’s World Cup is also being held with 48 teams from 2026, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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