How is the Women’s World Cup location decided?

Times are changing in women’s soccer, and for the better. The upcoming Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand is set to be the biggest and best we’ve ever seen, with more countries - 32 - taking part than ever before, and attendance and viewing figures expected to be smashed once again.

For the first time in its history, the tournament, which was inaugurated in 1991, will be played in two different countries and, technically, in two different confederations, with Australia part of the Asian Football Confederation and neighbouring New Zealand belonging to the Oceania Football Confederation.

Four bids, two rivals for the Women’s World Cup 2023

The bidding process began all the way back in March 2019, when prospective hosts were required to submit expression of interest forms to FIFA. Nine interested parties led to four official bids, with Australia/New Zealand initially rivalled by Colombia, Brazil and Japan. However, Brazil and Japan both withdrew before the final voting, leaving a straight shootout between Australia/New Zealand and Colombia.

December 2019 saw the submission of bid books, hosting agreements and other official hosting documents, which led to inspection visits of all three countries in January and February 2020. How would they match up in terms of stadiums, training facilities, venue management, infrastructure and other metrics?

FIFA Council final vote

On 10 June 2020, FIFA published their bid evaluation reports, in which Australia and New Zealand came out on top. However, the final decision was put to the FIFA Council, made up of 37 members (FIFA President Gianni Infantino plus 36 men and women each from a different country from the six different confederations), who each had one vote.

Neither the New Zealand nor Colombian representative was able to vote, with the Australia/New Zealand bid winning 22 of the remaining 35 votes. Either country needed a majority of 18 to earn the right to host the tournament.

FIFA Congress to decide future World Cup hosts

But in keeping with the fact that women’s soccer is continuing to grow, the voting process will change for the 2027 tournament. The initial formalities in of expressing interest and confirming bids will remain the same, but the final vote will be made by the FIFA Congress, rather than the FIFA Council (which has also been the case for the men’s World Cup following the awarding of the 2022 tournament). This means the number of votes cast will be 211, one for each of FIFA’s members, the change put the ‘world’ into World Cup.

As things stand, seven countries have expressed their interest in hosting the 2027 tournament, although there would only be four potential bids: Belgium/Germany/Netherlands, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico/United States.