The United States Soccer Federation has locked in the host cities for the 2026 World Cup, and now their sights are set on trying to bring the Women’s World Cup stateside.
U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone told Front Row Soccer that they “definitely plan on bidding” on the 2027 or 2031 Women’s World Cup. The United States is already slated to host the men’s tournament in 2026, with New York/New Jersey selected as one of the host cities for games.
The bidding process has not begun, but Cone viewed it as a chance to feature cities that weren’t selected to host games in 2026.
“I think one of the great things that’s come out of this bid process – and I went on several of the host city visits – it’s just the level of engagement and the excitement from all the cities. It’s like nothing I have ever seen before,” Cone told the soccer outlet. “And so whether we bid on ’27 or ’31, or both, depending on how they do the bidding process – I think going through this process, hopefully, won’t take as long next time if anyone’s listening out there.
“But I think going through this process of visiting the host cities and narrowing it down I think was really valuable. I think is going to help grow our game because now the cities that weren’t chosen, I’m really hoping that they still choose to play a major role in this World Cup.”
The United States hosted the 1999 Women’s World Cup, which saw the Americans capture their second of four titles on the sport’s biggest stage. That year’s tournament still holds the record for the most attended international women’s soccer match when 90,165 fans watched the United States play in the final against China at the Rose Bowl.
The U.S. was also tapped as an emergency replacement to host in 2003 during the SARS outbreak in China.
There are a number of cities that vied to host World Cup games that were left out of the 2026 bid that could be selected if the United States gets picked to host the 2026 or 2031 tournament. Among the cities not picked was Washington D.C.
