WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
US and Mexico withdraw bid for 2027 Women’s World Cup
U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup and will instead focus on securing the 2031 edition, the national governing bodies said on Monday.
The decision comes less than three weeks before the FIFA Congress chooses the hosts on May 17 and leaves Brazil and a joint bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands as the remaining candidates for the 2027 event.
“Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking – and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximise its impact across the globe,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a joint statement.
Last November, South Africa also withdrew their bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup and said they would instead focus on the 2031 tournament.
Australia and New Zealand held the 2023 finals, which Spain won. The U.S., Mexico and Canada will co-host the men’s World Cup in 2026.
-Reuters
Spain, Morocco, and Portugal are set to submit a joint bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Rafael Louzán announced at Madrid’s Rey Juan Carlos University.
“There is no better way to give visibility to women’s sports than by contributing to the world’s leading sporting event, the World Cup. We are working on this,” Louzán stated during the presentation of an Observatory on Equality.
The three countries are already collaborating to host the 2030 men’s World Cup, and this new initiative aims to strengthen their partnership in women’s football. The bid must be submitted by April 5, with detailed project proposals due one month later.
FIFA will decide the hosts for both the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cups during its 76th Congress in the second quarter of 2026, marking the first time two tournaments will be assigned simultaneously.
Under FIFA’s regulations, confederations are restricted in their bidding options, with CAF and UEFA eligible for the 2035 edition.
The potential bid faces competition from a joint United Kingdom proposal involving England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
South Africa has also expressed interest in hosting either the 2031 or 2035 tournament, having withdrawn its candidacy for the 2027 edition, which was awarded to Brazil.
Spain’s national women’s team coach, Montse Tomé, welcomed the announcement: “It would be a great joy if Spain could be among the options to bring the Women’s World Cup to our country. Having experienced the 2019 World Cup in France, I’ve seen how it increased attention to our national team.”
The three bidding countries currently hold different positions in the FIFA rankings, with Spain coming in second place, Portugal ranking 22nd, and Morocco in 60th place.
The joint bid builds on Morocco’s growing presence in women’s football, following the national team’s first World Cup appearance in 2023, where Spain emerged as the tournament champions.
During the second quarter of 2025, FIFA will conduct workshops and working meetings to discuss requirements and initial concepts. Final bids must be submitted in the fourth quarter of 2025, followed by evaluation processes including on-site inspection visits.
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Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, are to remain in camp as they countenance the final round of qualification series for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals, in which they confront their Algerian counterparts.
The first leg encounter will take place on Saturday, 19th April at the Remo Stars’ Stadium, Ikenne-Remo, with both teams to clash in the final leg in Algeria a week later.
2022 World Cup bronze medallists Nigeria trashed South Africa’s Bantwana 3-1 in Pretoria and followed this up with a 2-0 win in Ikenne at the weekend, for a 5-1 aggregate win that condemned the visitors to trying their luck again next year, while Nigeria progressed to the final round.
On their part, Algeria lost 1-2 to Botswana in Gaborone in the first leg but fired on all cylinders to win the return 4-0 on home soil to be eligible to confront Nigeria for a ticket to this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals in Morocco.
OTHER FINAL ROUND FIXTURES
- Kenya Vs Cameroon
- Benin Republic Vs Cameroon
- Cote d’Ivoire Vs Guinea
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Flamingos defeat Bantwana 2-0, reach FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup final round of qualifying series
Nigeria rallied to a 5-1 aggregate win over South Africa in the penultimate round of the qualifying series for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, to reach the final round slated for next month.
Two-goal heroine in the first leg, Harmony Chidi coolly nodded home from an acute angle in the 37th minute, to compound the fixture for the visitors who lost the first leg at home 1-3.
Shakirat Moshood, who scored a goal in the first leg, was the provider from a well-taken free kick on the right.
She turned provider again 11 minutes into the second half, when she found Aishat Animashaun, who lifted the ball over and above Samekelise Mthembu into the net for Nigeria’s second.
Zoe October, Thoriso Mphelo, Khmezi Khoza and captain Katleho Malebana impressed in the ranks of the Bantwana, but they could not find a way through the Nigerian defence line of Hannah Ibrahim, Jumai Adebayo, Philomena Isaiah and Favour Iheagwam.
Victory sprang the Flamingos to the final round of the qualifying race, where they face the winner of the fixture between Botswana and Algeria next month.
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