football
“Very confident”: Germany’s bid for the Women’s World Cup
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf hopes to win the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Photo
© Monika Skolimowska/dpa
After 16 years, a women’s World Cup is to take place in Germany again. The DFB is applying together with two neighboring countries – but shortly before the award the starting position is tricky.
Bernd Neuendorf has to wait a moment as Clarence Seedorf signs autographs for fans and greets old companions in the foyer of the elegant FIFA Hotel in Bangkok. After that, the next appointment is for the delegation with the DFB president and the former Oranje star to apply for the joint application from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands to promote the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
On Friday, the world football association will award the tournament at the congress in the Thai capital. The European trio’s only opponent is Brazil. The German Football Association appears confident shortly before the vote – despite the tricky starting position. He is having “a lot of discussions,” said Neuendorf, who sits on the council of the world association. “We will throw everything into it so that we are ahead at the end of the day.”
How big are the chances?
Internationally, Brazil is seen as the slight favorite in the final push for the final votes. A World Cup for women’s soccer could take place in South America for the first time. The Europeans, for their part, want to score points with a sustainable World Cup with short distances.
“We are very self-confident,” says Neuendorf. “We believe that we have submitted an excellent application and will do everything we can until the last moment to ensure that it is successful.” At least the other European associations should stand united behind Germany & Co. The South American camp relies, among other things, on voices from North and Central America and the Caribbean. The USA and Mexico recently withdrew their application and announced a new attempt for 2031.
How important is FIFA’s evaluation report?
The global association assessed aspects of the applications such as infrastructure, sustainability, human rights and legal issues in advance. The three-way application received a slightly worse result than Brazil. Both applications therefore meet all minimum requirements. However, there would be “a number of legal risks” in the European application. The state governments did not fully guarantee the legal enforceability of submitted state support documents, it said.
Even if the overall grade is “slightly” lower than Brazil’s, it will be seen as confirmation of the joint application, a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior told dpa. The associations could go into the election “confident and self-confident”. The three-party candidacy received an excellent rating for, among other things, the short distances and sustainability.
“Let’s go to victory,” Brazil’s sports minister André Fufuca wrote euphorically after the FIFA report was published. Neuendorf & Co. now have to convince the associations that the report is not decisive for the vote.
How is the World Cup awarded?
For the first time, the congress of the world association decides on the awarding of a women’s World Cup. Excluding the four candidate countries, up to 207 FIFA member associations will be able to cast their votes on Friday (4 a.m./CEST) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. The Council awarded the previous World Cup in 2023 to Australia and New Zealand. The votes of the individual national associations will be published after the election.
What should a World Cup in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands look like?
The European trio applied with a total of 13 cities; FIFA would still determine the exact number if they were awarded the contract. All planned German venues are in the west: Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Cologne. According to the FIFA evaluation report, Amsterdam was suggested as the location for the opening game and the final should take place in Dortmund. It would be the first women’s World Cup in Germany since 2011.