Women’s football
German bid for the 2027 Women’s World Cup fails
The Women’s World Cup will take place in Brazil in 2027. photo
© Abbie Parr/AP/dpa
Germany will not co-host the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The joint application with the partner countries Belgium and the Netherlands will clearly lose out at the FIFA Congress.
The German delegation led by Bernd Neuendorf watched with disappointment as Gianni Infantino greeted the host of the World Cup with a smile and loud cheers Women 2027 announced. “Brazil” was written on the golden piece of paper that the FIFA President held up to the cameras in the Bangkok Congress Center. The finals in just over three years will be played in Brazil, not in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The joint application was clearly defeated by the congress of the world association with 78:119 of the valid votes. Germany last hosted the Women’s World Cup in 2011.
“I’m euphoric,” said Brazilian association boss Ednaldo Rodrigues and thanked his team. “I feel a lot of emotions, we knew it would be difficult. But we knew that united we would be successful.” Brazil will deliver the “best World Cup”. “I invite everyone to come to Brazil,” said the head of the association. Infantino said – once again: “It will be the best World Cup of all time.”
For the first time in the history of world football, a women’s World Cup is taking place in South America. The final will take place in the legendary Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. If the European trio had prevailed, there would have been games played across countries in up to 13 cities in three years. All of the planned German venues are in the west: Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Cologne. According to the FIFA evaluation report, Amsterdam should be the venue for the opening game and the final should take place in Dortmund.
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DFB President Neuendorf and the German delegation had tried to persuade people in Bangkok in the last few days. The Brazilian bid was favored internationally, also because it was rated slightly better in the FIFA evaluation report. “We believe that we have submitted an excellent application,” Neuendorf said before the award. Shortly before the vote, the DFB boss promised “the biggest celebration in the history of women’s football” on the congress stage. DFB sports director Nia Künzer also campaigned for votes at the last minute alongside Dutch icon Clarence Seedorf – in vain.
The other European associations were behind the UEFA trio. But Brazil scored points on the American continent, in Asia and in Africa. The USA and Mexico had withdrawn their application before Congress and announced a new attempt for 2031.
The global association had previously assessed aspects of the applications such as infrastructure, sustainability, human rights and legal issues. The Europeans’ application would involve “a number of legal risks,” it said. The state governments did not fully guarantee the legal enforceability of submitted state support documents.