Several member nations that have previously expressed interest in hosting the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup have officially signed a bidding agreement, the sport's governing body announced on Monday. The bidding agreement is a document that ensures the key principles of the process are observed. There are currently four total bids for a prospective host, including a joint bid between the United States and Mexico.
Take a look at the interested nations:
- The Royal Belgian Football, the Royal Netherlands Football Association, and the German Football Association (joint UEFA bid)
- Brazilian Football Association
- South African Football Association
- U.S. Soccer Federation and Mexico's Football Association (joint Concacaf bid)
What are the key principles?
Now that each of the four interested bids have signed the bidding agreement, they will be invited to a bid workshop and observer program that will take place in August during the 2023 World Cup. The bidding member associations are required to submit their bids to FIFA by Dec. 8. The 2027 bidding process is expected to be the most thorough and robust in the history of the competition.
Host nations will be subjected to on-site inspection visits and evaluation protocols including adhering to the key principles, which FIFA lists in the bidding regulations as:
- Objectivity
- Transparency
- Integrity
- Commitment to Human Rights and Event Management
What's next
The timeline to select a host is officially under a year now, as FIFA Congress will cast votes on the next host on May 17 in 2024. Now that the interested host nations have signed the official FIFA bidding agreement, the member nations will look ahead to the bid workshop and observer program in August in order to meet the bid deadline on December 8. The time crunch is urgent, as men's World Cups get eight-year build-ups towards their bids, while the women's tournament only receives a three-year window.
