The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has confirmed that Mexico will co-host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup alongside the United States — and perhaps another country or two — marking the first time the tournament will be played on Mexican soil.
Moreover, it will be the first women’s World Cup to feature an expanded field of 48 teams, matching the expansion for the 2026 men’s World Cup when the U.S., Mexico and Canada will co-host.
Mexico and the U.S. previously withdrew a joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup to focus on the expanded 2031 edition. Brazil was subsequently awarded the 2027 tournament, which will include 32 teams.
The announcement regarding Mexico was first revealed in a press release last week following a meeting of Liga MX owners. Mexico’s top professional men’s league, Liga MX shares the same General Assembly as the women’s pro league, Liga MX Femenil.
“The Assembly [of owners] was informed that Mexico was designated to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup alongside the United States and other CONCACAF countries, with equal number of matches,” the FMF stated after the meeting.
CONCACAF is one of FIFA’s six governing bodies around the globe; it stands for the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football.
Though the FMF confirmed Mexico’s co-hosting role, details remain scarce and an FMF source told ESPN it was “premature” to define how many games each country will host and if there will be games beyond the U.S. and Mexico.
FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, didn’t respond to media requests for further information, nor did the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer). Moreover, the FMF did not share additional details.
Mexico returned to the #FIFAWWC in 2011, 12 years on from their debut at USA 1999. It was a new era for La Tri, with only captain Maribel Dominguez arriving in Germany having tasted Women’s World Cup football.
Having been beaten in all three of their outings at the turn of the… pic.twitter.com/0wDYWq62Uj
— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) February 26, 2024
According to several sources, including Canadian Soccer Daily, FIFA was expected to confirm the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cup hosts at the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada in April 2026.
Before then, the U.S., Mexico and Canada will co-host the next men’s World Cup in 2026.
Spain is the current defending women’s champion, having won the 32-team tournament in 2023, up from 24 in previous years. It marked the first Women’s World Cup to be jointly hosted by two countries, Australia and New Zealand.
For the 2031 tournament, the United States initially submitted the only valid bid, but U.S. Soccer later expressed openness to co-hosting.
“We very much view 2031 as a chance to grow the game at all levels, but also using it as an opportunity to grow the game in the region and globally,” U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson told reporters in April.
The first official FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in 1991 in China, but long before that, Mexico played a defining role in the sport’s global history.
In 1971, Mexico hosted what was called at the time the Women’s World Cup, though FIFA wasn’t involved. Six national teams from Latin America and Europe participated, and the final between Mexico and Denmark drew an estimated 100,000 spectators to Aztec Stadium, captivating the nation and inspiring a new generation of players.
A documentary that tells that extraordinary and long-overlooked story, “Copa 71,” premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and can be viewed on several streaming platforms, including Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
With reports from The Athletic, ESPN, Récord and El Debate
