Quite a few cities are going to be left disappointed. Fifa’s bid document for the Women’s World Cup requires a country to submit a minimum of 14 grounds, and there’s 22 on this list.
It is going to be a long time – probably at least five years – until a decision is made. That is why the likes of the Sports Quarter Stadium and Old Trafford, on which construction work is planned but not close to starting, have been included.
Fifa will hold on-site visits in February, before the publication of an evaluation report in March and a potential host vote on 30 April at the governing body’s congress. The UK bid is the only one on the table, so that would appear to be a formality, but the venues will not be set in stone at this point.
There is no specific deadline, and it is possible the list of stadiums could change over time. For instance, for the men’s World Cup next year Vancouver pulled out in 2021, and was then added back in as a candidate city in April 2022, and selected in the final announcement in June of that year.
For the Women’s World Cup, the final host cities have generally been announced much later – two years before the 2023 and 2027 events, compared to four years for the 2026 men’s finals.
But with so many more grounds needed (Brazil 2027 is only using eight) for an expanded 48-team tournament, you would think venue selection will come earlier.
The final decision will rest with Fifa but it is likely to be 2031 before we find out.