In less than six months FIFA will, at long last, award hosting rights to the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Now that South Africa has withdrawn from the field of bidders, just three potential hosts remain. On Dec. 8, joint bids from the United States and Mexico; Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands; and a solo effort by Brazil, have been formalized for FIFA’s member nations to vote on May 17, 2024.
That is to say, the host of the next Women’s World Cup will not be known until three years before the tournament kicks off.
If you’ve paid any attention at all, you’ll have seen that the men’s World Cups have already been arranged through 2034. The 2026 edition, to be jointly held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, was awarded on April 10, 2017 — fully nine years before the first game. Saudi Arabia, the presumptive…
