U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) have withdrawn from the 2027 World Cup bidding process on Monday, only weeks before the public vote scheduled on May 17 at the FIFA Congress in Thailand. Instead, the two North American federations will bid on the 2031 edition of the tournament.
A statement released by U.S. Soccer said that by withdrawing their 2027 bid and focusing on 2031, it will allow the federations to fully take advantage of what they learn from the 2026 men’s edition and provide greater support for host cities — many of which could host both men’s and women’s matches.
U.S. Soccer also said that by pushing back the bid, they could more fully focus on ensuring that a women’s World Cup hosted by the two federations would have equal investment to the men’s. With the proposed timeline of a jointly hosted 2026 men’s tournament amongst the U.S., Mexico and Canada, followed by the proposed women’s edition, then the 2028 Olympics, as well as the U.S.’s other hosting obligations for other smaller tournaments, 2027 appears to have proved too much for the timeline.
On the 2031 front, the U.S. and Mexico could face some strong competition in that bidding process as well. While bids won’t be due for a while, Football Association chairwoman Debbie…
