The 2035 Women’s World Cup, set to be held in the UK, will feature 48 teams, the PA news agency understands.
The FIFA Council is understood to have voted on Friday to expand the competition from the 2031 finals onwards. That tournament is set to be awarded to the United States with support from other nations in the region.
The change does not come as a surprise, with bid documents for the 2031 and 2034 tournaments published in March mentioning that the current 32-team format remained “subject to change”.
The Football Associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have been confirmed by FIFA as the sole bidders to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035.
— The FA (@FA) April 3, 2025
The UK is almost certain to host the 2035 finals after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said last month it was the only “valid bid” received.
The formal bid document must be formally submitted in November and evaluated, before a vote to rubberstamp by FIFA Congress in the second quarter of 2026.
