The FIFA Women’s World Cup will expand from 32 to 48 teams, mirroring the men’s competition, starting with the 2031 edition, international football’s governing body announced on Friday.

The FIFA Council unanimously agreed to enlarge the competition “given the remarkable recent strides made by women’s football across the world,” the organization stated.
The 48-team tournament will adopt a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104, while extending the tournament by one week, FIFA noted.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the expansion follows the success of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which was won by Spain.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the first in which teams from all confederations won at least one game and teams from five confederations reached the knockout stage, among many other records, set a new standard for global competitiveness,” noted Infantino. “This decision ensures we are maintaining the momentum in terms of growing women’s football globally.”
The 2027 tournament in Brazil, which will be the 10th edition of the women’s event, will remain at 32 teams.

FIFA has yet to ratify the 2031 and 2035 host nations. The 2031 edition is expected to take place in the United States, which is the sole candidate. The United Kingdom, home of 2023 finalists England, is bidding to host the 2035 competition.

The men’s tournament is expanding to 48 teams for the first time with the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.