The football associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have officially launched their ambitious joint bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup, marking a historic push to bring the tournament to British and Irish shores.
This bid, if successful, would be a landmark event, representing the first football World Cup hosted in the UK since the men's tournament in 1966. Organisers are touting it as the largest single-sport event ever staged in the country.
A Tournament of Record-Breaking Scale
The scale of the proposed event is monumental. The bid outlines plans for 104 matches to be contested by 48 teams over a span of 39 days. To accommodate this, the proposal includes 22 stadiums across 16 host cities, with a distribution of 16 in England, three in Wales, two in Scotland, and one in Northern Ireland.
The projected economic and viewership impact is equally impressive. Organisers predict the tournament would generate a staggering 4.5 million ticket sales and attract a global TV audience of 3.5 billion people.
Unprecedented Accessibility and Infrastructure
A central pillar of the bid is its commitment to accessibility. The football associations claim this would be the most accessible Women's World Cup ever, with an estimated 63 million people living within two hours of a proposed host venue.
Beyond the main stadiums, the extensive infrastructure plan includes 48 team base camp training sites, 82 venue-specific training sites, and 32 proposed FIFA Fan Festival sites to engage supporters across the nations.
The bid's strength was highlighted in April when FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealed that the home nations had submitted the only valid bid for the 2035 tournament at that time.
Host Cities and Proposed Stadiums
The bid document details a wide array of host cities and their proposed stadiums, aiming to spread the tournament's benefits across the UK and Ireland. The list includes:
- Belfast - The Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park
- Birmingham - The Sports Quarter Stadium and Villa Park
- Brighton & Hove - The American Express Stadium
- Bristol - Ashton Gate
- Cardiff - Cardiff City Stadium and Principality Stadium
- Edinburgh - Easter Road
- Glasgow - Hampden Park
- Leeds - Elland Road
- Liverpool - The Hill Dickinson Stadium
- London - Chelsea FC Stadium, Emirates Stadium, Selhurst Park, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium
- Manchester - Etihad Stadium
- Trafford - Old Trafford
- Newcastle - St James' Park
- Nottingham - The City Ground
- Sunderland - Stadium of Light
- Wrexham - STōK Racecourse
It is important to note that the bid document specifies that some of the stadiums mentioned are initial proposals and are likely to change, particularly after the construction of new stadiums is completed.
In a powerful joint statement, the CEOs of the four football associations said, "We are proud of the growth that we've driven in recent years across the women's and girls' game." They added, "A Women's World Cup in the UK has the power to turbo charge the women's and girls' game both in the UK and globally."
The official launch on Friday, 28th November 2025, sets the stage for what could be a transformative moment for women's football, aiming to build on the momentum from tournaments like the 2023 Women's World Cup won by Spain.
