The Football Association and the United States Soccer Federation have joined forces to persuade FIFA to alter its proposed organizational model for the 2031 and 2035 Women's World Cups. Both federations are seeking greater local control following concerns that have emerged from the organization of this summer's men's World Cup, particularly regarding ticket costs and financial disagreements with some US state and city authorities.
US Soccer and the FA are the sole bidders for the 2031 and 2035 World Cups, respectively, which will be awarded by FIFA at an extraordinary general meeting in November. The US bid includes matches staged in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, while the FA is leading a joint bid with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Sources within US Soccer have indicated that they have been encouraged by FIFA's willingness to listen to their concerns during initial discussions. FIFA altered its decades-long World Cup model after the 2022 tournament in Qatar, taking control of operations and delivery for this summer's competition in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Previously, this responsibility fell to the local organizing committee (LOC), a joint venture with the hosts.
Under the new model, FIFA manages broadcast rights, sponsorship, and ticket sales, retaining the revenue, while host venues and cities are responsible for covering "safety, security, and protection" costs, leading to tensions. In addition to widespread complaints about ticket prices—reaching $10,990 (£8,100) for the final—there have been disputes between FIFA and US cities over ancillary costs. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has strongly criticized FIFA for not contributing to transportation costs, after NJ Transit announced a $150 (£110) round trip fare from Manhattan to the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Escalating costs have also prompted many cities to cancel or scale back their commitments to host official FIFA fan festivals. Only Philadelphia and Houston have fulfilled FIFA's original requirement of staging a 39-day festival covering the entire tournament.
The FA and US Soccer are understood to have argued that these issues have been worsened by FIFA's failure to understand local markets and are seeking a greater say in how the tournaments are managed. UEFA operates the LOC model for the European Championship, with a delivery company, UK & Ireland 2028 Limited, set up to run Euro 2028. The FA would like to see this model reintroduced for the Women's World Cup.
There is particular concern at the FA over FIFA's aggressive approach to ticket pricing and the adoption of variable pricing. The FA has worked with UEFA to freeze ticket prices for Euro 2028 from the previous tournament in Germany, with 40% of tickets available in the two cheapest "Fans First" categories, costing under £30 and under £60.
The FA and US Soccer declined to comment.
