Twelve venues in the running to host matches at first edition of women’s global showpiece to be staged in South America
FIFA’s team of experts kicked inspection tour off at the Estádio do Maracanã
Visits taking place from 25 September to 11 October, with Host Cities to be announced early next year
A FIFA technical team has begun a series of inspection visits to the 12 Brazilian cities bidding to host matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™.
The tour got under way on 25 September in Rio de Janeiro with a visit to the iconic Estádio do Maracanã. FIFA’s group of operational experts will carry out inspections in the remaining 11 aspiring host cities between now and 11 October, assessing stadiums, transport, airports, technical infrastructure and matters such as ticketing and hospitality. They will pay particularly close attention to the existing stadium infrastructure, pinpointing any areas that need to be enhanced or upgraded to meet the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ hosting requirements.
“Brazil presented 12 very good options, and we’re delighted to be here to conduct such a competitive selection process, which will determine which cities and stadiums will host the tenth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. We’re very much looking forward to bringing the tournament to South America and Brazil for the first time,” said Rhiannon Martin, the Head of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, who is leading the FIFA delegation.
“Part of the evaluation process involves assessing the cost of hosting the tournament in the candidate host cities and how much revenue could potentially be generated. Another key aspect we’re interested in is understanding how the cities would use the FIFA Women’s World Cup to make a positive impact in their communities and, in particular, to encourage girls and women to get involved in football,” commented Martin.
The next step in the selection process involves a comprehensive analysis of the information gathered during the stadium and city visits and the documentation provided by the 12 candidate host cities, which are Belém (Estádio Mangueirão), Belo Horizonte (Estádio Mineirão), Brasília (Estádio Nacional), Cuiabá (Arena Pantanal), Fortaleza (Arena Castelão), Manaus (Arena da Amazônia), Natal (Arena das Dunas), Porto Alegre (Estádio Beira-Rio), Recife (Arena de Pernambuco), Rio de Janeiro (Estádio do Maracanã), Salvador (Arena Fonte Nova) and São Paulo (Arena de São Paulo).
Following the initial round of inspections, further assessments focusing on training facilities and team hotels will be carried out in November. The announcement of the Host Cities for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 is scheduled for early next year. At least eight stadiums are required to host the tournament, which is expected to take place between June and July 2027.