USSF chief backs 48-team Women’s WC in 2031

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said the federation would strongly support expansion of the Women’s World Cup to 48 teams in 2031.

U.S. Soccer submitted the only “valid bid” for the 2031 tournament prior to FIFA’s deadline, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Thursday.

“Forty-eight teams is something that we’ve been passionate supporters for,” Batson told a small group of reporters Friday. “We think it would be incredible for growing the women’s game.”

Infantino has previously proposed the idea of expanding the competition to 48 teams. Batson said that “all signs are positive” for expansion to 48 teams, and that U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone would use her new seat on the FIFA Council to voice that support.

The United States is expected to co-host the 2031 Women’s World Cup with other Concacaf nations. Batson said that the number of teams participating in the tournament will dictate which other countries join the U.S. as hosts.

Mexico previously joined the U.S. in a 2027 Women’s World Cup joint bid that was ultimately abandoned to allow the U.S. to focus on 2031. Brazil will host the 32-team 2027 tournament.

The UK submitted the only “valid bid” to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup. FIFA had previously set geographic restrictions on which continents could host each event.

The Women’s World Cup expanded from 16 to 24 teams in 2015, then expanded to 32 teams in 2023.

The 2026 Men’s World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., will feature 48 teams for the first time.

“One of the things we hear from folks who lead federations around the world is they view the Women’s World Cup as an opportunity for them to, one, make a World Cup and, two, really go compete in a way that conceivably they wouldn’t be able to on the men’s side,” Batson said. “So, what this would lead to in terms of spurring investment all around the world in women’s and girls’ soccer, we think would be incredible.”

The U.S. hosted the 1999 and 2003 editions of the Women’s World Cup, the latter by emergency due the SARS epidemic in China, the original host for that year. Canada hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

Both Batson and NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman used the term “catalyst” in describing the opportunity to host the 2031 tournament.

“I think to the extent people see the Men’s World Cup as a catalyst for the growth of men’s soccer here, the Women’s World Cup being here in 2031 is directly a catalyst for growth,” Berman told ESPN, referencing 1999 as an inflection point.

“The idea that we actually will have a thriving league going into it and coming out of it, no doubt should create and incredible amount of excitement for the future of the NWSL and we absolutely will capitalize on it.”

USWNT head coach Emma Hayes described a 2031 World Cup in the U.S. as “dreamland,” citing the existing infrastructure for next year’s Men’s World Cup, which will also take place in Mexico and Canada.

Hayes, who grew up in England but started her professional coaching career in the U.S., expressed excitement for both 2031 and 2035.

“It’s fair to say, in whatever capacity — fan or coaching — I will for sure be at those World Cups,” Hayes said.