Sports
Football: Women's World Cup expanded from 32 to 48 teams for 2031 edition
&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Football: Women's World Cup expanded from 32 to 48 teams for 2031 edition")
Adding 16 more teams to the FIFA Women’s World Cup will see the number of matches rise from 64 to 104, a big boost for women’s game.
The women’s World Cup will be expanded from 32 to 48 teams from the 2031 edition onwards after world football’s governing body FIFA said its Council approved the proposal at a virtual meeting on Friday.
The 48-team World Cup will adopt a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104 – the same as the expanded men’s World Cup in 2026 – and extending the tournament by one week.
The 2027 women’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil, will have 32 teams. The 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand was the first to have 32 teams, up from 24 in the 2019 tournament hosted by France.
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&w=80&resize=80,80&ssl=1 "Manchester City sack women's team coach Gareth Taylor days before League Cup final")