São Paulo – The Women’s Football World Cup kicked off this Thursday (20) in Australia and New Zealand. The tournament could significantly impact the sport in Brazil, reflecting the success of the national team led by Swedish coach Pia Sundhage. Regardless of the final result in Oceania’s stadiums this year, Brazil wants to give women’s football even more visibility and attention in the next Women’s World Cup in 2027.
Brazil is a finalist to host the next tournament. The election will occur in May 2024 at FIFA’s annual conference. The country competes with three other candidates. South Africa, representing the African continent, and two groups of countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, form the joint candidacy of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) and the United States and Mexico, from the CONCACAF’s (Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football).
The Brazilian minister of Sports, Ana Moser, traveled to the 2023 host countries to watch the Cup and bolster the Brazilian candidacy. Moser recently participated in the Brazil Communication Company (EBC) videocast and spoke about the importance of bringing the event to the country. The minister believes the undertaking fits in with the sport’s development initiative in the country, which includes the National Strategy for Women’s Football, to be implemented by the federal government.
“This candidacy does not come alone. It comes in the context of the construction of women’s football as this administration’s focus. We can compare it with other sports, including mine, volleyball, which evolved based on continued investment. There is no magic formula. The 2027 World Cup would culminate the visibility strategy. One action helps another. We will be in Australia and New Zealand campaigning for this candidacy for the country and the continent because it would be the first Women’s World Cup in South America,” said the minister.
In nine Women’s World Cup editions, South America has never hosted the competition. The event has already passed through Europe on three occasions. The United States and China have also hosted the World Cup twice each. Oceania hosts for the first time in 2023. Central America and Africa have also never held the tournament.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) director of competitions, Júlio Avellar, also participated in the ‘Copa Delas’ videocast and was optimistic about Brazil’s chances of winning next year’s election.
“It is important to emphasize we hosted the 2014 World Cup, 2016 Olympics, and 2019 & 2021 Copa America. So, all the infrastructure and sports installations already exist in Brazil. We have strong candidates, of course. South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup. The United States and Mexico will jointly host the 2026 edition [of the Men’s World Cup]. It’s a tough contest, but I think the odds are favorable,” stated Avellar, who worked for FIFA for 12 years.
Candidate federations have until December 8 to send FIFA the necessary documentation. Then, the entity’s inspection of prospective match and training venues will begin.
“We are thrilled with the expressions of interest received, as they come from countries with a strong football tradition, thus confirming the popularity of women’s football worldwide,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura when the finalist applications were confirmed last May.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
