Getty Image / Joaquin Sarmiento
The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world in terms of viewership. FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, claims that 1.5 billion people watched the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and France that saw Lionel Messi cement his legacy in the world of sports pantheon as an all-time great.
And, the event will be coming to the USA, Mexico, and Canada for the 2026 edition of the famed tournament. For the first time, the tournament will expand to 48 teams up from 32, with 12 groups of four, making it the biggest version of the event ever.
2026 FIFA World Cup tournament expansion entering into a new format with 48 teams of 6 confederations. Get ready folks! https://t.co/764HYR4jWH
— Navin (@Puducherrian) November 26, 2022
None of those countries have won a Men’s World Cup, but the USA Women’s national team has won four FIFA World Cup Tournaments. The Stars and Stripes have won in 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019. They will look to do something unprecedented on the men’s or women’s side this summer when they try to win their third-straight World Cup. The tournament will be in Australia and New Zealand and starts in July.
And, it seems like the next FIFA World Cup on the women’s side may be coming to the United States, as the USA and Mexico are putting in a joint bid.
Together for 2027. 🇺🇸🇲🇽
The United States and Mexico will bid to host @FIFAWWC 2027 🏆 pic.twitter.com/t93UzXqb1L
— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) April 20, 2023
The USA has hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup twice before. In 1999, the team famously won the World Cup, with Brandi Chastain scoring the winning penalty kick and taking off her shirt, revealing her sports bra in celebration in what is the defining moment of the Title IX era in America. And, in 2003, the World Cup was moved to the USA at the last minute following the outbreak of SARS in China, where the tournament was scheduled to be played.
FIFA still has to award the bid to the USA and Mexico. They’re facing stiff competition from Brazil, South Africa, and a joint bid of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. But, getting the FIFA World Cup in the USA in back-to-back summers would be incredible for the game here.