The FIFA Council will hear an update on the bid process for the 2031 Women’s World Cup, which is tentatively slated to be held in the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica, at its Oct. 14 meeting. It will be the first such update since FIFA delayed the vote on awarding the event to the four nations from its Congress this past April to an Extraordinary Congress on Nov. 23.
The joint bid from the four Concacaf nations, submitted last November, is the only one for the 2031 Women’s World Cup. It included 35 prospective host cities: 27 in the U.S., six in Mexico and one each in Jamaica and Costa Rica.
Because of the one-sided nature of the host city agreements for the 2026 men’s World Cup, however, the prospective U.S. host cities refused to agree to specific hosting terms before the 2031 bid was submitted. They are seeking an opportunity to negotiate more favorable terms that would reduce their financial and operational burdens while providing greater revenue opportunities.
It is unknown whether any meaningful discussions have taken place since the conclusion of the men’s World Cup regarding new terms for the 2031 Women’s World Cup. U.S. Soccer is expected to play a role in facilitating those discussions after largely being sidelined in the delivery of the men’s World Cup.
The Women’s World Cup bidding update will also touch on the 2035 Women’s World Cup, for which the U.K. is the lone bidder. Other notable agenda items for the Oct. 14 meeting include a review of President Gianni Infantino’s controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise investment proposal, which was scrapped following massive backlash, as well as reviews of FIFA’s reserves and the financing of its member associations. The agenda also mentions a discussion of the FIFA Peace Prize, which was awarded for the first time in 2025 to President Trump.
The FIFA Council has 37 members, including representatives elected through each of the six regional confederations. U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone sits on the council as Concacaf’s North American representative.