FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to expand the Women’s World Cup from 24 to 32 teams for the next
tournament in 2023.
“I want to expand the tournament to 32 teams,” the Swiss-Italian told a news conference.
“We will have to act quickly to decide if we are to increase it for 2023. If we do, we should reopen the bidding process to allow everyone to have a chance or maybe co-host. Nothing is impossible.”
Infantino hailed the tournament in France as “the best Women’s World Cup ever” and said it was an opportunity to build on the game worldwide.
“(I would like to see) a Club World Cup for women, starting as soon as possible, next year or the year after,” Infantino added.
“We need a Club World Cup which can be played even every year to expose clubs from all other the world to make clubs invest even more in women’s football to really shine in a world stage, which is a real and true Club World Cup.”
Infantino said FIFA will increase its investment in women’s soccer worldwide to $1 billion over the next four-year cycle.
Meanwhile, the popularity of the Matildas and Australia’s ethnic diversity are being used to spruik the nation’s credentials to host the next Women’s World Cup in 2023, with Football Federation Australia chiefs lobbying hard behind the scenes in France to gain support for their bid.
Australia and Colombia are the main contenders to host the next tournament.
