About two weeks before submitting the all-important official bid documents, South Africa has surprised many by pulling out of the race to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, taking away any hope of an African country welcoming other nations on this continent for this competition for now.
“South Africa wishes to announce that the country is withdrawing from the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Bid and is considering bidding for the 2031 tournament when FIFA announces the call for countries to bid for the event. The time frame for developing the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup bid has been challenging. This does not diminish our commitment to women’s football, and has instead strengthened our commitment to produce a strong South African women’s team for 2031, and a compelling bid for the same tournament,” read a statement from SAFA.
“We were very pleased by the support and advice from the Minister and Deputy Minister of Sport, when they encouraged us to work towards preparing a future bid, and in this regard, we felt it was better to regroup and present a well-prepared bid for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The focus is now on making sure that African champions Banyana Banyana have a competitive team for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
This leaves only three players in the race for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup:
- The Royal Belgian Football Association, the Royal Netherlands Football Association and the German Football Association (joint expression of interest)
- The Brazilian Football Association
- The U.S. Soccer Federation and the Mexican Football Association (joint expression of interest)
According to the FIFA Bid process timeline, the bidding host nations were expected to submit completed bid documents to FIFA by 8 December 2023. This would have been followed by a FIFA inspection visit by February next year.
The Bid Document details everything there is to know about hosting – the capabilities of a country and the support it will receive.
Now the inspectors will have one less country to travel to and the host nation will be announced at the 74th FIFA Congress in May next year.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup has been held every four years since the first edition in China in 1991.
The tournament started width 12 teams, which increased to 24 before more additions were made for the number to sit at 32, as witnessed for the first time in Australia and New Zealand.
WHAT THEY SAID:
TUMI DLAMINI
Chairperson – South Africa’s 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Bid
“Leading the South African Bid for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup has been a great honour and a privilege. Football remains one of the most unifying sports in the world and investing in women’s sports must continue to be a priority in South Africa. I am humbled to have played a small, although very short role in promoting women in sport. Whilst I am saddened that South Africa has to pull out of the 2027 Bid, I have no doubt that we will come back with a strong and compelling bid for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. South Africa’s efforts to invest in women’s sports will and must be a priority. We wish the rest of the bidding nations all of the best.”
LYDIA MONYEPAO:
CEO: South African Football Association
“It is quite unfortunate that we have to pull out of bidding for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but after doing an assessment and consulting extensively, the decision had to be made. We felt that it was better to present a well-prepared bid for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup and ensure we put our best foot forward, rather than producing a rushed presentation.”
Romaney Pinnock:
SAFA’s Head of Women’s Football
“I am, of course, sad that we are bowing out of the exciting bidding process at this stage, but I feel that this is an opportunity to fully prepare ourselves for a robust 2031 bid. SAFA’s Department of Women’s Football has a large task underway as we implement our new strategy. This work focuses on growing the game locally for girls, developing a professional women’s league and creating an effective pathway for girls to become world class football players. Through this work we have the chance not only to prove our worth as a host country, but also ensure future generations are ready to perform on the global stage, and hopefully hold the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy here on home ground. Hosting a tournament of this magnitude is not only about being ready as a nation, but also about nurturing the talent that can represent us on the field and make us proud of our crest, flag and country.”
PREVIOUS FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP HOSTS
By Matlhomola Morake
