FIFA Women's World Cup set to expand to 48 teams for 2031 tournament following 'remarkable strides'

Ahead of the 2031 Women's World Cup, the tournament is set to expand from 32 to 48 countries. That shift will bring it in line with the men's World Cup, which is also expanding to 48 countries ahead of the 2026 edition, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This expansion comes after the Women's World Cup just went from 24 to 32 teams, a jump which went into effect at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

"After consultation with the confederations and other stakeholders, and given the remarkable recent strides made by women's football across the world, the FIFA Council has unanimously decided to expand the number of participating teams in the FIFA Women's World Cup from 32 to 48 as of the 2031 edition," FIFA said in a statement. The decision, taken at a meeting held virtually, will significantly broaden representation, offering more nations and players access to elite competition and accelerating investment in women's football worldwide."

"The 48-team FIFA Women's World Cup will adopt a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104 and extending the tournament by one week. The hosting requirements for the 2031 and 2035 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup have been adapted accordingly."

With improvements in the Women's game, expansion has been needed since the tournament only included 24 teams before moving to 32. There have been suggestions of expansion further than 48 for the men's World Cup but that's something that would be contentious with the growing demands on players around the world.

Spain will look to to defend their Women's World Cup title at the next edition of the tournament, which will include 32 teams. Taking place in Brazil in 2027, that tournament will run from June 24- July 25. Under Emma Hayes, the United States women's national team will look for improvement in that tournament. During the 2023 World Cup, they were knocked out at the hands of Sweden in the round of 16 following a 5-4 penalty shootout loss. While the increase of teams will make it tougher to win the Women's World Cup, it will provide the USWNT with an easier chance to win their groups, something that can create a more favorable path in the knockouts.

FIFA revises disciplinary code on racism

Along with the updates on expansion, the FIFA council has also revised their disciplinary code to fight racisim. This revision includes new measures that look to counter discriminatory behavior both on and off the pitch. Those include stronger sanctions for racism such as increased fines and the possibility of matches being forfeited. The three-step process for matches being stopped due to anti-LGBTQ chants has also been updated to include racism. Member associations will need to adopt these codes and FIFA will also have the right to appeal cases involving racist abuse with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"The revised Disciplinary Code represents a step change in FIFA's objective to enhance its regulatory framework to prosecute and sanction discrimination and racist abuse in cooperation with our 211 FIFA Member Associations," President Gianni Infantino said.