Football: NI confirmed as venue in 2035 Women's World Cup bid
Belfast's Windsor Park is included in the United Kingdom bid for the 2035 Women's World Cup, which was officially submitted today.
Hosted by The FA, Irish FA, Scottish FA and FA of Wales, the tournament would be the largest single-sport event ever staged in the UK
The bid includes 22 proposed stadiums – 16 in England, three in Wales, two in Scotland, along with Windsor Park – across 16 host cities.
The tournament would see 4.5 million ticket sales with a projected global TV audience of 3.5 billion.
In a joint-statement, the CEOs of The FA, Irish FA, Scottish FA and FA of Wales said: “Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup would be a huge privilege for our four home nations. If we are successful, the 2035 tournament will be the biggest single-sport event held on UK soil with 4.5 million tickets available for fans.
“We are proud of the growth that we’ve driven in recent years across the women’s and girls’ game, but there is still so much more growth to come, and this event will play a key role in helping us deliver that. Working together with FIFA, a Women’s World Cup in the UK has the power to turbo charge the women’s and girls’ game both in the UK and globally. Our bid also demonstrates our commitment to leaving a lasting legacy, in the run up to 2035, and the years afterwards.
“Together, we want to welcome the world to the UK to celebrate and enjoy an unforgettable tournament.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer added: "Our bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup shows the UK’s passion for football.
“With significant investment in school sport and grassroots facilities through our Plan for Change, we’re creating opportunities for girls to play for their national team.”
The tournament would involve 104 matches contested by 48 teams over 39 days, with 48 team base camp training sites, 82 venue-specific training sites and 32 FIFA Fan Festival Sites proposed.
Proposed host cites and stadiums
• Belfast – Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park
• Birmingham – Sports Quarter Stadium*1 and Villa Park
• Brighton & Hove – American Express Stadium
• Bristol – Ashton Gate
• Cardiff – Cardiff City Stadium and Principality Stadium
• Edinburgh – Easter Road
• Glasgow – Hampden Park
• Leeds – Elland Road
• Liverpool – Hill Dickinson Stadium
• London – Chelsea FC Stadium*2, Emirates Stadium, Selhurst Park, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium
• Manchester – Etihad Stadium
• Newcastle – St James’ Park
• Nottingham – City Ground
• Sunderland – Stadium of Light
• Trafford – Old Trafford*3
• Wrexham – Racecourse*4
*1. Sports Quarter Stadium, recently publicly revealed as the Powerhouse Stadium, is a new stadium development with a proposed capacity of 62,000, forming part of a significant urban development in Birmingham.
*2. Chelsea FC is currently consulting on a range of options for their new home. The current Stamford Bridge stadium does not meet FIFA’s technical specifications therefore the outcome of their consultation process will determine whether a new or redeveloped stadium can be included in FIFA’s final stadium selection.
*3. The bid submission includes Old Trafford in its current form. This approach has been taken because the proposed new stadium does not currently have sufficient information for FIFA assessment and therefore cannot be evaluated as part of the bid process. The planned redevelopment has been referenced within the bid, and while Old Trafford will be submitted as it currently stands, the intention is for the new stadium to be considered for FIFA’s consideration once plans are confirmed.
*4. Wrexham AFC’s stadium is currently undergoing redevelopment to reach an increased capacity of 18,000 fans. They are planning to further increase this capacity before 2035, which would then meet FIFA technical requirements.
N.B. Villa Park, the American Express Stadium, and Etihad Stadium are currently being redeveloped, while Elland Road, Selhurst Park, The City Ground, and the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park have redevelopment plans that are moving forward prior to 2035.