The United Kingdom has launched an ambitious and unopposed joint bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup, marking a historic moment for football across the four home nations. This landmark event, which would be the first World Cup held in the UK since the men's tournament in 1966, proposes using 22 stadiums spread across 16 cities in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Ambitious Stadium Plans and Host Cities
The bid's backbone is a comprehensive list of iconic and new venues. In a significant development, proposed new stadiums from Manchester United and Birmingham City have been included. Manchester United's plans for a future 100,000-seat stadium feature in the proposal alongside the current Old Trafford. Meanwhile, Championship side Birmingham City has unveiled a £2.5 billion project for a new 62,000-seat ground, with a target completion date of 2030.
The geographical spread is extensive, ensuring the tournament reaches every corner of the UK. The proposed stadiums and host cities are:
- Belfast – Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park
- Birmingham (2) – Sports Quarter Stadium and Villa Park
- Brighton & Hove – American Express Stadium
- Bristol – Ashton Gate
- Cardiff (2) – Cardiff City Stadium and Principality Stadium
- Edinburgh – Easter Road
- Glasgow – Hampden Park
- Leeds – Elland Road
- Liverpool – Hill Dickinson Stadium
- London (5) – Chelsea FC Stadium, Emirates Stadium, Selhurst Park, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium
- Manchester (2) – Etihad Stadium, Old Trafford
- Newcastle – St James' Park
- Nottingham – City Ground
- Sunderland – Stadium of Light
- Wrexham – STōK Racecourse
A Transformational Legacy for Women's Football
The 48-team tournament is set to be the largest single-sport event ever staged in the United Kingdom. The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have united in their vision for the bid. In a powerful joint statement, they emphasised the event's potential to create a lasting legacy.
"Hosting the Fifa Women's World Cup would be a huge privilege for our four home nations," the statement read. "We are proud of the growth we've driven... but there is still so much more growth to come. This event will play a key role in helping us deliver that."
The associations believe that working with FIFA, a Women's World Cup in the UK has the power to "turbo charge" the women's and girls' game both domestically and across the globe. The bid is framed not just as a sporting spectacle, but as a long-term investment aimed at accelerating participation, visibility, and support for women's football for generations to come.
