The Football Association is resisting lobbying from Manchester United to nominate a rebuilt Old Trafford as the venue for the 2035 Women's World Cup final. United's chief executive of New Stadium Development, Collette Roche, publicly expressed the club's ambition to host the final for the first time on Tuesday, but the FA remains committed to staging the showpiece at Wembley.
The Guardian has learned that the FA named Wembley as its preferred venue when submitting its official bid to Fifa last November, a position that will not change even if United succeeds in building a new 100,000-seat stadium before the finals. The ultimate decision rests with Fifa, but it would be a surprise if they overruled the wishes of the leading bid body.
The current Old Trafford is one of 22 proposed stadiums in the bid book, but will be replaced by the new stadium if built on time. United is still securing funding for the project, which could cost over £2bn, and needs to purchase land from Freightliner. Roche insisted the project is on track, stating: 'Our plan is to be able to host other international sporting events and entertainment events.'
The FA's bid is unopposed, though Fifa has delayed the official award of the 2031 and 2035 World Cups until later this year. The FA remains unconcerned about the delay.
