FIFA has confirmed that the 2027 Women’s World Cup will take place from June 24 to July 25, with Brazil hosting the tournament for the first time. This will be a landmark event for the South American country, which has long been a powerhouse in women’s football.
Spain enters the tournament as the defending champions, having secured victory at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which was cohosted by Australia and New Zealand. Spain’s triumph marked a significant achievement in women’s football, and they will look to defend their title in Brazil in 2027.
32 Teams Set to Compete
The 2027 edition of the Women’s World Cup will expand to feature 32 teams, following the successful tournament format used in Australia and New Zealand in 2023. As in previous years, each of the six continental football confederations will hold qualifying tournaments to determine the teams that will compete in the global finals.
Slot Allocation for Each Confederation
FIFA has outlined the slot allocation for each confederation, ensuring a fair distribution of spots based on regional strength and previous performances in international competitions. The breakdown is as follows:
AFC (Asia): 6 direct slots
CAF (Africa): 4 direct slots
CONCACAF (North & Central America and the Caribbean): 4 direct slots
CONMEBOL (South America): 4 direct slots, with Brazil qualifying automatically as the host nation
OFC (Oceania): 1 direct slot
UEFA (Europe): 11 direct slots
Brazil’s automatic qualification as the host means that one of CONMEBOL’s four spots will be taken up by the host nation, leaving the other three spots to be decided through regional qualifiers.
Playoff Tournament for Additional Slots
In addition to the direct slots, there will be a playoff tournament to determine the remaining spots in the competition. The structure of the playoff tournament is as follows:
AFC: 2 playoff slots
CAF: 2 playoff slots
CONCACAF: 2 playoff slots (both slots to qualify automatically for the second phase of the playoff tournament based on performance in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 playoff tournament)
CONMEBOL: 2 playoff slots (the topranked team from this confederation will qualify automatically for the second phase, while the other will compete in the playoffs)
OFC: 1 playoff slot
UEFA: 1 playoff slot (the nation will qualify automatically for the second phase based on performance at the 2023 Women’s World Cup playoff tournament)
The first phase of the playoffs will take place in NovemberDecember 2026 at a centralized venue, where teams will be ranked based on their FIFA Women’s World Ranking. The top two teams from this phase will advance to the final phase, which will be held in February 2027. The final playoffs will involve six teams competing in knockout matches to secure the last spots in the Women’s World Cup.
Host Cities and Venues
The host cities and stadiums for the 2027 Women’s World Cup are still to be confirmed. FIFA has stated that the announcement will be made next year, but many of the venues could include some of the stadiums that were used for the men’s World Cup in Brazil in 2014. This would ensure worldclass facilities for the tournament.
Titles and Past Winners
Over the years, the Women’s World Cup has seen a number of nations rise to prominence, with the following countries securing the title:
USA: 4 titles
Germany: 2 titles
Japan: 1 title
Norway: 1 title
Spain: 1 title
As the 2027 tournament approaches, all eyes will be on Brazil, as they prepare to host this historic event and bring the world’s best female football teams together in a celebration of the sport.
