The U.S. and Mexico have made a formal joint-bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup – and if they win that bid, they intend to set a new economic precedent in women’s sports.
The two countries’ soccer federations, as expected, submitted their bid, but with the eye-popping goals of generating $3 billion in revenue from the event and drawing a total attendance of 4.5 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. That revenue projection is more than five times the $570 million yielded from the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and more than twice the 2023 tournament’s attendance of 1.98 million.
“The time is right to host a FIFA Women’s World Cup that features a truly world-class experience for players and fans alike,” said Cindy Parlow Cone, U.S. Soccer president. “This will not only unlock the economic potential of women’s soccer, it will send a message to young players around the world that there is no limit to what they can achieve.”
The two federations did not detail how they intend to create that $3 billion in revenue, but there are growing reasons for the bullishness in the fiscal projections. There is arguably no sector of the sports industry rising faster than women’s sports, with the WNBA, NWSL, and PWHL all reaching new milestones of revenue, attendance, and prominence this year, following on the success of the 2023 WWC.
Global professional services firm Deloitte also recently projected that 2024 will be the first year in which women’s pro sports surpasses $1 billion in annual revenue.
Shared Burden
The WWC bid also extends a growing trend within soccer in which multiple countries are coming together to bid jointly and share the financial and logistical burdens of hosting major tournaments. One rival bid for the 2027 WWC, for example, comes from a unified Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
The U.S.-Mexico bid additionally seeks to follow on the joint hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in those countries and Canada, and create an unprecedented three-year run of major events in North America, including the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“The U.S. and Mexico are in a unique position to host a World Cup that will leverage the same venues, infrastructure, and protocols used for the Men’s World Cup just a year prior,” Parlow Cone said.
Brazil is also bidding for the 2027 WWC.
