Women's World Cup to have 48 teams from 2031

>>ZURICH: The Women’s World Cup will be expanded from 32 to 48 teams, like the men’s competition, starting with the 2031 edition, Fifa announced on Friday.

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The Fifa Council unanimously agreed to enlarge the competition “given the remarkable recent strides made by women’s football across the world,” the sport’s governing body said.

The 48-team tournament will adopt a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104 and extending the tournament by one week, Fifa said.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the expansion followed the success of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, won by Spain.