Women's World Cup to expand to 48 teams from 2031: FIFA

The Women's World Cup will expand from 32 to 48 teams, like the men's competition, starting with the 2031 edition, FIFA announced on Friday.

The FIFA Council unanimously agreed to expand the competition "given the remarkable recent strides made by women's football across the world," the sport's governing body said in a statement.

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 have still to ratify the 2031 and 2035 hosts.

The 2027 tournament in Brazil will remain at 32 teams.