FIFA confirms Women's World Cup will increase to 48 teams in 2031 when US is expected to host
The decision follows one month after FIFA said it had just one candidate bidding for each of the 2031 and 2035 women's tournaments — the U.S. followed by the United Kingdom. FIFA is expected to confirm these two hosts next year.
Brazil will host a 32-team Women's World Cup in 2027.
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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Club World Cup kicks off Saturday. Here's what Inter Miami, Al Ahly coaches had to say
High above downtown Coral Gables, on the sixth floor of an office building, is the nerve center for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, which kicks off Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium with Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami against Egyptian power Al Ahly. It is there that hundreds of FIFA executives and staff members are working around the clock (literally) as 32 of the best club teams in the world make their way to the United States for the $1 billion month-long tournament being played at 12 venues across the nation. In that FIFA operations center they are keeping track of each team's arrival with an up-to-the-second schedule, flight trackers and weather maps. Each team is greeted by an assigned liaison and a security officer. Five teams arrived on Monday. Benfica traveled from Portugal to Tampa, Boca Juniors from Argentina to Miami, Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa to Sarasota, Botafogo from Brazil to Los Angeles, and Palmeiras from Brazil to Charlotte. Six teams were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday: New Zealand's Aukland City in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Spain's Atletico de Madrid in Los Angeles; Germany's Bayern Munich in Orlando; Morocco's Wydad AC in Washington, D.C.; Portugal's Porto in Newark; and France's Paris Saint-Germain, winner of the 2025 Champions League, in Los Angeles. From their arrival until their departure, each team's every move will be monitored. In another area of the control room is a board that shows which teams have submitted their official tournament rosters, which are due by midnight Eastern time (3 a.m. Wednesday Pacific time). Fifty percent already had, including Inter Miami (and yes, Messi was on the list, according to a FIFA official). Tuesday's pretournament media tour of the FIFA Miami office also included a news conference with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano, Al Ahly's newly hired coach Jose Riveira, Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava, Miami mayor Francis Suarez, Miami Dade College president Madeline Pumariega and musical producer Emilo Estefan, who is heavily involved with the opening ceremony. The golden tournament trophy was also on display. Mascherano and Riveira were asked their objectives and expectations heading into the tournament. 'On one hand, the tournament catches us in mid-season, with a completely different format than the league, but also, it's a tournament that excites us very much because we know the level of clubs participating and their histories and for us to be in this competition, considering how young our club is, is a dream,' Mascherano said. He went on to say that the most important thing is to win the opening match to set the stage for the following two group stage matches against Porto in Atlanta June 19 and Palmeiras back at Hard Rock Stadium on June 23. Mascherano added that he is urging players to seize the moment and enjoy it, because these types of tournaments don't come along very often. Riveira was asked about the chance to face Messi. He replied: 'We are talking about a player who changes everything, who is if not the best, one of the best of all time. We know the influence he has had on big games. We know there is more than just Messi when you are facing Inter Miami, but obviously, he is one we must pay attention to. 'When the game is over and we have some distance from the tournament, it will be memory we will always remember. But right now we are focused and we know there are a lot of things their team does well, we have to make sure they don't.' Infantino addressed questions about lagging ticket sales for the opening match, security and whether he worried that recently implemented immigration policies would affect the Club World Cup. He said he expected a full Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, although FIFA had to reduce ticket prices in recent weeks due to lower than expected sales. 'I expect a full stadium, we will have an incredible atmosphere, it's historic,' he said. 'We have two teams in that game with very different stories, a young team like Inter Miami that is already known around the world, and the team that has won more trophies than any team in Africa, with millions of fans around the world.' As for security concerns, especially following the violent gate crashing at Hard Rock Stadium before last summer's Copa America between Colombia and Argentina, Infantino said there will be added precautions. He also said he does not expect any immigration-related problems. 'For us in FIFA, and for me as president, security is the top priority,' he said. 'We want the 63 matches for this tournament and the 64 for the World Cup next year to be safe. We want families and children to attend, so we started a few years ago to work with authorities. We have our own security experts, as well, so security will be at the highest level.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
FIFA Under Fire as Trump's Travel Ban Blocks Fans from Two World Cups
FIFA Under Fire as Trump's Travel Ban Blocks Fans from Two World Cups originally appeared on Athlon Sports. President Donald Trump's travel ban, effective June 9, 2025, bars citizens from 12 countries, including Iran and Haiti, from entering the U.S., threatening the Club World Cup which kicks off in a matter of days and 2026 FIFA World Cup. Advertisement Fans around the globe, eager to cheer their teams, face exclusion despite exemptions for athletes. The move has ignited fury and logistical chaos. Trump's ban has upended travel plans and stirred fan fury. Iran, already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, sees its fans barred from the spectacle. Haitian supporters, with their team strong in CONCACAF qualifiers, also face a locked gate. FIFA's vision of unity feels hollow as fans cry foul (BBC Sport, June 6, 2025). The ban only exempts athletes, coaches, and support staff for 'major' events like the World Cup and 2028 Olympics, but fans get no such pass. Iranian fans, who rallied 20,000-strong in Qatar 2022, now face a dream deferred. Haiti's vibrant supporters, a force at the 2023 Women's World Cup, are similarly sidelined. Advertisement Trump's proclamation cites national security, labeling Iran a 'state sponsor of terrorism' and Haiti as lacking 'sufficient law enforcement' per the White House. Critics argue this paints entire nations as threats, alienating global soccer communities. The State Department claims vetting is essential for safe hosting, but fans see it as a betrayal, per The Athletic. How will Trump's travel ban affect fans wanting to see the Club World Cup and next year's World Cup?Photo byVisa processing, already sluggish, faces new hurdles. Trump's reported cuts to federal agents, including Homeland Security staff, have slashed visa processing capacity. Fans worldwide, even from non-banned countries, fear inevitable delays as backlogs continue to grow. Sources like CNN and The Athletic report visa wait times stretching over a year in cities like Bogota (710 days) and Istanbul (713 days) already. Gianni Infantino said "The world is welcome in America,' The FIFA President, now faces a diplomatic mess. Posts on X reflect fan anger, with some calling for FIFA to reconsider U.S. hosting rights. This month's Club World Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup, both U.S.-based, are also tangled in the ban's web. Advertisement "Me and a few mates were planning to go to the US for the Club World Cup, but with this travel ban, we're not risking getting turned away or worse, locked up. No tickets, no hotels, no visiting local spots. Gutted." - @BillRoss12, May 30, 2025" Haiti's team, set to play in the Gold Cup starting June 14, 2025, in cities like San Diego, can compete, but their fans may not attend. Sudan and Venezuela, still in World Cup qualifying, face similar fan restrictions if they qualify. The global soccer community feels snubbed per Fans Left Out While Teams Play On The ban's timing, just before the Club World Cup, amplifies its sting. Fans from affected nations, dreaming of the FIFA spectacle, now face a stark message: 'Stay home.' The World Cup's promise of unity is at odds with this exclusion per Sky Sports. Advertisement Soccer thrives on passion, yet this policy risks alienating millions. Fans are left wondering if the 2026 World Cup will be a true global celebration or a fractured event. The ball is in FIFA's court to address this growing outcry. Next: Is FIFA's Club World Cup the Biggest Flop in Soccer History? This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Serie A in talks to play Milan vs Como in Australia as first European league match abroad
Serie A, the top division of Italian football, is in talks to play a game between Milan and Como in Australia. In what would be the first European league fixture to be played abroad, plans are being discussed for the fixture to be staged in the Western Australian city of Perth on the weekend of February 7-8, 2026. Advertisement Milan and Como are currently scheduled to meet at Milan's San Siro stadium that weekend but the ground is unavailable to the club as it is being used to stage the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 6. San Siro is home to both Milan and their city rivals Inter, who traditionally play home league games on alternative matchdays. In 2025-26, both teams will play at home on the opening weekend of the season, to Cremonese and Torino respectively, in an attempt to ease fixture congestion around the city during the Winter Olympics and Paralympic ceremonies in February. Regular-season league matches were previously forbidden from being held abroad, but in April Relevent Sports settled a six-year long lawsuit with the U.S Soccer Federation to try, paving the way for European domestic games to be held abroad. In May 2024, FIFA approved a working group to look into potential changes to its rules after world football's governing body was dropped as a defendant by Relevent. That created an opening for a Serie A match to be hosted in Australia. Talks are now underway to host Milan's home game against Como at Perth's Optus Stadium in a landmark occasion, but no final decision has yet been reached. The Athletic reported in April that the general consensus across the football industry is that FIFA's policies will soon approve domestic league games to be played abroad, even though the working group has only had one formal meeting. At this time promoters were interested in taking Serie A games to Abu Dhabi and Australia, the league did not respond to a request for comment. The Italian league is not the first to show interest in bringing their domestic fixtures abroad, the idea has long been floated from Spain's La Liga and England's Premier League. La Liga had been the most vocal in trying to secure a match of this kind; earlier this season — notably before the settlement — they tried to take Barcelona's home game against Atletico Madrid to Miami's Hard Rock Stadium. Advertisement The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) was without a permanent president at this time – during the scandal around former president Luis Rubiales – and was unable to make it materialise. Indeed, La Liga has been attempting to play a league match in the U.S. since 2018, when the idea was first floated to stage Barcelona's league game against Girona in Miami. Jorge de la Vega, CEO of La Liga, told The Athletic in early March: 'We are definitely committed to do it, so we're gonna keep pushing for sure, we're really close.' The Premier League considered playing a round of games known as the '39th game' outside of the United Kingdom 17 years ago but faced huge backlash from supporters and opposition from FIFA. The Football Supporters Association (FSA), a representative body for fans in England and Wales, said if the idea was to be revived, it would be met 'with a full-blown, two feet off the ground, studs to the knee tackle'. Richard Masters, Premier League chief executive, said last summer that the league had 'no plans' to take games abroad and it had not been discussed formally.
