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FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to expand the 2023 Women\u2019s World Cup from 24 teams to 32.<\/p>\nFIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to expand the 2023 Women\u2019s World Cup from 24 teams to 32.<\/p>\n
Australia, Brazil and Japan are among 10 countries that have expressed an interest in staging what would be the ninth edition of the Women\u2019s World Cup, with a decision on the host expected in March 2020.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters in Lyon ahead of the last two games at France 2019, the head of world football\u2019s governing body said: \u201cI want to expand the tournament to 32 teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have to act quickly to decide if we are to increase it for 2023 \u2013 if we do we should reopen the bidding process to allow everyone to have a chance or maybe co-host. Nothing is impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The men\u2019s World Cup has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams from 2026 but Infantino has recently had to admit defeat in his bid to bring this forward by four years to Qatar 2022.<\/p>\n
The Swiss-Italian said he would develop the idea as quickly as possible so FIFA\u2019s ruling council and 205 member associations can have their say on the plan.<\/p>\n
Infantino also made the customary claim that this World Cup was the \u201cbest ever\u201d and said he wanted to press ahead with plans to start a Women\u2019s Club World Cup, too, perhaps even as early as next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a Club World Cup which can be played even every year to expose clubs from all other the world to make clubs invest even more in women\u2019s football to really shine on a world stage which is a real and true Club World Cup,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Infantino added that FIFA will increase its investment in the women\u2019s game to one billion US dollars (\u00a3800m) over the next four-year funding cycle.<\/p>\n
Returning to the current tournament, England play Sweden in the third-place play-off on Saturday, with defending champions United States meeting the Netherlands in Sunday\u2019s final.<\/p>\n