The 2023 Women’s World Cup has captured the imagination of a new generation of fans, despite a heartbreaking defeat for the Lionesses.
England experienced devastation as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against a stronger Spanish side after making it to their first ever Women's World Cup final.
Over seven million people watched the BBC's coverage as England beat Australia and seal their place in the final for the first-time ever.
Now just Spain stand in their way of a maiden Women’s World Cup title, to go alongside last summer’s Euros triumph at Wembley.
Sunday’s showpiece will the 64th and final game of a superb summer of football, before fans wait another four years for the next Women’s World Cup in 2027.
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Where will the 2027 Women's World Cup be hosted?
The venue for the next edition is set to be confirmed in May 2024, with four bids in the running to host the 10th iteration of the tournament.
The deadline for bids passed in May 2023, with the decision process now set to take a year before the winner is announced in Bangkok, alongside the host of the 2030 Men’s World Cup.
A joint bid from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands could bring the Women’s World Cup back to Europe after just one cycle, following France 2019 when USA clinched their fourth title.
It would be the fourth time the World Cup has been hosted in Europe, with Sweden holding the 1995 edition and Germany the sole hosts in 2011.
However, the three-way bid faces competition from Brazil, South Africa, and a joint USA and Mexico proposition.
Both South Africa and Brazil have hosted the men’s tournament in recent years, with the 2010 World Cup the first to be held on the African continent before Brazil played host in 2014.
Brazil have historically been one of the stronger women’s footballing nations, with the six-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta leading the side to the final in 2007, but have fallen down the pecking order, underlined by their shock exit at the group stage in Australia and New Zealand. A successful bid would see the Women's World Cup hosted in South America for the first time.
Marta of Brazil looks on during the FIFA Women's World Cup Group F match between Jamaica and Brazil at Melbourne Rectangular StadiumA Women’s World Cup in South Africa would follow precedent in being the first held on African soil, following the 2010 edition of the men's tournament.
The joint Mexican-American bid would see the Women’s World Cup return to the USA for the third time, following 1999 and 2003 but it would be the first time held in Mexico.
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Both countries are set to join Canada in hosting the 2026 Men’s World Cup, while Mexico has previously had the men’s edition in 1970 and 1986, and the USA in 1994, meaning neither nation is a stranger to what is required.
All four bids would see the World Cup staged in the usual summer window, meaning there is no risk of dates being moved, like we saw for the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar.
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