Dutch, German & Belgian football present joint bid for 2027 Women’s World Cup to FIFA

The Dutch football association KNVB, along with the Belgian (KBVB) and German (DFB) football associations, officially submitted a joint bid for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup to FIFA on Friday. The KNVB described the joint bid in a press release as “a sustainable, compact, and commercially attractive World Cup, offering a unique fan experience.”

“The Football World Cup in 2027 must be a tournament for everyone,” stated Gijs de Jong, Secretary General of the KNVB. “The whole world must feel welcome and be able to celebrate in a hospitable, friendly, and safe environment.” De Jong emphasized that the aim of the proposal is to organize a tournament that will further assist the 211 affiliated associations in the development of women's football.

The candidate host cities include Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Heerenveen, Enschede, and Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Brussels, Charleroi, Genk, and Ghent in Belgium; and Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, and Cologne in Germany. According to the football association, the chosen cities are set to host the most sustainable World Cup ever, with stadiums separated by a maximum of 300 kilometers to minimize travel distances.

The joint bid also targets making this the most commercially successful World Cup to date, aiming to increase revenues by fifty percent compared to the 2023 World Cup. This increase is expected to come from selling media rights, cost savings from the tournament's compact nature, maximizing revenue from European sponsorships and hospitality, and successful ticket sales.

The bid is also focused on actively promoting and accelerating women in football and the global development of women's football. “In the Netherlands, girls' and women's football has (in recent years) conquered an indelible place in the football landscape,” says Lucienne Reichardt, women's football manager of the KNVB. “We want to use this momentum with our joint bid to give women's football an extra boost."

The 2027 Women’s World Cup will be the tenth edition. Brazil and a joint bid from Mexico and the United States have also announced their intention to host the tournament. FIFA will organize on-site inspection visits to bidding countries in February, and will announce the host country (or countries) on May 17.