The US and Mexico bid for the 2027 World Cup was doomed to fail – 2031 was the right choice: Linehan

When US Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) withdrew from the 2027 World Cup bidding process last month, there was initial shock and surprise. American exceptionalism may have played its role in the backlash, but so did other factors. No less important was the compelling idea that back-to-back World Cups in 2026 and 2027 could usher in a new era of sport in the United States and Mexico, with ripple effects expected for the rest of CONCACAF.

It was not for a relatively simple reason: the two federations realized that they did not have the necessary support for a winning candidacy. There is also a more important reason for the US and Mexico to change their bid to 2031, and it has nothing to do with behind-the-scenes political maneuvering at FIFA. With the raft of hosting obligations over the next few years, the Women’s World Cup would almost certainly receive little attention if it were awarded for 2027.

In theory, the tournament schedule was a great idea. The USA, alongside Mexico, would have had an unprecedented series of international football events with the 2024 Copa América, the 2025 Men’s Club World Cup, the 2026 Men’s World Cup and then the 2027 tournament, culminated by the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. (The Olympics are a different beast, but still feature two football tournaments – especially for women, one that includes the use of all senior national teams.)

The US was poised to become the home of global gambling for years. This is great in concept, but perhaps not so much in practical execution. This brings us back to the big question we always face in sport: what takes precedence? Despite all the good intentions surrounding the bid, there was no chance that the 2027 World Cup would have received the attention, time and resources needed to host a truly successful – and not just standard – tournament, especially After the success Australia and New Zealand saw the 2023 tournament.

US Soccer, FMF and Canada Soccer have been working on the 2026 men’s edition for nearly a decade, announcing their intention to bid in 2017. The 2026 World Cup was awarded to the three CONCACAF nations in June 2018, giving them eight track for a year to prepare everything necessary for the event.

Compare that schedule with that of the 2027 World Cup – a schedule that seems even more absurd considering we know where the 2034 men’s edition will be held, and which falls squarely at the feet of FIFA.

It’s complete day and night in terms of the amount of planning for 2026 compared to what 2027 would have gotten; perhaps why the bid itself felt so copied and pasted from the 2026 effort. Yes, these two federations would have had the perfect tournament experience to lead a Women’s World Cup, but what about the 2027 women’s edition would have felt purpose-built or special? ?

The joint U.S. and Mexican bid promised a vision of a World Cup “that will raise the standard of women’s football and capitalize on a moment of extraordinary growth in women’s sport to deliver a tournament with absolutely unprecedented success,” according to the your own application book. And while that may have been possible, with so many major tournaments and smaller tournaments (not to mention professional leagues), commercial oversaturation was inevitable. Promising unprecedented success also means providing unprecedented resources – something that seemed too far out of reach for two countries wanting to stage back-to-back World Cups, even at this stage.

The two federations have already defined their expectations for a bid in 2031: “investment equal to that of the men’s tournament, eliminating disparities in investment to fully maximize the commercial potential of the women’s tournament”, according to the federations’ announcement that they would postpone their candidacy.

This objective would not have been viable during the necessary recovery time for 2027, but it appears to be possible for 2031, with the right buy-in from FIFA and other confederations. For better or worse, a Women’s World Cup involving the United States seems like an opportunity to make the case for raising standards for the world of women’s soccer, even as U.S. soccer has had its own long journey toward equality. salary.

If political rumors are to be believed, the way could be open for a bid for 2031. There will have been a longer gap since the last time a CONCACAF country hosted the Women’s World Cup, with Canada taking the honors in 2015. So did England. has signaled its intention to consider a possible candidacy for 2031 (either solo or together) and has already considered 2035 and 2039.

There are big questions to be asked about the Women’s World Cup bidding process, whether it is being used as a symbol in negotiations over who will host the men’s tournaments and so on. But even if the procedural element is more questioned, it does not deny what is possible to achieve by holding this great tournament, be it Brazil in 2027 (as expected, especially after Brazil received higher marks from FIFA in its technical assessment than the European). joint proposal) or the US and Mexico in 2031.

The growth of women’s football is still under discussion and a work in progress across the world, even amid massive increases in commercial interest and viewership. From that perspective, 2031 is the right time for US Soccer and the FMF.

Now, the two federations must step up their game to get their bid right and fulfill the promise of a historic World Cup.

(Photo: Noam Galai/WireImage)