U.S. to Host 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup: A Look Back and Ahead
It has been announced that the United States has been selected to host the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2031. It’s an exciting decision for soccer fans in the U.S., as it’s been over 20 years since the World Cup has been on home turf. With the U.S. already a dominant force in women’s soccer, the 2031 World Cup will be expected to be a landmark event. In the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the U.S. has only hosted twice. Once in 1999 and the most recent in 2003. Let’s take a look back at these games as the U.S. gears up for round three.
The first time the U.S. hosted the Women’s World Cup was in 1999, and, of course, the USWNT made the final. For the time, this game set a world record for the most spectators attending a women’s sporting match. This game was huge, and it was going to get a whole lot bigger. The final was played in the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, against China. The game would come down to a shootout, with Brandi Chastain ultimately scoring the winning goal. After scoring the goal, the iconic photo of Chastain on her knees and jersey in hand would be taken and posted everywhere across the country. This was a huge moment for the USWNT and would launch the popularity of women's soccer in the U.S. to another level.
Fast forward to 2003, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup was back in the U.S. This game was also historic, but in a different way. Once again, the final was hosted in the Rose Bowl Stadium, and the two teams competing for the title were Germany and Sweden. Sweden took the lead early, but that would be the only goal they scored. Germany came back with two goals in the second half to win. This was the first time a team managed by a woman had won a World Cup, and it was also the first time a men’s and women’s national team from the same country had both won the World Cup.
Each time the FIFA Women’s World Cup has come to the U.S., it has been a historic game. Soccer fans from all over the world can only hope that their team can get in on that historic magic. There is still a lot of time before the World Cup comes around, with the LA Summer Olympics in 2028 between now and then. Luckily, this is also plenty of time for the USWNT to put together their very best roster and put on a show here at home.
