Cliff Notes – Birmingham’s new stadium likely to host matches at 2035 World Cup
- Birmingham City’s newly announced stadium is a prospective venue for the 2035 Women’s World Cup, part of the UK’s joint bid with the Irish, Scottish, and Welsh associations.
- FIFA president Gianni Infantino has indicated that the UK is the only “valid” bidder for the tournament, with the final selection of venues expected in 2029.
- The Women’s World Cup will expand to 48 teams from 2031, with the UK proposing 22 venues, including 16 in England, for the 2035 edition.
Birmingham’s new stadium likely to host matches at 2035 World Cup
The Women’s World Cup is set to be held on English soil for the first time in 2035.
Birmingham City’s recently-announced new stadium has been named as a prospective venue for the 2035 Women’s World Cup in the United Kingdom’s hosting bid while Manchester United’s proposed new arena hasn’t been included at this moment.
The English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh associations officially submitted their joint bid to FIFA to host the 2035 World Cup on Friday.
The UK are all but confirmed as hosts for the tournament after FIFA president Gianni Infantino had previously said they were the only “valid” bidders.
While England have hosted Euro 2022, this will be the first-ever Women’s World Cup on English soil. You need to go back to the men’s edition in 1966 for the last time a World Cup was held in the UK. It remains England’s sole victory in the tournament, across the men’s and women’s teams.
The Women’s World Cup is set to be expanded to 48 teams from 2031, and the FA are putting forward 22 venues for the 2035 edition — 16 in England, three in Wales, two in Scotland, and one in Northern Ireland. The expectation is for these 22 stadia to be whittled down to 16, with the final selection to be confirmed in 2029.
Birmingham City’s new stadium is among the 22 that have been proposed. The Championship side, who are co-owned by Tom Brady, unveiled plans last week to build a 62,000 seater in time for the 2030-31 season.
Earlier this year, Man United too had announced that they will be leaving Old Trafford after more than 100 years and moving to a new 100,000 capacity arena. However in the joint bid for the 2035 World Cup, only United’s current home has been included. Once plans for the new stadium are confirmed, they will be sent to FIFA for revaluation.
“So when you look at the stadia that we’ve put forward, there are certain ones that haven’t yet been built,” English FA chief Mark Bullingham told a media briefing.
“Old Trafford is one of the ones that hasn’t been built, same way Birmingham [City] hasn’t been built. [But] we think the early plans … It can be really exciting.
“If they are built then [they are] obviously included in the tournament in some way. Be right if you look 10 years down the road to have the best stadia in the country.
A general view during the official unveiling of Birmingham City’s new stadium
Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge also hasn’t been included as a potential venue as it doesn’t meet FIFA’s technical specifications in its current state. Its inclusion hinges on the outcome of the club’s consultation over redeveloping their stadium or building a new one.
Wrexham are currently in the process of increasing the capacity of their stadium to 18,000. If they can surpass that number by 2035, they would become eligible to be a host venue.
UK’s bid for the 2035 World Cup is set to be ratified towards the end of April next year.
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“Our bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup shows the UK’s passion for football,” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement.
“The Lionesses’ success has inspired girls across our country, and we’ll build on that momentum by welcoming millions of football fans from around the world to a tournament that will benefit communities and businesses in host cities up and down the UK.
“With significant investment in school sport and grassroots facilities through our Plan for Change, we’re creating opportunities for girls to play for their national team.”
Host Cities and Stadiums for World cup 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup
• Belfast — Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park
• Birmingham — Sports Quarter Stadium1 and Villa Park
• Brighton & Hove — American Express Stadium
• Bristol — Ashton Gate
• Cardiff — Cardiff City Stadium and Principality Stadium
• Edinburgh — Easter Road
• Glasgow — Hampden Park
• Leeds — Elland Road
• Liverpool — Hill Dickinson Stadium
• London — Chelsea FC Stadium, Emirates Stadium, Selhurst Park, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium
• Manchester — Etihad Stadium
• Newcastle — St James’ Park
• Nottingham — City Ground
• Sunderland — Stadium of Light
• Trafford — Old Trafford
• Wrexham — STōK Racecourse