While the men's tournament is eating up every headline right now, the 2027 Women's World Cup already has 14 qualified teams, a confirmed start date, and one of football's greatest ever players facing the clock on a final shot at glory.
The tournament kicks off June 24, 2027, in Brazil — the first Women's World Cup hosted by a South American nation. Eight host cities are confirmed: Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, and Salvador. Every one of them staged men's World Cup games in 2014, so the infrastructure is there. The atmosphere will take care of itself.
Marta's last dance?
Brazil enter as hosts with automatic qualification but no women's World Cup title to their name. That's the uncomfortable truth hanging over the whole tournament from a host nation's perspective. And whether their greatest ever player will even be there is genuinely unclear.
Marta is 40. Six FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Zero major international trophies. If she makes the squad and Brazil go deep in front of a home crowd in 2027, it would be one of football's great redemption arcs. If she doesn't make it, or if Brazil crater early, the narrative writes itself just as easily. Tournament outrights for Brazil will likely shorten on home advantage alone — but history suggests punters should be cautious.
Spain, the reigning champions after winning the 2023 title in Australia and New Zealand, will be among the favourites again. The 14 teams already qualified are:
- Brazil (hosts)
- Australia
- Philippines
- Japan
- North Korea
- China
- South Korea
- Argentina
- Colombia
- New Zealand
- Germany
- France
- Spain
- Denmark
The last 32-team edition
This will be the final Women's World Cup with 32 teams. From 2031, the tournament expands to 48 — mirroring the men's format — with the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica expected to be confirmed as co-hosts as early as November.
FIFA chief football officer Jill Ellis made the case that the quality gap between nations is closing fast enough to justify the expansion. "Countries are closing the gap a lot faster," she said. Given what we've seen from debutant nations reaching knockout rounds in recent editions, that's a defensible position.
CBF president Samir Xaud called the tournament "a source of great pride" and promised a legacy for girls across Brazil. Grand words. The real test is whether the football delivers — and whether Marta gets one last moment on the world stage.
