The China Mail - UK unveils record-breaking bid for 2035 Women's World Cup

The bid team said the 48-team finals would be the biggest single-sport event ever staged in the UK.

It would be the first World Cup played on British soil since the men's finals in 1966, which were solely hosted by England.

"With 63 million people living within two hours of a proposed venue, it would be the most accessible tournament ever," the bid team said in a statement.

Sixteen of the stadiums on the shortlist are in England, with three in Wales, two in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland, across 15 cities.

The final number of stadiums is expected to be whittled down to around 16.

A measure of the size of the event is that at the Qatar men's World Cup in 2022 just eight stadiums were used.

The bid is expected to be ratified by football's world governing body FIFA next year.

"Hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup would be a huge privilege for our four home nations," the chief executives of the four football associations  said.

"If we are successful, the 2035 tournament will be the biggest single-sport event held on UK soil with 4.5 million tickets available for fans.

"We are proud of the growth that we've driven in recent years across the women's and girls' game, but there is still so much more growth to come, and this event will play a key role in helping us deliver that."

Manchester United's existing Old Trafford stadium has been included but the bid team intend to put the club's new ground forward for consideration by FIFA once plans are confirmed.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the bid showed the UK's passion for football.

"The (England) 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," he said.

England's women's team have won the past two European Championships and reached the final of the 2023 World Cup.

From 2031, the Women's World Cup will be contested between 48 teams, up from 32.

Last month US officials confirmed Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica had joined its bid for the 2031 tournament.

The United States had already been announced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the sole bidder.

The next Women's World Cup will take place in Brazil in 2027.

C.Smith--ThChM