UK looking to host first World Cup since 1966 as they target women’s 2031 tournament with Lionesses gunning for glory

FOOTBALL could be coming home in seven years’ time as UK sports bosses want to host the Fifa Women’s World Cup finals.

Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses missed out on World Cup glory last year when they lost in the Sydney final to Spain.

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UK Sport are considering a possible bid for the Women’s World Cup[/caption]

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The Lionesses missed out on becoming world champions last summer[/caption]

Now UK Sport – the government agency responsible for major sporting events – will set-up a ‘feasibility study’ over mounting a possible bid to host the finals in either 2031, 2035 or 2039.

This could mean a potential head-to-head battle with Saudi Arabia after one of their top officials last October mentioned the prospect of fronting a bid at the Leaders in Sport conference at Twickenham.

The last senior football World Cup to be staged in the British Isles was in 1966 when Sir Alf Ramsey’s England beat West Germany to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy at Wembley.

Talks with the four home associations will begin in May after Fifa has chosen the hosts for the 2027 World Cup.

UK Sport claim the quadrennial women’s World Cup, which officially began in 1991, is the biggest sporting occasion that has never happened in the UK.

The men’s European Championship in 2028 will be held in stadiums across England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

And the Covid-hit women’s Euros took place in the summer of 2022 – when the Lionesses were victorious.

UK Sport have expressed their interest for the event as part of their Making Live Sport Matter initiative, which will target 70 events in 32 sports and 18 World Championships until 2040.

The governing body believe the events they have identified have the potential to deliver approximately £5billion of economic impact, across 20 locations, for more than 15 million fans.

Other events they are keen to host include the men’s Rugby World Cup, the Athletics World Championships, the Ryder Cup, the Solheim Cup, the Cycling World Championships and the Grand Depart of the Tour de France.

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Simon Morton, Deputy CEO and Director of Events at UK Sport, said: “In the UK, millions of us choose to spend our free time watching and enjoying live sport with those that matter most to us, our friends, families and communities.

“Live sport is a fundamental part of this country’s social fabric. No other country buys more tickets per head to major sporting events than we do in the UK.

“In the years ahead, we want to host a programme of live sport that resonates with the British public and makes a difference to millions of people’s lives.

“That programme has to be more accessible to people and communities across the country ensuring sport reaches as many fans as possible.

“The aspiration is to host the women’s football World Cup at some point in the 2030s.

“When we look at Euro 2028, the potential of sporting events to bring the country together at scale, there’s almost nothing else that does that.

“And that’s really where we’re focusing our emphasis on the impacts of events.

“When we look at a Women’s World Cup that’s the sort of impact that we want to achieve.”

Sports Minister Stuart Andrew said: “With the Champions League final at Wembley in June and the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, we’re building on our world leading reputation for hosting major sporting events.

“We are working closely with UK Sport and partners to fulfil our shared ambition to deliver up to 70 major events across 30 different sports to the UK in the years ahead.”

There are no plans at this stage for a potential bid for a men’s World Cup any time until 2042 at the earliest.

There is also no immediate plan to save the Commonwealth Games – which worryingly has no host for the 2026 and 2030 editions – because it is considered too financially bloated and not “value for money” according to officials.

The Lionesses will take the first steps to retaining their European Championship title next month when they kick off their qualifiers.

However, they have been drawn in the Group of Death.

England will face Sweden, France and the Republic of Ireland as they look to book a spot on the plane to Switzerland in 2025.