Wembley is set to be the FA’s preference as the venue for the 2035 Women’s World Cup final – dashing any Manchester United hopes of hosting the showpiece match at a new stadium.
Friday is the deadline for complete bids to be submitted to FIFA, and the United Kingdom entry has no rival for the tournament hosting.
United are still set to be part of the hosting plans, despite building work yet to begin on a 100,000-capacity replacement for Old Trafford that was announced in March, with no announcement on how the £2bn project will be funded.
It has been widely reported United have interest in hosting the 2035 Women’s World Cup final.
But the Football Association is leading on the bid and plans for Wembley to stage a World Cup final for the first time since England won the men’s tournament at the old stadium in 1966.
The new Wembley has undergone upgrades since opening in 2007.
“It’s a FIFA decision and our full expectation is Wembley will host the final,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham told Sky News earlier this year in a previously un-broadcast interview.
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“We obviously want some of the new stadiums that are being built … and Old Trafford would be one of those. But we also think we’ve got some existing settings that are really strong as well.
“So with Wembley hosting the final, and those other ones supporting us through the tournament, that’ll be a great combination.”
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Birmingham City’s new 62,000-seat stadium could also be included in the bid, with plans unveiled last week for it to be built within five years.
England is set to dominate the 2035 hosting, but the bid is jointly with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Northern Ireland missed out on hosting matches in the men’s Euro 28 that is being spread across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales due to a lack of a suitable stadium.
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While England hosted the women’s European Championship in 2003 and 2022, when the Lionesses won the trophy, the Women’s World Cup has never been staged in the country.
The 2031 women’s World Cup is set to be held in the United States.
FIFA will publish evaluations of the bids in the first half of next year, before ratifying the 2031 and 2035 hosts – with the event expanding from 32 to 48 teams, mirroring the expansion of the men’s World Cup.
