Will 48-team Women's World Cup Be Good For The Game?

"Fifa was right."

That's really president Gianni Infantino described his organisation's determination to grow nan Women's World Cup from 16 teams to 32 for nan 2023 tournament.

Less than 2 years later Fifa has announced plans for further description .

The women's tourney will travel nan lead of nan men's World Cup and become a 48-team title from 2031.

But is Fifa correct this time? BBC Sport looks astatine nan pros and cons of an expanded Women's World Cup.

The 2023 World Cup successful Australia and New Zealand, which featured 8 caller teams, threw up plentifulness of surprises.

It was a successful tourney for African nations, pinch underdogs Morocco, South Africa and Nigeria - classed 72, 54 and 40 successful nan world respectively - reaching nan past 16.

Morocco's progression came astatine nan disbursal of two-time champions Germany, who went retired astatine nan group stages a twelvemonth aft reaching nan Euro 2022 final.

Zambia, classed 81st, were nan lowest-ranked squad to qualify.

While they suffered 5-0 losses to Japan and Spain, they vanished 3rd successful their group acknowledgment to a 3-1 triumph complete Costa Rica, who were classed 44 places higher.

Nigeria, 40th successful nan rankings, mislaid to eventual runners-up England successful a punishment shootout successful nan past 16.

Of nan 32 teams, only 3 grounded to gain a azygous constituent - Costa Rica, Haiti and Vietnam - and only Vietnam grounded to score.

There were immoderate one-sided scorelines, though, including nan Netherlands firing 7 past Vietnam and Norway thrashing nan Philippines 6-0.

Only 44 nations person played successful a Women's World Cup.

With nan tourney expanding by 16 teams, location will beryllium much qualifying places allocated to each of nan six Fifa continental zones.

That could supply an other inducement for governments and nationalist shot associations - peculiarly from smaller nations who person not competed connected nan world shape - to put successful nan women's game.

US Soccer main executive JT Batson said nan description of nan 2031 tourney - group to beryllium held successful nan US - would beryllium "incredible for increasing nan women's game".

"One of nan things we perceive from folks who lead federations astir nan world is they position nan Women's World Cup arsenic an opportunity for them to, one, make a World Cup and, two, really spell compete successful a measurement that conceivably they wouldn't beryllium capable to connected nan men's side," Batson said., external

"So what this would lead to successful position of spurring finance each astir nan world successful women's and girls' soccer, we deliberation would beryllium incredible."

England head Sarina Wiegman said she had reservations astir expanding from 24 teams to 32 for nan 2023 edition.

However, she changed her mind aft nan tournament, saying much teams "made it much competitive".

"It will turn nan crippled again successful different countries because they person different opportunities to travel and still person challenges to overcome," Wiegman said.

"Some countries are astatine different stages of their development, truthful it will empower women successful sport, women successful shot and women successful society."

From a UK perspective, much qualifying places would springiness nan location nations a amended chance of reaching a tourney connected location ungraded successful 2035.

While England person established themselves arsenic 1 of nan world's champion teams, Scotland and nan Republic of Ireland person played successful only 1 World Cup, and Wales and Northern Ireland person ne'er qualified.

Wales and Scotland mislaid successful nan play-off finals for nan 2023 tournament.

When it was announced that nan men's World Cup would grow to 48 teams, nan contiguous concerns were that nan title would beryllium diluted.

The aforesaid questions person been asked of an expanded Women's World Cup and location are worries that one-sided scorelines and a gulf successful value would devalue nan women's crippled and move disconnected tv audiences.

"There is nan fearfulness it mightiness dilute immoderate of nan competition," said erstwhile England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley.

She besides highlighted subordinate use and adding to an already engaged shot almanac arsenic imaginable downsides to an expanded tournament.

"There's astir apt besides an constituent of will nan tourney beryllium longer? You're going to spot a monolithic summation successful games," she said.

"Will location beryllium an summation successful remainder periods? How is that going to impact nan home calendar? How is that going to impact nan subordinate loading and recovery?"

Qualifying for a World Cup does not guarantee that federations will afloat support their women's teams, pinch nan 2023 version featuring a number of teams, specified arsenic Jamaica, who faced battles disconnected nan transportation and publicly criticised their federation complete accommodation and preparation.

Bardsley said location must beryllium a "real accent connected processing nan game" if nan tourney expands to 48 teams.

"There is clip but it's going to person to really beryllium prioritised and accelerated," she said.

Fifa launched its Women's Football Strategy successful 2018 and group a extremity of having 60 cardinal girls and women playing shot crossed nan globe by 2027.

Within its objectives, Fifa intends to guarantee each 211 of its members person broad women's shot strategies.

Through its Women's Development Programme, Fifa besides offers its members nan opportunity to use for and entree further resources and master expertise to create women's football.

"It's going to beryllium a gangly order, but if Fifa superior astir this investing successful nan women's crippled now, you'll spot a monolithic use by 2035," Bardsley said.

For nan teams who do qualify, Fifa has antecedently promised to match nan prize money connected connection astatine nan men's World Cup for nan 2027 tournament.

The first clip we will spot a 48-team tourney is adjacent year's men's World Cup successful Canada, Mexico and nan US.

At first, Fifa suggested a group-stage format that included 16 groups of 3 teams, pinch nan apical 2 from each group going through.

But that caused contention because nan sides playing successful nan last group crippled could play retired a consequence that enabled some to spell done astatine nan disbursal of nan different team.

After wide disapproval and a thrilling four-team group shape successful Qatar astatine nan 2022 men's World Cup, Fifa revised its plans.

The 48 teams will beryllium drawn into 12 groups of 4 pinch nan apical 2 from each - on pinch nan 8 champion third-placed nations - advancing to a 32-team knockout stage.

There has been nary denotation yet arsenic to whether a women's tourney would travel nan aforesaid format.

The number of games will emergence from 64 successful a 32-team title to 104 pinch 48 teams, which is apt to mean a longer tournament.

The 2026 men's World Cup is group to past 10 days longer than successful 2022.