The FIFA Council has announced a landmark decision to expand the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ to 48 teams starting from the 2031 edition, in a move aimed at further strengthening global representation and accelerating the growth of the women’s game. The decision was taken unanimously during a virtual meeting following extensive consultation with confederations and key stakeholders.
The revised format will increase the number of participating teams from 32 to 48 and will adopt a 12-group structure. This change will see the total number of matches rise from 64 to 104 and extend the tournament by one week. Hosting requirements for the 2031 and 2035 editions will also be adjusted to reflect the expanded scale of the competition. FIFA stated that the decision will provide more nations and players with access to elite-level football, thereby encouraging long-term investment in women’s football structures around the world.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the expansion as a strategic move that goes beyond simply adding more teams. He emphasised that the change would enable more member associations to benefit from the Women’s World Cup, supporting the holistic development of the women’s game. Infantino also highlighted the record-breaking nature of the 2023 tournament, which saw teams from all six confederations win matches and five confederations represented in the knockout stages — a sign, he said, of the growing competitiveness of the women’s game globally.
In a further development, the FIFA Council endorsed the FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football. This includes the formal establishment of the Afghan Women’s Refugee Team (AWRT), with FIFA tasked with facilitating and organising its operations. The goal is to enable the team to begin its activities as soon as possible, with FIFA engaging directly with the relevant players. President Infantino described the move as a landmark initiative, affirming FIFA’s commitment to providing every girl with the opportunity to play football.
The Council also approved a revised edition of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) as part of its strengthened commitment to fighting racism and all forms of discrimination in football. The new code introduces significant regulatory changes aimed at addressing both on-field and off-field racist behaviour. Among the key amendments are the formal adoption of the three-step anti-discrimination procedure into Article 15 of the code, a major increase in the maximum fines for racist abuse, now set at CHF 5,000,000, and the obligation for all member associations and confederations to apply and enforce the updated procedures.
In addition, the revised code introduces provisions to hold individuals accountable for racist abuse by encouraging players and officials to assist in identifying offenders. It also mandates that all national associations align their disciplinary frameworks with FIFA’s new standards. Crucially, FIFA has also reserved the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in cases involving racist abuse and to intervene when insufficient action is taken by national bodies.
President Infantino hailed the updated code as a major advance in FIFA’s efforts to combat racism, stressing the importance of collaborative enforcement with all 211 member associations.
The Council also gave the green light to the regulations for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025™, as preparations continue for these major competitions. Members of the Council were additionally briefed on the plans for the upcoming 75th FIFA Congress, scheduled to take place on 15 May 2025 in Asunción, Paraguay.
