FIFA to consider four bids to host ‘23 Women’s World Cup
FIFA has received bids from Brazil, Japan, Colombia and a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand to host the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Soccer's international governing body will now assess the bids, which will include visiting each country. Evaluations will be submitted to the FIFA Council and a vote on the host will be held at the organization's meeting in Ethiopia next June.
Anticipated bids from South Korea and South Africa were withdrawn before Friday's deadline.
The 2023 World Cup will feature 32 teams, up from the 24 that competed this summer at the tournament in France. The United States won its second straight World Cup title and fourth overall this year, and the event enjoyed unprecedented television viewership of 1.12 billion worldwide.
“France 2019 was certainly a watershed moment for women's football, and now it is FIFA'S responsibility to take concrete measures to keep fostering the game's incredible growth,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. “With the FIFA Women's World Cup generating an unprecedented interest across member associations, we are ensuring that the process to select the hosts is seamless, objective, ethical and transparent. By the time the FIFA Council announces the hosts, there should be no doubt whatsoever as to why that choice was made.”
The Japan Football Association has already launched a website hyping its bid, which encourages supporters to submit “My Dream of 2023'' hopes for the event. Japan's association proposes using eight stadiums, including the new National Stadium.
Japan is hosting the Olympics next summer.
Football Federation Australia
and New Zealand Football announced the co-confederation bid Friday in Melbourne, just hours before the official bid book was submitted to FIFA.
“There is so much untapped potential, not just in Australia but right across Asia and the Pacific region, that I really do believe we would offer something incredibly special,” said Sam Kerr, a striker for the Matildas, Australia's national team.
Brazil hosted the men's 2014 World Cup as well as the 2016 Olympics.
The Korean Football Association had initially pushed to jointly host the games with North Korea at the urging of Infantino but strained inter-korean relations failed to realize a unified bid. South Korea, which hosted the 2002 men's World Cup with Japan, announced its withdrawal shortly before Friday's deadline. South Africa, which hosted the men's World Cup in 2014, also withdrew an expected bid.
Julie Ertz named US Soccer women’s POY
Julie Ertz was named the U.S. Soccer women's Player of the Year on Friday for the second time.
Ertz, a versatile midfielder who also won the award in 2017, was on the U.S. teams that won World Cup championships in 2015 and again this summer in France.
Ertz, who played a more defensive role in 2015, scored her first World Cup goal this summer during a group-stage victory over Chile. The goal came on a leaping, twisting header which she celebrated by blowing a kiss to the crowd in Paris.
“It's been a whirlwind of a year and one that I'm extremely grateful for,” Ertz said in a statement. “My team lifted me up in so many ways and our experiences on and off the field in 2019 just encapsulate the love I have for the National Team and for wearing this crest and what it represents.”
The 27-year-old, who was named Young Player of the Year in 2012, has 95 career appearances with the senior U.S. team and started 22 matches this year, most on the team. She has 20 career goals with the national team. Ertz also plays for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League.
With the Red Stars, she started in 14 games at midfielder and center back. Chicago finished in second place in the league standings and went to the NWSL title game but fell to North Carolina.
“Julie was such a critical part of our success this summer,” said former U.S. coach Jill Ellis, who stepped down following the World Cup. “It's wonderful that she's being recognized in this way. She's always a consummate professional regardless of the environment. Whether it's in training, National Team games or in the NWSL, she always brings a level of professionalism, effort and talent.”
The women's Player of the Year award is determined by a vote of national team coaches and players, select media members, NWSL and select college coaches, U.S. Soccer board members and others.