The United States and Mexico withdrew their joint bid for the 2027 Women’s World Cup just weeks before Fifa is due to vote to award the tournament at a meeting in Bangkok.
In a joint statement from the US and Mexico football federations, the two governing bodies said they would now switch focus towards mounting a successful bid for the 2031 tournament.
The shock decision comes as Fifa officials prepare to hold a vote at the global governing body’s Congress in Bangkok on 17 May to decide the 2027 hosts.
The US and Mexico withdrawal leaves two rival bids vying for the tournament – a joint bid from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and a solo bid from Brazil.
The end of the US-Mexico bid came after Fifa said earlier on Monday that the 2027 tournament hosts would for the first time be decided by an open vote when the Fifa Congress convenes in Thailand next month.
The US had been bidding to stage the women’s football flagship event for the third time after hosting the tournament successfully on its own in 1999 and 2003.
Had the US-Mexico bid for 2027 been successful, it would have meant another large-scale sporting event taking place in North America in what has become a crowded calendar for the region.
The United States, Mexico and Canada are already gearing up to stage the men’s 2026 World Cup, while Los Angeles is preparing to host the 2028 Olympics.
The United States is also due to host next year’s expanded Fifa Club World Cup, and is also staging this year’s 16-team Copa America.
