Irish FA CEO Patrick Nelson believes Northern Ireland co-hosting Women's World Cup would help 'encourage and excite' next generation
Irish FA CEO Patrick Nelson believes Northern Ireland playing their part in co-hosting the 2035 Women’s World Cup alongside England, Scotland and Wales would help “encourage and excite” the next generation of football stars.
An announcement at Wednesday’s FIFA council revealed the timeline for the bidding processes of the 2031 and 2035 tournaments with members of CAF and UEFA invited to bid for the 2035 edition.
Football associations from around the United Kingdom have announced they will collectively submit an expression of interest to FIFA to host the major tournament with an official bid expected to be submitted in the fourth quarter of 2025 before a final decision is made in 2026.
The United Kingdom last hosted a women’s tournament in 2022, when England won the European Championships on home soil while Northern Ireland also qualified for the first time under Kenny Shiels.
The joint World Cup announcement came on the same day as the Irish FA unveiled their new strategy for women’s and girls’ football, which is called ‘Together We Thrive: Elevating The Game For Everyone’ and consists of five key pillars: fun football and the everyday game, clubs and competitions, performance pathway, people development and profile and visibility.
"The Irish Football Association would be delighted to co-host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035,” said Nelson. "Women’s and girls’ football is growing rapidly in Northern Ireland and this opportunity to serve the world, coming on the day we launch our new women’s and girls’ strategy ‘Together We Thrive: Elevating The Game For Everyone’, will encourage and excite even more girls to dream of wearing our green shirt on home turf at the greatest of all competitions."
The United Kingdom bid has also received political backing with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who believes hosting the tournament could help provide a lasting legacy, throwing his full support behind the proposal.
"Football is and always will be at the core of our country’s identity,” he said. “Whether we watch on TV, play at the weekends like I do, or simply enjoy soaking up the atmosphere in the pub, it brings communities together like little else.
"That pride was on full display when England hosted UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. It not only showed the best of our nation to the world but inspired a generation of girls into the game, all whilst boosting the economy.
"The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035 on home turf would be another monumental moment in our sporting history, driving growth and leaving a lasting legacy. The FAs’ intention to bid has my government’s full support."
Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport, added: "We know that live sport excites, inspires and changes lives and the FIFA Women’s World Cup represents the pinnacle for women’s football.
"It’s the biggest global sporting event that the UK has never hosted, and we’ve made no secret of our ambition to bring the FIFA Women’s World Cup to the UK. We are excited to explore how we can make this ambition a reality alongside our partners."