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Could Nashville host 2031 Women's World Cup? What FIFA president Gianni Infantino said
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- Could Nashville host 2031 Women's World Cup? What FIFA president Gianni Infantino said
This summer's FIFA Club World Cup could set the stage for another marquee soccer tournament in Nashville .
The United States is set to host the 2031 Women's World Cup after FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced last week that the U.S. was the sole bidder. Infantino, who visited Nashville on Tuesday to promote the Club World Cup, said that Nashville could be a candidate to host games during the Women's World Cup.
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"We want to play the Women's World Cup in only the best cities, the best stadiums," Infantino said. "It's clear that what we will organize this summer with the Club World Cup will have an impact on our decision on which cities will be the hosts in 2031."
What Nashville SC said about hosting 2031 Women's World Cup
Nashville SC vice chairman Ian Ayre said the club "absolutely" has interest in bringing the Women's World Cup to Nashville, and that this summer — during which Geodis Park will host three Club World Cup games — might play a big role in making that happen.
"With the NFL Draft and Stanley Cup and Leagues Cup Final and now (the Club World Cup), the city consistently shows that if you bring an event to Nashville, Nashville will show up," Ayre said. "The party will happen, and everyone have a great time. The more that the world sees that of Nashville, I think the greater the opportunities will be."
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Geodis Park, Nashville SC's home stadium, is owned by the city and operated by NSC. Its capacity of 30,109 makes it the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and Canada.
Nashville made a bid to host the 2026 Men's World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico , with Nissan Stadium as the venue, but was not selected as one of the 16 host cities — 10 in the U.S. and three apiece in Canada and Mexico.
Geodis opened just weeks before the hosts for 2026 were announced. It falls short of FIFA's 40,000-seat requirement for the Men's World Cup but meets the 20,000-seat requirement to host Women's World Cup matches.
Jul 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Geodis Park during pre-game at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Titans are currently building a replacement for Nissan Stadium , which is scheduled to open in 2027 and seat 60,000.
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"Those things often come down to what size and demand (FIFA) expects," Ayre said. "Is 30,000 seats the right sweet spot for a sellout game in the Women's World Cup group stages? Is the new Titans Nissan Stadium the right venue? Is it both? Could we be hosting smaller games and bigger games? I think all of those things will be on the table."
The 2031 Women's World Cup will be the first with an expanded field of 48 teams, up from 32 in 2023 and the planned 2027 tournament in Brazil . The United States, which hosted the World Cup in 1999 and 2003, will be the primary host but other nations in North America are expected to join.
What is the Club World Cup?
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled for June 14-July 13 in the United States. It's the first under a brand-new, 32-team format resembling the international World Cup. The tournament will include champions and top teams from around the world, including Bayern Munich , Chelsea , Juventus , Manchester City , Paris Saint-German and Real Madrid .
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Geodis is one of 12 venues for the Club World Cup and will host three group-stage matches: ES Tunis vs. a team TBD on June 20, Auckland City vs. Boca Juniors on June 24 and Al Hilal vs. Pachuca on June 26.
Leon was scheduled to face ES Tunis before being removed from the tournament in March, as Leon and Pachuca are owned by the same group in violation of FIFA rules. A hearing on Leon's status is scheduled for May 5, and if its expulsion is upheld, Infantino said the most likely scenario is a playoff game between Los Angeles FC and Club America to replace them.
Infantino was joined by Ayre, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, Nashville SC general manager Mike Jacobs and chief business officer Lindsey Paola, former U.S. women's national team coach Jill Ellis and retired French midfielder Youri Djorkaeff for Tuesday's event at Geodis. Representatives from the offices of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Sen . Marsha Blackburn were also in attendance.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited Nashville on Tuesday to promote the upcoming Club World Cup, during which Geodis Park will host three matches.
Also on display was the Club World Cup trophy, which consists of a central disc and three outer rings plated with 24-carat gold and engraved with an array of symbols representing the history of soccer as well as all 211 members of FIFA.
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Infantino had plenty of praise for Nashville and Geodis Park, calling the stadium a place where "you can see and feel the energy for the game."
"Nashville is a city that is known all over the world for the music, of course," Infantino said. "And of sport, for soccer also. This is something I was not really aware of before. Then I came here, I visited the facilities, training facilities of the club, state of the art. You can only win with these facilities. A beautiful stadium, the biggest soccer stadium in the United States of America. Great crowd, great fans. It has really everything that the fans want."
Nashville has hosted both the United States men's and women's national teams in the past two years, and will host the USMNT 's friendly against Switzerland on June 10. Nashville was also one of five finalists for a National Women's Soccer League franchise last fall, with a bid led by sports agent Lonnie Murray, but ultimately lost out to Denver.
MORE: Nashville SC loses at Charlotte FC, giving up two late goals after Walker Zimmerman injury
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FIFA promises $1 million donation to Nashville
Infantino also announced that FIFA plans to donate $1 million to the city of Nashville with the intention of growing the game in the city and the United States as a whole.
"It will create more following as well," he said. "It's a symbol, it's a sign that we want to do something for the community. One of the things that strikes me still here in North America, and this has to change, is that there are not enough facilities for children to play soccer. ... This is something that we have to do with our responsibility."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Nashville could host the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup
