The DFB is applying to host the Women’s World Cup in 2027, but not entirely on its own.
The bid is being made together with the Dutch and Belgian associations. This was officially announced by the DFB on Monday morning. It has not yet been decided when a decision will be made on the venue for the 2027 World Cup. However, the three nations have already presented their plan to FIFA and UEFA in recent weeks.
“Women’s football is known worldwide for its strong sense of community,” the trio wrote about their bid: “All players have the bigger picture in mind. And that takes the sport to the next level on and off the pitch. The fact that we, as rivals and good neighbours, see this as our common project is in line with this idea. Although the development of women’s football is at different stages in our countries, we share the ambition to give the sport a huge boost nationally and internationally. We firmly believe that this special piece of teamwork will make the difference and increase our chances of hosting this tournament. “
Germany joins Netherlands – Keller knows about hurdles
The “face” of Germany’s bid delegation is former national coach Silvia Neid, who coached the German women’s team from 2005 to 2016, becoming world champion (2007), European champion (2009, 2013) and Olympic champion (2016). Femke Maes (Belgium) and Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands) are also figureheads of the campaign.
“It is with great pleasure that we have followed the request of our Dutch friends and we will commit ourselves wholeheartedly to this project,” says DFB President Fritz Keller. “We know how high the hurdles are until you get the nod to host such a tournament. However, our organisational experience, the strength of our new DFB and the prospect of international cooperation allow us to look to the future with optimism. “
The Netherlands’ wish had already been known since 2018
The only Women’s World Cup on German soil so far took place in 2011. At that time, the German women entered the tournament as defending champions, but were knocked out in the quarter-finals by eventual world champions Japan (0:1 after extra time). Germany hosted the European Women’s Championship in 1989 and 2001.
The Netherlands did not host the European Championship until 2017. The Oranje team somewhat surprisingly beat Denmark in the final and won the title in their own country. Under the then national coach Steffi Jones, the DFB women also lost in the quarter-finals – 1:2 to Denmark.
The Dutch association had already announced in 2018 that it wanted to bring the Women’s World Cup 2027 to its own country. Now they want to do it together with Belgium and Germany.