No less than four months after Banyana Banyana defeated hosts Morocco to win their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, South African Football Federation (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan announced in October last year the country’s intention to bid for the rights to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
It has been nearly 13 years since the first men’s FIFA World Cup on African soil in South Africa in 2010, and the bidding process is officially in motion to bring the prestigious women’s competition to the continent.
Since the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991, Asia, Europe and North America have hosted the tournament on more than one occasion, with Africa and South America still not having had a taste at staging the event.
Meanwhile, Oceania will see the 2023 edition of the tournament take place in July and August, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
List of Women’s World Cup host nations:
| Country | Year |
| China | 1991 |
| Sweden | 1995 |
| United States | 1999 |
| United States | 2003 |
| China | 2007 |
| Germany | 2011 |
| Canada | 2015 |
| France | 2019 |
| Australia and New Zealand | 2023 |
So far, SAFA’s efforts have garnered the resounding endorsement of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa).
Cosafa consists of 14 African nations, which means 24% of the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) 54 association members are already in South Africa’s corner.
“Our intention is to engage all the other regions on the continent and tell them about our intention to bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027. But we wanted to start at home, and after the other regions on the continent, we will engage CAF,” Jordaan said on the official SAFA website.
On Monday, Jordaan departed for CAF’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, to brief the continent’s leading football body on South Africa’s intention to bid for the World Cup.
A veteran in leading bid campaigns for global sporting events, Jordaan was appointed as director of Cape Town’s Olympic bid in 1992 and targeted the 2004 Summer Olympics. Although Athens in Greece emerged victorious, the experience provided valuable lessons.
In 1997, immediately after the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision, Jordaan jumped ship and accepted the role of SAFA CEO. He had a mission and spearheaded South Africa’s ambitious bid for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but the world football governing body in 2000 elected Germany instead.
Undeterred, Jordaan led the successful bid for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Now, the 71-year-old SAFA boss finds himself again embarking on the bid trail.
“Hosting the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will accelerate the professionalisation of women’s football in South Africa,” said Jordaan to SAFA’s website.
“Our bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup received a major boost after the endorsement of Cosafa and, in discussions this week, we want to ensure that we go to all the zones on the continent and finally endorsement for the bid by CAF.”
Bidding process
Within the intricacies of the bidding process lies a constellation of key dates, each holding the potential to shape the outcome of FIFA’s decision in the end.
These key milestones mark the turning points where alliances are sealed as the voting process will determine each nations fate.
South Africa, on the back of 2010’s success, will have a backlog of evidence about why the country is best suited for the women’s tournament in 2027.
FIFA launched the official bidding process on 23 March, 2023, and nations had just under a month to confirm their interest in hosting the coveted event.
SAFA submitted their “expression of interest” to FIFA in April, confirming South Africa wants to stage the World Cup.
In the middle of May, SAFA filed their “bidding agreement” alongside Brazil, a joint bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, while Mexico and the United States also joined forces for the right to host.
FIFA is revolutionising the bidding process for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 with a series of innovative enhancements. One of these notable additions is the inclusion of a bid workshop and observer programme.
Set to take place in August 2023, this workshop serves as a platform for bidding member associations to engage in fruitful discussions with FIFA. It allows them to exchange crucial information about the requirements, bid content and initial concepts, enabling them to prepare robust and compelling bids.
Moreover, the workshop offers a unique chance for associations to witness first-hand the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 delivery in Australia and New Zealand, gaining valuable insight and experience.
Bidding member associations are required to submit their bids to FIFA by the deadline of 8 December 2023. Following the submission phase, FIFA will embark on a meticulous evaluation process that includes on-site inspection visits to each bidding nation.
Experts will thoroughly assess the bids, considering various factors such as infrastructure, facilities, logistical capabilities, and the overall vision presented by the bidding nations.
The culmination of this evaluation will be the publication of a comprehensive Bid Evaluation Report in May 2024. This report will outline FIFA’s findings and assessments, providing transparency and valuable feedback to the bidding member associations.
Anticipation builds as the final stage approaches, with the host(s) appointment for the World Cup expected to occur in the second quarter (1 April – 30 June) of 2024.
A soft date of 17 May 2024 has been identified by FIFA for the announcement.
