Soccer-England, Scotland, Wales, N.Ireland submit joint bid for 2035 Women's World Cup

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have submitted a joint bid to host the Women's World Cup in 2035 in what the Home Nations described as the largest single-sport event ever staged in the UK and the first World Cup there since 1966.

The bid outlines plans for 22 stadiums across 16 host cities, including 16 venues in England, three in Wales, two in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland. 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in April that the UK was the "one valid bid" for the finals, with the four nations announcing a month earlier that they would submit a joint bid.

The tournament will involve 104 matches contested by 48 teams over 39 days, with 48 team base camp training sites, 82 venue-specific training sites and 32 fan-festival sites.

The four federations said that with 63 million people living within two hours of a proposed venue, it would be the most accessible World Cup tournament ever.

England's men won the World Cup for the first and so far only time when the country hosted the finals in 1966.

PRIME MINISTER STARMER BACKS BID

Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the bid, calling it a chance to build on the success of England's women's team, who are back-to-back European champions, and inspire the next generation.

“Our bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup shows the UK’s passion for football,” he said.

“The Lionesses’ success has inspired girls across our country, and we’ll build on that momentum by welcoming millions of football fans from around the world to a tournament that will benefit communities and businesses in host cities up and down the UK."

Organisers project 4.5 million ticket sales and a global TV audience of 3.5 billion.

"We are proud of the growth that we’ve driven in recent years across the women’s and girls’ game, but there is still so much more growth to come, and this event will play a key role in helping us deliver that," the four federations said in a statement.

"Working together with FIFA, a Women’s World Cup in the UK has the power to turbocharge the women’s and girls’ game  both in the UK and globally."

The football federations of the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica announced last month a joint bid to host the 2031 Women's World Cup, the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams, with a final decision expected in April.

If successful, it would be the first Women's World Cup staged across four countries. Brazil are set to host the 2027 global women's tournament.

Manchester United, in collaboration with Trafford Council, hope to be among the 16 hosts in England, saying they aim to have their new Old Trafford stadium completed in time.

"Our ambition is to build a new 100,000 seater stadium fit to host the biggest international football games," United's Chief Operating Officer Collette Roche said.

"We also want to be a leader in the growth of women's football, in our own neighbourhood and around the world."

(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)