UK nations to submit joint bid to host 2035 Women's World Cup

Spain won the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand

The Football Associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have said they intend to submit a joint bid to host the 2035 Women's World Cup.

It follows a decision by Fifa, the organisation that runs international football, to recommend that the 2035 tournament is hosted in Europe or Africa.

Fifa will decide who will host the 2031 and 2035 World Cups in 2026.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said if it was successful it would be a "monumental moment in our nation's sporting history".

Brazil was named as the host of the 2027 Women's World Cup in May last year beating a joint bid from Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.

A planned joint bid for the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup from the United States and Mexico is expected only to face competition from Africa as Fifa has already ruled Europe out of the running.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the bid would have the UK government's full support.

"Football is and always will be at the core of our country's identity," he said.

"That pride was on full display when England hosted the 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."

While England hosted a men's World Cup in 1966, the UK has never hosted the women's tournament.