October 19 – Chicago has entered the race to host matches at the 2031 Women’s World Cup, eight years after dropping out of the men’s tournament under FIFA terms.
The United States are the leading partners with Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica in the sole bid for the first 48-team women’s tournament. The bid book, presented in November 2025, listed 27 potential US cities. Chicago and Portland were not among them, but have since sent documentation to US Soccer, which will pass it on to FIFA.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2031 is a huge opportunity,” Kara Bachman, executive director of the Chicago Sports Commission, told The Athletic. “In Chicago, we have great advocates for women’s sports, including Chicago Stars owner Laura Ricketts. In Chicago, we will always seek to make the conditions fair and a good value for the people of our city.”
Venues could include the 61,500-capacity Soldier Field and McDonald’s Park, the Chicago Fire’s 22,000-seat stadium set to open in 2028. FIFA is weighing whether to use only NFL stadiums or a combination that includes soccer-specific grounds.
In 2018, then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel pulled Chicago out of the 2026 race, saying taxpayers would not be “the dumb money on the table.” He objected to a clause allowing FIFA to demand a dome over Soldier Field. “I said there’s no way you’re going to make me direct a $50 million to $100 million expense to the taxpayers,” he said.
Sources say the city now feels it should fight for major events under the right conditions, including the 2031 women’s and 2033 men’s Rugby World Cups.
US host cities want better terms than in 2026, when disputes arose over the costs of transport and fan festivals. They have raised FIFA’s “clean stadium” demands, which require the removal of sponsor branding inside and outside venues. Removing foreign naming rights alone cost some cities nearly $500,000.
Approval of FIFA’s bid was due at its congress on April 30 but was delayed, with sources citing concerns from the city over hosting obligations. It is now scheduled to take place at its extraordinary congress on November 23.
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