The World Cup is coming back to Brazil, which has new political goals for it

Ten years after hosting the men’s football World Cup in 2014, Brazil was chosen on May 17 to hold the women’s World Cup in 2027, the first time the tournament will travel to South America. With a campaign entitled “It’s All Ready,” the Brazilian candidacy highlighted that the country already has all the infrastructure it needs to host the tournament. 

This is a reference to the works done in preparation for the 2014 World Cup, which also began to be organized during one of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s terms as Brazilian president. Indeed, Brazil’s women’s football championship, created in 2017, is itself part of the 2014 World Cup legacy program. 

Brazil’s experience with major sporting events also includes the Pan-American Games in 2007, the Olympic Games in 2016, and the Copa America in 2019 and 2021.

The 2027 tournament, however, will be a different prospect. “Unlike the 2014 World Cup, the women’s World Cup in 2027 offers a unique opportunity to promote gender equality in sport,” says Julia Costa, director of women’s football promotion within the Sports Ministry, speaking to The Brazilian Report. 

The volume of expenses and revenue is dwarfed in comparison to the men’s tournament, which is the most-watched sporting competition in the world. 

Forecasts from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) have investments in temporary structures costing USD 13 million in total — less than 10 percent of what was spent for 2014, and public money will not be necessary. Not surprisingly, such estimates are often surpassed when all is...