Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has revealed that Manchester United's new 100,000-capacity stadium could host matches at the 2035 Women's World Cup.
Britain is almost certain to host its first World Cup since 1966, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirming on Thursday that a four-way plan to stage the women's final in 10 years' time is the only bid still in place.
Bullingham said the four associations would be “really happy” if the finals were expanded to 48 teams, as allowed under FIFA's bidding conditions. This would likely require 16 stadiums, which Bullingham said would allow the tournament to have a greater impact on the four nations.
He noted that the final was “expected to be held at Wembley Stadium” but acknowledged that a decade-long gap could lead to new stadiums being built, including United's new stadium.
“We will negotiate with (United) and find out whether they can participate in this or not,” he told the UEFA Congress in Belgrade on Thursday.
“There are a number of new stadiums being built in this country, maybe Manchester United, maybe Birmingham, and with a 10-year horizon you have to work out exactly where you are going to be by then.
“We're going to have a lot of discussions to understand the timeline for the stadium, what exactly people want, and to put it all together.”
United hope to move into their new £2bn stadium by the 2030-31 season.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already expressed his government's support for the bid, with Bullingham adding that UK government guarantees on taxation and security funding must be provided to FIFA by the end of this month, ahead of a formal bid in November.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
