By CNN
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The Women’s World Cup will be held in South America for the first time after Brazil won the right to host the 2027 tournament, soccer’s governing body FIFA announced on Thursday.
The announcement was made at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, with the selection process decided by an open vote for the first time.
Brazil’s bid won 119 votes, FIFA said, while a joint bid from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany (‘BNG’) received 78.
The United States and Mexico had initially entered a joint bid, but withdrew it in April, stating that they would instead focus on hosting the tournament in 2031.
“Congratulations to Brazil,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “We will have the best World Cup in Brazil.”
Brazil has hosted the men’s World Cup in 1950 and 2014.
“We knew we would be celebrating a victory for South American women’s soccer and world soccer for women,” said Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, per FIFA. “You can be sure, with no vanity, we will accomplish the best World Cup for women.”
The 2027 World Cup will be the 10th edition of the tournament. Spain won the competition in 2023 – which saw the field increase from 24 teams to 32 – defeating England 1-0 in the final.
The United States is the only country to have hosted the tournament more than once and has also won the competition a record four times.
FIFA described the bidding process as the “most comprehensive ever.” The governing body said it had established a Bid Evaluation Task Force that followed the scoring system model used to select the location for the 2023 World Cup, which was eventually awarded to Australia and New Zealand.
Both bids met the necessary criteria to be selected, though Brazil scored higher when it came to infrastructure, such as stadiums, accommodation, fan zones and transport, FIFA said. It also scored higher on a risk assessment.
There will be no shortage of talent on the pitch in 2027, though Brazil will be without one of its greatest players.
Marta, who has appeared at six World Cups, announced in April that she would retire from the sport this year. The 38-year-old is Brazil’s all-time record goalscorer, male or female, with 115 goals.
