FIFA has wanted to expand the women’s tournament from 32 teams to match the men’s World Cup which has 48 teams for the first time next year.

The women's World Cup will be expanded from 32 to 48 teams from the 2031 edition onwards after world soccer's governing body FIFA said its Council approved the proposal at a virtual meeting on Friday.

The expansion of the Women’s World Cup is set to come in for the 2031 tournament, which the United States is hosting. It was most recently increased from 24 teams to 32 in July 2019, following the tournament in France that year, with this coming into effect for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which was won by Spain.