FIFA releases schedule for 2027 Women’s World Cup

FIFA has released the official match schedule for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, confirming the dates and venues for all 64 matches across eight host cities.

The schedule was unveiled on Thursday at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, during the live draw for the preliminary phase of the Women’s World Cup 2027 Play-Off Tournament.

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Hosts Brazil will kick off the tournament at the iconic Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, June 24. They will then play their remaining group-stage matches at Arena Itaquera in São Paulo on June 29 and the Estádio Nacional in Brasília on July 4.

Each of the eight host cities will stage at least seven matches, including at least one knockout fixture.

Brasília, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador will host matches through the Round of 16, while Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza will join Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo as quarter-final venues.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the tournament would provide an opportunity to showcase the continued growth of women’s football while bringing fans and local communities into the centre of the event.

“We can’t wait to witness a new chapter of women’s football history unfold when the world’s best players, coaches, fans and local communities take centre stage in Brazil next year,” Infantino said.

The schedule builds towards the final in Rio de Janeiro. São Paulo will host one semi-final and the bronze-medal match, while the other semi-final and the final will be played at the Maracanã.

FIFA Fan Festivals will also be held across the host cities, allowing supporters to experience the tournament outside the stadiums.

FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, Dame Sarai Bareman, said the schedule was designed to balance sporting fairness with the needs of supporters.

“As we developed the match schedule, we carefully balanced sporting fairness across all 32 teams, considering travel distances, recovery time between matches and the overall competition experience,” Bareman said.

The Maracanã will also make history as only the third stadium to host both a men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup final.

It joins the former Råsunda Stadium in Solna, Sweden, which hosted the 1958 men’s and 1995 women’s finals, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, United States, which staged the 1994 men’s and 1999 women’s finals.

Aline Pellegrino, former Brazil women’s national team captain and executive director of Legacy and Stakeholder Affairs for the tournament, said hosting the competition was a source of pride for the country.

“Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil is a source of immense pride,” Pellegrino said. “Next year, we will see people from across Brazil and around the world come together to celebrate women’s football in a country renowned for its love of the game.”

The release of the schedule allows fans to begin planning their trips, while host cities and other stakeholders continue preparations for the tournament.

FIFA said an updated schedule would be released after the final draw, which is expected to take place later this year.