FIFA announced Tuesday that South Korea and North Korea have formally expressed their interest in co-hosting the 2023 Women's World Cup.
In a press release, FIFA said it has received a record nine expressions of interest for the top global event in women's football.
Joining the Koreas in the ring are Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino holds a soccer ball as he speaks during a press conference after the FIFA Council Meeting, Friday, March 15, 2019, in Miami.(AP) |
The Women's World Cup was first contested in 1991. The eighth edition of the quadrennial tournament will take place in France from June 7 to July 7 this year. Previous hosts were China (twice), Sweden, the United States (twice), Germany and Canada.
FIFA said all interested countries have until April 16 to submit their bidding registration, and the deadline to send the bid book to FIFA is Oct. 4.
FIFA added that it expects to name the host of the 2023 event in March next year.
The possibility of a joint Korean bid for the tournament surfaced on March 4, when FIFA President Gianni Infantino told the Associated Press, "I have been hearing for the Women's World Cup in 2023, the two Koreas. It would be great."
South Korean officials at the time explained that FIFA had first approached them about the joint bid and that they were carefully considering the proposal.
The two Koreas, which remain technically at war because the Korean War ended with an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, are also trying to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics.
(Yonhap)
