With one year to go until the start of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™, FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis is promising fans across the globe that they can expect an “incredible party” and “breathtaking football” when the competition makes its debut in South America on 24 June 2027. Celebrations were held across Brazil to start the one-year countdown, while in Miami, Florida a media event was held with the tournament executive team, who are currently in the United States to gain insight into operations at the FIFA World Cup 2026™. “This is an important milestone. In just 12 months, Brazil will welcome the world’s full attention as we deliver the greatest women’s World Cup in history,” Ellis told the attendees at the iconic Freedom Tower, which is currently hosting an exhibition from the FIFA Museum. “The festival atmosphere that we're going to have down there in Brazil. For one month it will be an incredible party, a can’t-miss event. It’s going to be one month of just breathtaking football and excitement and competitiveness. “But we’re also celebrating something much bigger. The momentum of women’s football and the incredible opportunity ahead. Not only for Brazil and South America, but for the women’s game globally. There is no more fitting stage than Brazil to take our sport to new heights,” she added.

The 32-team tournament will be played in eight Host Cities – Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo – with the country’s passionate fans certain to create a memorable atmosphere. “Fourteen teams have already qualified, including the reigning champions, Spain. And three teams from South America: Brazil, Colombia and Argentina. Brazil’s passion for football is unmatched. It is woven into the culture, the identity and the daily lives of millions of people. Next year, that passion will help showcase the very best of women’s football to the world,” said Ellis.

Former Brazil women’s team star Formiga said the tournament had the power to be a transformational event. “I hope this legacy won’t be enjoyed by Brazil alone; we have to think of it as a whole, especially because there are many girls who also dream of putting on their national team’s shirt, who dream of honouring their parents, who dream of honouring their country and wearing the shirt for millions of people,” she said. “I already know how important it is, how much it moves you hearing the national anthem, knowing that you are there, not only for you and your family but also for countless other people. So, I hope that it serves as a great change,” added the midfielder, who made 206 appearances for her country in an illustrious 26-year career with the national team.

Brazil’s Minister of Sport Paulo Henrique Cordeiro said the tournament would be more than just a sports competition but would also have real impact for more equality in society. “We believe that this (FIFA) Women’s World Cup in Brazil will represent a major cultural shift within our society, which will help put women’s football in its rightful place,. That is the legacy we intend to leave behind,” he said. The remaining berths in the tournament will be decided through ongoing qualification competitions, with the final draw, scheduled for later this year, determining the group-stage battles.

But Ellis is already thinking about the legacy that the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 can leave. “What happens in the stadiums will be epic, but the impact after the final shot, the final whistle, that will be the game changer. The halo effect for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil,” she said. “Success will not only be measured by attendance figures, viewership or commercial growth. Success will also be measured by the footprint we leave behind. By the young girl in Brazil who joins her local football team. By the club that invests more in the women’s programme. By the player who signs a life-changing contract with one of the world’s biggest clubs. By the commercial partners that back women’s sports. And by the billions of people around the world who are inspired by what they will see and feel next year in Brazil.”