The United Kingdom is set to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup as the only “valid” bidder for the tournament, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

A joint bid was submitted in March by England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, proposing to stage the tournament across the four home nations in 10 years time.

FIFA’s hosting rotation rules require the competition to be held in either Europe or Africa for that edition.

Last week, Rafael Louzan, president of Spain’s football federation, indicated that Spain was exploring a joint bid with Portugal and Morocco.

However, with the deadline for declarations of interest now closed, Infantino has confirmed that the UK’s submission is the only official bid for 2035. Meanwhile, the United States remain the frontrunner to host the 2031 tournament.

“Today I can confirm as part of the bidding process that we received one bid for 2031 and one valid bid for 2035,” Infantino announced at a UEFA congress in Belgrade.

The UK is set to host the 2035 women’s World Cup after submitting the only bid 🏆 pic.twitter.com/vhtDH0SPkh

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“The 2031 bid is the United States of America and potentially some other CONCACAF members, and the 2035 bid is from Europe and the home nations.

“So the path is there for the Women’s World Cup in 2031 and 2035 to take place in some great nations and further boost the women’s football movement.”

Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the FA, was delighted at the news.

He added: “We are honoured to be the sole bidder for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035. The hard work starts now to put together the best possible bid by the end of the year.”

Sarina Wiegman, head coach of the Lionesses, said: “We know from the experience of the Euros [in 2022] how big the game is already here and what the momentum did in the country. Another tournament on an even bigger stage would be incredible and give another boost to the game.”

Formal bids must be submitted this winter, with FIFA set to confirm the hosts through a vote at its 2026 congress.

Infantino also revealed that the 2031 Women’s World Cup will expand to 48 teams, up from the 32 teams planned for the 2027 edition.

If confirmed, the 2035 tournament would mark the second time a World Cup has been held in the UK, following the 1966 men’s tournament in England.