The Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB/URBSFA/KBFV) has denied that it will bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup after world football’s governing body Fifa announced that it had expressed interest in hosting rights to the expanded tournament.
Fifa issued a statement yesterday (Monday) highlighting the fact that the KBVB/URBSFA/KBFV had joined the list of member associations interested in staging the next Women’s World Cup following last month’s decision by the ruling Fifa Council to expand the tournament from 24 to 32 teams.
Fifa stressed Belgium’s expression of interest came after this decision, meaning it joined Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and a proposed joint bid from North and South Korea.
The KBVB/URBSFA/KBFV has not made an official statement on the matter, but told Belgian news agency Belga that the association has no intention of bidding for the 2023 tournament and was simply seeking further information on the bidding process for a potential future bid.
“What is correct is that we asked for information on the terms of reference, the criteria for application and the needs for such an organisation, but for information purposes only and certainly not for the 2023 edition,” Van Loock said. “If we were to apply, it would be for a later edition, but it is much too early.”
Fifa said all 10 member associations have received the overview of the bidding process, including updated high-level hosting requirements, and will have until September 2 to confirm their participation.
