The United States is going to be the home of the beautiful game for the upcoming years. Starting in early 2025, the red, white, and blue will host the FIFA Club World Cup, followed by the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted with Mexico and Canada. The cherry on top is the 2028 LA Olympics. So, it’s no surprise that they also see themselves as ‘huge proponents’ of expanding the Women’s World Cup.
The US deserves to be in the limelight; just looking at how far they have managed to come is something that should surprise many. As the race among big nations remains to change the course of the very sport loved by billions, US Soccer CEO JT Batson proudly admits that America would love to be the pioneer of something historic on the women’s side of the game.
“We’re actually huge proponents of also expanding the Women’s World Cup,” began the US Soccer CEO, as compiled by CNN. “A World Cup will lead to more and more investment, which (is) going to benefit more and more kids around the world,” he added, assuring the significant change people will get to see in the women’s game. Currently, the upcoming men’s World Cup tournament sees the addition of an extra 16 teams, increasing the typical 32-team tournament to a 48-team tournament.
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With Canada, the USA, and Mexico already qualified as host nations, the other 45 teams will be making their way through regular qualification. The tournament will include 12 groups of four teams, an extra knockout round, and require teams to win more matches to claim the World Cup title. This expansion has significantly increased the total number of matches from 64 to over 104.
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While the USA, along with its fellow two neighboring countries, is gearing up for this exciting expanded format, Batson now wants such to be the case in the women’s game as well. As for the investments, they will surely come knocking at the door considering how remarkably the US Soccer has managed to drive their profits off the charts while contributing to the development of the game.
Onwards and upwards is the only route for US Soccer!
Hosting consecutive prestigious tournaments on home soil is no small feat, as it demands substantial investments. To support these efforts, the USSF reclaimed its commercial rights from Soccer United Marketing (SUM), an MLS-owned agency that had managed them for nearly two decades. Previously, the SUM deal brought the USSF $32 million in commercial revenue. However, for the current financial year ending March 31, projections show a remarkable increase to $110 million ($83 million), reflecting a 243% rise over two years.
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This surge likely boosted the federation’s overall revenue to an impressive $200 million—a substantial figure for a nonprofit organization. With business thriving, the USSF committed $250 million to the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, a state-of-the-art facility spanning 200 acres near Atlanta. Of this total, $200 million was raised through a bond issue that generated $3.2 billion in interest and sold out in just nine minutes, while Arthur M. Blank contributed the remaining $50 million.
Additionally, American businesswoman Michele Kang recently donated $30 million to U.S. Soccer, specifically to advance the women’s program. In short, the States looks to be devoted in their desperate bid to be the pioneers of bringing revolution to the game.
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