Minneapolis hoping to host Women's World Cup games in 2031
FIFA World Cup fandom filled Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis Friday, the first of several watch parties scheduled for the location during the tournament.
But five years from now, there's a good chance those fans could watch the highest level of soccer in person instead of on a big screen.
"We're super excited about the opportunity to potentially welcome the (FIFA) Women's World Cup to Minnesota in 2031," said Matt Meunier, the executive vice president of development and tourism with Minnesota Sports and Events. The organization is working with U.S. Soccer to make Minneapolis one of the host cities for the women's s tournament in 2031.
Meunier said about 28 cities submitted their interest to U.S. Soccer as part of the bidding process. Minneapolis was chosen as one of the 14 finalists. The games would be played at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"It's a joint bid between U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. And that bid will officially get blessed by FIFA probably sometime this November or December," Meunier said.
U.S. Bank Stadium is no stranger to massive sporting events. It hosted the Super Bowl in 2018, the Men's NCAA Final Four in 2019 and will host the NFL Draft in 2028.
"We do large-scale events really well, but women's events do particularly well in this market," Meunier said. "We feel like the Women's World Cup would be a perfect fit for our community and culture."
Sara Oxborough brought her son and his friend to the watch party. They're also planning to attend a World Cup match later this month in Kansas City, the closest host city to Minneapolis. The thought of potentially staying in-state in 2031 to see the biggest tournament in women's soccer has her thrilled.
"Oh my god, it would be so amazing. I grew up playing soccer. I still play soccer. We call ourselves an 'old ladies league.' It would be fun to get with my girls," she said. "We've come to see when (US Women's Soccer) played at Minnesota United stadium when they played friendly matches, that was cool. But to see a team that dominates in the World Cup on home court would be amazing."
Meunier said the main hurdle that could prevent the Women's World Cup from landing in Minnesota is funding. While corporate partnerships are ready to step up, he said there's no guarantee Minneapolis or the state of Minnesota will help foot the bill.
"It's going to be our responsibility at Minnesota Sports and Events over the course of the next year or two to make sure that we bring this thing home and that we are a participant in the 2031 rather than just a spectator like we are now for the men's (tournament)," said Meunier.
