Women's World Cup to feature 32 teams from 2023, say FIFA

Paris  - The Women's World Cup will be expanded from 24 to 32 teams at the 2023 edition in an effort to "foster the growth of women's football", FIFA said Wednesday.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had already said that he was determined to push ahead with plans to expand the World Cup in time for the next tournament after hailing France 2019 as "the best ever".

"The astounding success of this year's World Cup made it very clear that this is the time to keep the momentum going and take concrete steps to foster the growth of women's football," Infantino said.

"I am glad to see this proposal -- the first of several -- becoming a reality."

The 2019 final was won by the United States although the 24-team tournament featured a few lopsided scores in the group stage, notably the Americans' 13-0 thrashing of Thailand.

On Wednesday, the FIFA Council unanimously agreed to a proposal to expand the number of teams taking part.

FIFA has yet to select a host for the 2023 World Cup. The nine candidates are Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and South Korea, potentially with North Korea.