On Wednesday, President Lula da Silva stated that he hopes the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) will allow Brazil to host the 2027 Women's World Cup, an event also sought after by the United States, Mexico, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
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During a cabinet meeting, Lula requested Sports Minister Andre Luiz de Carvalho to utilize his "negotiation skills" to persuade FIFA that Brazil is "better" than other bids.
He believes that hosting the World Cup would help "build a positive image" of Brazil globally, especially after the four-year tenure of Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), during which the country withdrew from some multilateral organizations.
"I traveled a lot in 2023 because it was necessary to restore Brazil's image abroad," said Lula, who will mark one year in office on January 1, 2024.
Brazil has proposed Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador, Cuiaba, and Manaus as potential venues for the World Cup.
FIFA will conduct on-site inspections of each country's venues starting in February, 2024. Subsequently, the Federation will prepare a report and hold a vote on May 17 at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok.
The latest edition of the Women's World Cup took place this year in Australia and New Zealand, where the Spanish team emerged champion.
Although Brazil has participated in all nine editions of the Women's World Cup to date, its team has never won the trophy. Notably, the Brazilian team features forward Marta Vieira Da Silva, a six-time recipient of the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award.