A significant milestone was reached today in the preparations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™, with the tournament Match Schedule being unveiled on Thursday 20 August alongside the Play-Off Tournament draw. This initial schedule reveals which matches will be hosted by each of the eight venues, enabling various stakeholders to proceed with preparations for the most biggest women's sporting event on the planet.

The schedule is designed to ensure the world’s best players can take the tournament to new heights, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Dame Sarai Bareman said. At the same time, FIFA is committed to bringing the magic of the tournament to the entire Host Country and its eight vibrant host cities, capturing the incredible energy and passion that make Brazil the home of football.

The 10th edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be played from 24 June to 25 July 2027 and is being hosted in South America for the first time, will feature 32 teams from all six confederations, playing a total of 64 matches in eight Host Cities across Brazil: Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo.

“Obviously, one of our key focus points when it comes to building a match schedule is the players, the teams and ensuring they have the best experience, that will allow them to perform at their very best. We want to make sure these players (that are) there to represent their countries... they've got so much on the line. We've got to make it as comfortable as possible for them,” Ms Bareman said.

“We really look at 32 teams across this tournament. The travel distances, how far they're travelling in between games, how much downtime do they have between one match and the next. And, from a sporting perspective, we want it to be fair across all the teams, whilst, at the same time, giving the fans an unforgettable experience, excitement, and a nice even spread across Brazil.”

However, other elements also needed to be considered, such as broadcasting, viewership, logistics and ticketing. The objective is to ensure that tournament operations run as smoothly as possible so the tournament will have the greatest possible impact. “It's a very, very complex exercise, but we're really lucky that we have a, very experienced team driving it.,” Ms Bareman added.

One certainty is that the opening match will take place at the iconic Estadio Maracanã and feature host nation Brazil, providing a huge boost to both the tournament and women’s football in general.

“That opening match in Brazil, in the Maracanã, with the Brazilian team kicking off the tournament is going to be an absolute goosebumps moment,” Ms Bareman said.

“There's nothing that can change someone's opinion about women's football more than seeing 70,000 fans in a stadium going absolutely crazy for a women's football match, and seeing the athletes performing at the highest level on the field. If there was ever a moment that we're going to push the needle forward for the women's game in Brazil, it will be at that opening match in the Maracanã.”