City sports commission hopeful better terms can be met for hosting 2031 Women's World Cup

Whether Chicago wins the race to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup games could come down to agreeable terms for the city’s venues, according to the head of the Chicago Sports Commission.

Chicago is among more than two dozen cities in the Western Hemisphere with their eyes already set on a shot at hosting matches in 2031. A delegation of FIFA officials will vote on the host countries for the tournament Nov. 23.

No binding documents have been signed, said commission executive director Kara Bachman, though she said Soldier Field is the city's top pick to host in its application. Representatives for the stadium didn’t return requests for comment.

But if Chicago were selected, it would be the city's first World Cup matches since 1999, when it hosted a sold-out crowd of more than 65,000 at Soldier Field for a group-stage match between the U.S. Women’s National Team and Nigeria. Chicago has dropped two bids to host games since then.

Better terms, better chances

Bachman said the city would likely be able to make Soldier Field the “primary venue,” and that "other venues are being explored," but wouldn’t give specifics about if that included venues like SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview or the upcoming Chicago Fire stadium at The 78.

“We won’t know about game allocation until further down the road,” she said.

For now, one of the city’s main considerations is how hosting the Women’s World Cup could impact Soldier Field’s schedule.

Bachman said a main issue for the city is exclusivity clauses. According to FIFA, the soccer organization requires venues to shut down for a set number of days before and after the games for necessary setup and teardown.

Soldier Field's schedule is often packed concerts and other international sporting events through the summer when the tournament would potentially take place. City officials haven't historically been willing to give those events up for tournaments.

These exclusivity clauses played a role in 2018, when then-Mayor Rahm Emmanuel had Chicago drop its bid to host last year’s men’s tournament due to “uncertainty for taxpayers.”

“Ultimately we concluded that while the opportunity to be a World Cup city was very attractive, it wasn't going to work for the terms [in 2018],” Bachman said.

This time, the exclusive use period for tournament venues in 2031 would be 14 days before the first match at the venue and five days after the last match ended, according to a FIFA spokesperson.

That means if Chicago were selected for even a single match, the exclusivity clause would lock Soldier Field down for a minimum of 20 days.

Apply that to the 2027 Women's World Cup, which Brazil alone is hosting. The country's Arena de Pernambuco will see seven games over 13 days, the shortest span among the eight stadiums in use there. Under the 2031 terms, that would put the stadium in FIFA's hands for just over a month.

Bachman said that's still an improvement over the terms the city was offered in 2018 for the 2026 men's games: 30 days prior to the first game and seven days after the last.

“This seems less invasive compared to the [2026] men's World Cup request," Bachman said.

Midwest in the running

FIFA likely won't make a decision on potential host cities for a few years, Bachman said. FIFA declined to confirm a timeline.

But there are strong contenders for the tournament across the Midwest. Among Chicago's regional rivals are Kansas City, Missouri, Cleveland, Columbus, Minneapolis, Detroit and Indianapolis.

Soldier Field, Detroit’s Ford Field, Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field and Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium all have capacity for between 62,000 and 69,000. Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium and Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium have both been expanded beyond 70,000 for special events.

Kansas City stands as one of Chicago’s toughest competitors in the bid for games thanks to its facilities. It has recent World Cup experience, having hosted several games in the 2026 men’s tournament. And the Kansas City Current's two-year-old CPKC Stadium was the first built expressly for women's soccer when it opened for the 2024 season.

Still, with the Fire breaking its seasonal attendance record for the fourth year in a row and the Red Stars holding the NWSL's single-game attendance record, Bachman feels the landscape — especially for women's sports — could make the timing right.

“For Chicago, being as diverse a city as we are that has all the major sports, we would be a tremendous host," Bachman said. "I think there's a great opportunity to work with other U.S cities to put our country on display in a positive way."