Maracana to stage Women’s World Cup opener and final in 2027

The Maracana in Rio de Janeiro will host both the opening match and the final of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with Brazil preparing to stage the next edition of the tournament.

The competition will begin at the famous stadium on 24 June 2027 and conclude at the same venue on 25 July. Brazil’s tournament will feature 32 national teams.

FIFA has confirmed the allocation of matches across the eight host cities. Each city will stage at least seven games during the tournament, including a minimum of one fixture from the knockout stages.

Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador will host matches through to the last-16 stage. The quarter-finals will be played in Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo will also stage semi-final matches, while the Maracana has been selected as the venue for the decisive final.

The decision gives the Maracana responsibility for the two most prominent fixtures of the tournament: the opening game, which will launch the competition on 24 June, and the final one month later.

The historic Rio venue will become only the third stadium to have hosted both a men’s and a women’s World Cup final. It will join Rasunda Stadium in Stockholm and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in achieving that distinction.

The eight host cities will therefore share the tournament schedule, with the locations divided according to the stages they will accommodate. Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador will host matches up to and including the last 16, while Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo will be involved in the quarter-final programme.

The semi-finals will be split between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro before the tournament returns to the Maracana for the final.

The 2027 edition will be the next staging of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and will be held in Brazil with a 32-team field. The confirmed dates place the opening fixture and the final at the same stadium, giving the Maracana a central role throughout the competition.

Its selection also means Rio de Janeiro will host matches from the later stages in addition to the tournament’s opening fixture and final. Sao Paulo will likewise stage matches at several points in the competition, including one of the semi-finals.

The tournament schedule confirmed by FIFA ensures that every one of the eight host cities will have a role, while the Maracana will provide the setting for the competition’s first and last matches.