FIFA 2.0, FIFA Women’s Football Strategy, and the bid process for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: a new hope

This chapter interrogates the unique ways in which FIFA 2.0 shaped, influenced, and set the stage for the 2023 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Women's World Cup (2023 FWWC) event bidding. In this chapter, we take up Allison and Tomlinson's (2017) call to contextualise and interrogate the role of sporting international non-governmental organisations (SINGOs) in hosting international sport events (ISEs). Building on previous explorations of 2023 FWWC bidding process, the chapter explores the unique ways in which FIFA controls the bid process and resultant “product” for 2023 FWWC. More specifically, we explore how post-scandal FIFA reforms and strategic changes have shaped and impacted the bidding process for 2023 FWWC, exploring what the “new” “FIFA 2.0” might mean for future FIFA Women's World Cups (FWWCs) and the future of women's football. Based on an analysis of official FIFA documents, technical reports, and governance documents, we examine how the reform-based agenda of FIFA 2.0 influenced the politics and strategy adopted in bidding to host 2023 FWWC. We find that despite FIFA 2.0 reforms, to promote greater transparency, accountability, and a self-described objective bid analysis, FIFA was still able to largely control, direct, and influence the bid products and processes for 2023 FWWC.