Women's World Cup: Northern Ireland in line to host 2035 event

Northern Ireland could have taken a step closer to hosting the 2035 Women's World Cup.

That's after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the home nations had the 'one valid bid' for the finals.

The Irish FA, along with the associations of England, Scotland and Wales, announced last month they would submit a joint expression of interest in hosting the finals in 10 years' time.

The deadline for initial expressions of interest passed on Monday.

“It is great news that the home nations are the sole bidder for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035," said IFA Chief Executive Patrick Nelson.

“We look forward to hosting games at the tournament and playing our part in what I have no doubt will be a fantastic tournament.

“There’s still a lot of hard work to be done along with our partners in bringing it all together, however this will be a brilliant opportunity to show the world what Northern Ireland and Belfast have to offer.”

Speaking at the UEFA Congress in Belgrade, Infantino stated: "We received one bid for 2031 and one bid - one valid bid I should add - for 2035.

"The 2035 bid is from Europe, from the home nations."

Spain's Federation President Rafael Louzan announced last week that his country intended to bid alongside Portugal and Morocco, but Infantino's comments suggest that initial expression of interest hasn't arrived, with the UK bid now the only one being considered.

It's believed the capacity of the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park would need to be increased by around 1,500 seats in order to host matches at the tournament.