SOUTH Africa have pulled out of the contest to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, citing fears they would have to deliver a “rushed presentation” to FIFA next month.

The deadline for submitting comprehensive plans for the tournament is December 8 and South African officials believe it would be wiser to try and host the following edition in 2031.

“We felt it was better to present a well-prepared bid for 2031… rather than producing a rushed presentation,” said South African Football Association chief executive Lydia Monyepao.

The withdrawal of South Africa reduces the 2027 contest to three bids – joint ones by Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany and Mexico and the United States, and one from Brazil.

A FIFA congress on May 17 next year will decide which bid succeeds and follows co-hosts Australia and New Zealand in staging the increasingly popular four-yearly tournament.

Spain are the reigning champions, having defeated England 1-0 in a final watched by a crowd of 75,784 in Sydney last August. – AFP, November 26, 2023.