EASTER Road in Edinburgh could host a handful of games at the 2035 Women’s World Cup as part of a joint bid between England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
The UK has not been officially confirmed as the host country yet but, as the sole bidder for the tournament, it is likely that it will win the bid.
Glasgow’s Hampden Park and Edinburgh’s Easter Road have been earmarked as host stadia for the tournament, with Hibs’ Leith home potentially hosting six games, and the council has begun making plans.
It is unclear at this stage how much the event – which would be comprised, in Edinburgh, of multiple individual games and a fan zone event – will cost but initial estimates from the English FA indicate that Edinburgh can expect £4m in value to be added to the city per game hosted.
The UK’s bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2035 was in the pipeline for most of last year, with an expression of interest submitted to FIFA in March.
Since then, the UK’s bid team (led by the English FA) has engaged with partners in the Scottish Government, UK Sport and other governing bodies, with the City of Edinburgh Council being approached in July last year.
Since then, the council heard a series of private reports assessing the feasibility of the proposal, with the council signing off on the final bid on 18 November 2025.
According to a council report, Edinburgh is now being asked to prove its feasibility as a host city and provide details on how it plans to manage the influx of people and provide a fan zone and coordinate promotion, activation and city operations during the six match days.
The UK Government has promised a financial contribution of 60% to the council’s budget for the event.
The fan zones at the tournament will consist of large screens, stages with live entertainment and food and drink provision.
Leith Links, the Meadows, and Princes Street Gardens have so far been identified as appropriate fan zone locations.
Although the UK is likely to host the tournament, Edinburgh still might not be selected as a host city, as FIFA reserves the right to whittle down the number of host cities from the long list initially submitted.
This information was disclosed in a report which has been prepared for the Finance and Resources Committee on 15 January.
According to figures from the FA, the tournament will bring in £4m of additional value to the city and see millions more raised by the visitor levy, which, by 2035, will be entrenched legislation.
In the report, however, council officers state that the financial benefits will not be the only boon to the city from the tournament: “There exists an opportunity to boost participation in girls’ and women’s football in Edinburgh and Scotland.
“The demographic of women’s football match attendees is much more family-focused and with a higher female audience percentage.
“There is a clear link between positive role models and levels of participation in girls’ and women’s sport, with increasing participation in football being observed across the country, including growth in the professional game.
“Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup will only further this in tandem with the excellent grassroots work being delivered at local girls’ and women’s football clubs across the city.”
Hibs reacted positively to the news of their stadium’s potential inclusion in the tournament.
In a statement following the announcement of the bid in November, Hibs chairman Ian Gordon said: “We are delighted to be part of the UK’s exciting bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“Since my family and I became majority shareholders in Hibernian FC we have been extremely passionate about the development of women’s football.
“As a club we have made huge strides over the last few years and have tried to support the Scotland National Team at Easter Road whenever opportunities arose.
“We are strongly supporting the bid to host the Women’s World Cup and believe a proposal of this kind can leave a lasting legacy on the women’s game.”
The report states that “mega events” such as this one are uncommon in Edinburgh and its hosting would represent a significant undertaking for the council.
A comparison was drawn to the start of the Tour de France, which Edinburgh will host in 2027, but this event would have a much longer timeframe and much higher costs.
However, the UK Government has confirmed a financial contribution of 60% to all host city costs, including 60% of any overspends.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: ““Edinburgh has a proven track record of hosting major international sports events, and we are excited to be part of the bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035™.
“This is a time of real momentum for the women’s game. Our girls’ and women’s football clubs across the city are already doing outstanding work at grassroots level and, by hosting the sport’s biggest tournament, we could take that progress even further.
“More widely, of course, this also has the potential of bringing great economic and social benefits to our city and our residents.”
The Scottish Government has also confirmed a contribution, as yet unspecified, to the total budget.
The City of Edinburgh Council has been approached for comment.
