Japan says 'very disappointing' as 2031 World Cup hopes torpedoed

Japan's football chief said on Thursday it was "very disappointing" after Fifa torpedoed his country's hopes of hosting the 2031 Women's World Cup.

Football's world governing body said on Wednesday that bids for the 2031 tournament would be limited to countries from North America and Africa, with the 2035 event going to either Europe or Africa.

Japan Football Association president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto told AFP in an interview last year that Japan wanted to host the 2031 event to "raise the value of women's football here".

Japan, who won the Women's World Cup in 2011, must now wait until 2039 at the earliest before they can host the tournament for the first time.

"For us, who were aiming to host the 2031 Women's World Cup, this is very disappointing news," Miyamoto said in a statement.

"But this decision doesn't change our aim to widen the spread of women's football, increase the playing population and raise the level of the women's game in Japan."

Miyamoto, who captained his country at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, had told AFP that Japan wanted to use the 2031 tournament to close the gap on Europe and North America.

Japan's women have not gone beyond the World Cup quarterfinals since they lost to the US in the 2015 final.

Miyamoto said Japan would consider a bid for the 2039 tournament and beyond.

"To everyone associated with the game in this country, let's move forward together," he said.

The 2027 Women's World Cup will be held in Brazil.