Plans to increase Windsor Park capacity to 23,750 part of Women's World Cup bid

The planned redevelopment of Windsor Park to enable the stadium to host games at the 2035 Women's World Cup includes proposals to increase the stadium's capacity to 23,750, according to a Fifa report.A joint bid to host the tournament has been submitted by the Football Association (FA), the Irish Football Association (IFA), the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the Football Association of Wales (FAW).The UK-wide bid is the only one put forward to host the tournament and is therefore set to be ratified at the Extraordinary Fifa Congress on 23 November.Belfast's Windsor Park is the only stadium from Northern Ireland nominated as part of the bid, but in order to comply with the Fifa proposal that it could host games up until the quarter-final stage, the capacity of the venue must be increased from the current 18,500 capacity.The Fifa report said that "further redevelopment is planned, including the increase in capacity" of Windsor Park up to 23,750 by 2035."These works are expected to enhance the stadium's suitability as a modern international venue," the report continued."The stadium authority has committed to implementing the necessary upgrades to achieve compliance with the minimum requirements."Alongside the increase in capacity, other parts of the planned redevelopment to Windsor Park include the installation of "a hybrid‑grass system with tournament‑compliant field‑of‑play dimensions" and "an upgrade of the floodlighting system".The IFA have been contacted for comment.The stadium was last redeveloped in 2015, when the IFA received £28.75m from the Northern Ireland Executive to bring the seating capacity up to 18,500.Plans for Northern Ireland to host matches during Euro 2028 fell through after the government said it would not provide funding to redevelop Casement Park in time for the tournament.Windsor Park is one of 19 stadiums that feature in the joint bid for the 2035 World Cup, with 14 based in England, two in Scotland and two in Wales.The English based stadiums included in the bid are: Villa Park, The Amex, Ashton Gate, Elland Road, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Emirates Stadium, Selhurst Park, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wembley, Etihad Stadium, St James' Park, City Ground, Stadium of Light and Old Trafford.Easter Road and Hampden Park are the two Scottish stadiums put forward, with Cardiff City Stadium and Principality Stadium the two Welsh venues.Brazil will host the 2027 Women's World Cup, while the 2031 tournament will take place in Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico and the United States.That tournament will be expanded to include 48 teams for the first time, up from 32.