Stay Updated on Developing Stories

Women's World Cup: South and North Korea interested in hosting tournament

Story highlights
  • South and North Korea register interest
  • Record nine countries admit submissions

(CNN) South Korea and North Korea have expressed an interest in jointly bidding to host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

A record nine countries have told football's governing body they want to host the tournament.

Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa have formally declared their interest, while the Korean Football Association and the DPR Korea Football Association have also suggested they could bid, according to FIFA.

Each football association has until April 16, 2019 to submit its bidding registration to FIFA.

North and South Korea are planning to compete as a unified team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and are bidding to co-host the 2032 Summer Games.

READ: When North & South Korea unified on the ice

Sport has provided many symbolic moments over the last year in the continued rapprochement between two countries still technically at war.

Athletes from North and South Korea marched under a unified flag at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, and in ice hockey the women competed as a unified team, helping ease tensions on the peninsular.

Visit CNN.com/Sport for more news, features and videos

In May 2018, North and South Korea were due to play each other in the quarterfinals of table tennis' world team championships in Sweden, but instead of going head-to-head they came together as a team, going on to lose to Japan in the semifinal.

The 2019 Women's World Cup takes place in France from June 7 to July 7.

Outbrain