The FA is firmly resisting lobbying from Manchester United to nominate a rebuilt Old Trafford as the venue for the 2035 Women’s World Cup final. Collette Roche, the chief executive of United’s New Stadium Development, publicly expressed the club’s aspirations on Tuesday, but the FA remains committed to hosting the final at Wembley.

When submitting its official bid to FIFA last November, the FA designated Wembley as its preferred venue. This decision is unlikely to change, even if Manchester United successfully constructs a new 100,000-seat stadium before the finals.

Key points include:

• The ultimate venue decision will be made by FIFA.
• It would be surprising if FIFA overrules the FA, which is leading the bid.
• This event marks the first time the Women’s World Cup would be staged in the UK, making it the largest sporting event in the country’s history.

Currently, Old Trafford is one of 22 proposed stadiums in the bid, which includes 16 in England, three in Wales, two in Scotland, and one in Northern Ireland. Should the new stadium be completed on time, it will replace the current Old Trafford.

The club is still working on securing funding for the project, which could exceed £2 billion, and must also acquire land from Freightliner. Roche emphasized the project’s timely delivery, stating, "We’ve not named a date for opening, but we are on track within those timescales."

Andy Burnham, the mayor, expressed that hosting the final would be an incredible achievement. Although the FA’s bid currently faces no opposition, FIFA has postponed the official awarding of the 2031 and 2035 World Cups until later this year.