The Japan Football Association on Monday withdrew its candidacy to host the 2023 FIFA Women¡¯s World Cup, making the joint Australia-New Zealand bid a prohibitive favorite over Colombia to land women¡¯s soccer¡¯s most prestigious tournament.
The decision came just three days before a scheduled June 25 vote by the FIFA Council following a campaign that formally began in March 2019 and featured as many as nine interested countries, including a unified Korean bid that never came into fruition.
¡°We¡¯ve discussed this multiple times as a board this month ahead of today¡¯s decision,¡± JFA Chairman Kozo Tashima told an online news conference on Monday evening. ¡°Everyone involved in the bid is very disappointed but they¡¯ve all supported this decision.
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