France, Korea bid to host 2019 women's World Cup

France and South Korea handed over their bids to host the 2019 women's World Cup on Thursday in Zurich, football's world governing body FIFA announced.
They are the only two nations in the running to stage the finals and the women's under-20 World Cup in 2018, FIFA said.
"Women's football has grown up a lot in France over the past decade at every single level and we have increased the number of players a lot in the past five years,” French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet said.
"There is no doubt being granted these two competitions would give a huge boost to the development of women's football in France."
The French bid includes nine stadiums to be chosen from 11 cities -- Auxerre, Grenoble, Le Havre, Lyon, Montpellier, Nancy, Nice, Paris, Reims, Rennes and Valenciennes.
The opening game and final would be played in the new stadium currently under construction in Lyon and the overall budget would rise to around 40 million euros ($50.4m, 31.5m pounds).
The under-20 World Cup in 2018 would be staged entirely in the region of Brittany.
France, which will host the men's European Championship in 2016, may be hindered if FIFA decide to continue its policy of rotating the tournament around the continents.
The 2015 World Cup will be held in Canada, with the last finals in 2011 staged in Germany.
FIFA's Executive Committee will announce the winning candidate in March 2015.
Source: AFP