South Africa will bid to stage the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, hoping to bring the event to Africa for the first time.

South Africa was the first – and so far only – country on the continent to host the men’s World Cup, in 2010.

In July, South Africa became African champions for the first time after beating hosts Morocco in the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat.

Almost two years ago Netherlands, Belgium and Germany launched a joint bid for the 2027 competition, and that will be among the South African proposal’s principle rivals.

A joint Scandinavian bid has also been floated, but with Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden bidding together to host the 2025 European Championship, the continental tournament could take precedence.

Meanwhile, the United States has also indicated a desire to bid for either the 2027 or 2031 World Cups.

Next year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand will be the first finals with 32 teams, an increase of eight teams from France 2019.

It will also leave Africa and South America as the only populated continents never to have staged the Women’s World Cup.

SAFA had been in the running for the 2023 World Cup but pulled out, claiming it wanted to focus on developing the women’s national league.

South Africa’s women’s side, Banyana Banyana, went out in the group stage on their first appearance at the World Cup in 2019.

The 12.12secs record set by Tobi Amusan in the semifinal of women’s 100m hurdles at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, United States, on July 24, has been ratified as a world record by the World Athletics (WA).

In a statement issued by the world athletics body, Amusan’s feat has now been officially recognized as a world record.

After clocking an African record of 12.40secs in the 100m hurdles heats, the world was put on notice that 25-year-old Amusan was capable of something special.

The next day, she ran 12.12 (0.9m/s) in the semi-finals to improve the world record of 12.20 that had been set by USA’s Kendra Harrison in London in 2016. Amusan was not done there, though, and she followed that remarkable performance with a wind-assisted 12.06 (2.5m/s) to win the final.

“The goal was to come out and to win this gold,” she said. “Honestly, I believe in my abilities, but I was not expecting a world record at these championships,” the Commonwealth Games champion said.

With this development, Amusan now holds the world record as the best female hurdler in the world.

Russia will not be included in the qualifying draw for Euro 2024, UEFA and the country's football federation said on Tuesday.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, UEFA banned the Russian national team and Russian clubs from international events earlier this year.

“All Russian teams are currently suspended following the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee of February 28, 2022, which has further been confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 15, 2022,” European football’s governing body said in a statement.

“Russia is therefore not included in the UEFA European Football Championship 2022-24 qualifying draw.”

In July, CAS dismissed Russia's appeal against the ban.