VANCOUVER, Canada (AFP) — The biggest Women’s World Cup in history kicks off tomorrow amid a backdrop of damaging FIFA corruption allegations that are threatening to overshadow the four-week tournament here.

The growing popularity of the sport has seen its expansion to 24 teams from 16, and nearly one million tickets have been sold for games in host cities — Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton.

But Canada’s soccer chief Victor Montagliani was faced with a barrage of questions about the FIFA controversy rather than the tournament during the opening press conference in Vancouver on the eve of the event.

Montagliani said he hopes the tournament, which begins with Canada playing China in Vancouver, can give a lift to the sport during the darkest period in its history.

“I actually think it’s a positive thing that the first tournament after whatever happened last week is the Women’s World Cup,” said Montagliani of the FIFA controversy and shock resignation of president Sepp Blatter.

Montagliani was also quizzed about a 2014 interview in which he described North American, Central American and Caribbean confederation (CONCACAF) president Jeffrey Webb as an inspiration.

Canada are also a CONCACAF member.

Webb, a FIFA vice-president, was among seven people arrested in raids on a Zurich hotel and subsequently suspended from all football-related activity as FIFA grapples with a crisis that has rocked the sport’s governing body.

Montagliani said he knew Webb through his anti-racism campaign and FIFA work.

“It would be very hard to say you wouldn’t respect somebody of that nature,” said Montagliani.

“Having said that, if the allegations (from) last week are true, then obviously that would change a lot of people’s opinion.”

During the press grilling Montagliani was also asked whether he had paid a bribe to FIFA so Canada could host the women’s tournament, to which he replied: “Absolutely not,” adding that the Canadian bid was the last viable one at the time of the selection.

The tournament, which opens with a double header in Edmonton with Canada versus China followed by New Zealand against the Netherlands, will be the first played on artificial turf, rather than grass.

The decision had resulted in a gender discrimination lawsuit by a group of top women’s football players which was subsequently withdrawn.

Being forced to play the event on the surface, which has drawn complaints over injury worries and true rolls and bounces of the ball, irked the women given the Men’s World Cup is played on natural grass.

Champions Japan open their title defence on Monday against Switzerland in Vancouver.