First Women’s Club World Cup: Confirmed
The first women’s Club World Cup will be held between January and February 2026 with the participation of 16 teams.
The decision for the first women’s Club World Cup was approved Wednesday by the FIFA Council meeting in Bangkok.
The venue of the first women’s Club World Cup, to be held every four years, has yet to be determined, the world governing body said in a statement without giving further details.
In addition, FIFA’s main decision-making body “unanimously” ratified the women’s international match schedule for the years 2026-2029 at a pre-Congress meeting in the Thai capital on Friday.
This calendar will provide more rest and recovery opportunities for players, with a reduction in the number of international windows from six to five, which will “facilitate less disruption to domestic leagues and reduce travel.”
“The women’s international calendar and the reforms to our regulations are an important step in our commitment to take the women’s game to the next level by increasing competitiveness around the world, especially in regions where the women’s game is less developed and there is less protection for the welfare of women players,” remarked FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
This Friday, the FIFA Congress is scheduled to announce the host country for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Brazil and, jointly, Germany-Belgium and the Netherlands are bidding for the tournament, which will be chosen for the first time by an open ballot.
First Women’s Club World Cup: Confirmed
Although world soccer’s governing body has not yet decided on the process and the quota it will award to each of the confederations – the European, African, Oceania, Asian, South American and North, Central American and Caribbean confederations – FIFA sources explain that the first women’s Club World Cup will operate in a similar way to the men’s World Cup.
The men’s Club World Cup is represented in the tournament by the teams with the best results in continental competitions.
For example, in the case of Europe, qualification would be based on a good performance in the Champions League, where Barça, the only Spanish team to have won it, is the current champion and will defend its crown in the final against Olympique Lyon, the most successful team in the history of the Champions League with eight titles, on Sunday, May 25 at the San Mamés stadium (Bilbao).
The first Women’s Club World Cup will therefore have a unique attraction: watching Europe’s top clubs compete against their American counterparts, a country that is a historic powerhouse in women’s soccer.
In addition to being the national team with the most World Cups (four), the U.S. has a very competitive league with high salaries that attracts European players and coaches.
Two of the most recent media cases are that of Jonatan Giráldez, the Barcelona coach, who will leave the club at the end of the season after three years to go to the Washington Spirit, and that of Emma Hayes, the Chelsea coach, who after 13 seasons will leave the blue team to lead the U.S. national team.
The first women’s Club World Cup will be held in 2027 to promote the development of the sport, although no further details have been provided.
READ MORE: CANADA’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WILL FACE FRANCE.
On another issue, FIFA, led by Infantino, has shortened the international periods during the season from six to five, but with the same number of matches in Europe, to “reduce disruption to domestic leagues and travel” for female players.
It has also approved a reform of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP).
This text establishes minimum criteria to which the member federations must adhere, i.e., it is a regulatory umbrella that the countries themselves can extend to provide greater protection for female athletes in their work.
