FIFA has approved the creation of a new Women’s Champions Cup, set to launch next year with six teams from across the globe. This decision came during a FIFA Council meeting on Wednesday, which also confirmed a two-year delay to the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup.
Initially scheduled for 2026, the 16-team Women’s Club World Cup will now be postponed. FIFA aims to delay the competition to allow sufficient time to adjust the calendar to accommodate the additional fixtures. The tournament will now be held every four years, starting in 2028.
In the interim, the newly established Women’s Champions Cup will take place annually, excluding the years the Women’s Club World Cup is held. The tournament will feature the champions from each of FIFA’s six confederations, providing a unique opportunity for global club champions to compete.
The creation of the Women’s Champions Cup follows the introduction of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League and the Concacaf W Champions Cup. This means that, for the first time, all six confederations will have their own club champions.
In the Women’s Champions Cup, the winners of the Asian and Oceania tournaments will face off, with the victor progressing to play the African champions. The other semi-final will feature the champions of Concacaf and South America, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to the final. A third-place match will also be held.
The semi-finals of the inaugural tournament are scheduled for January 28 next year, with the final and third-place matches set for February 1. The exact dates for the other matches will be confirmed soon.
The Women’s Champions Cup is designed not only to promote cross-confederation competition but also to support the commercial ambitions of women’s football clubs. This move has received strong backing from various stakeholders in the football community.
The host for the first Women’s Club World Cup is expected to be announced shortly. The competition will feature automatic slots for teams from Asia, Africa, Concacaf, and South America, while Europe will have five spots, and Oceania will have none. Playoffs between six clubs will decide the remaining three spots.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino commented on the development: “The FIFA Women’s Club World Cup will be a defining moment in the growth of women’s club football, giving the world’s top clubs the platform they deserve to compete against the best and put the women’s club game in the global spotlight.”
FIFA will also present details about prize money and review the impact of transfer windows, as the tournament will occur outside the traditional season for some confederations.
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