After a meeting of the FIFA Council today, the introduction of the new Women’s Club World Cup has been put back until 2028 as a new Women’s Champions Cup was launched.
Last May, FIFA said they would launch a 16-team women’s Club World Cup in 2026 but this has proved to be unworkable. In delaying the start of the competition – first played by men’s teams in 2000 – FIFA has sought to bridge the gap with the introduction of a more streamlined version of the competition, the so-called FIFA Women’s Champions Cup involving just the winners of the six confederations which will kick-off in January 2026.
Last year, FIFA said they planned “an additional FIFA women’s club competition be organised in non-FIFA Women’s Club World Cup years as from 2027.” This has now been brought forward, with plans to stage the Champions Cup in 2026, 2027 and 2029 with the Club World Cup moved back to 2028.
In the Women’s Champions Cup, the winners of the AFC and Oceania Champions League in 2025 will first play-off in Asia. The winners will then travel to Africa to play-off against the winners of that continent’s Champions League. The team that emerges from that will then join the confederation winners from Europe, North and South America in a Final Four to be played between January 28 and February 1, 2026 at a neutral venue that will be determined by FIFA in due course.
The winners of the play-off round will face the UEFA Women’s Champions League winners in the semi-finals. The winners of the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL Champions League meet in the other semi-final. As well as a final, there will be a third place play-off, guaranteeing each of the finalists two matches.
The inaugural edition of the delayed Club World Cup will take place in January and February 2028 consisting of nineteen clubs. 13 teams – five from UEFA, two from Africa, Asia, North and South America – will progress directly to the group stage with a further six, one from each confederation – taking part in a preliminary play-off round.
The three winners at that stage will progress to a group stage involving sixteen teams will feature four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout stage. No details have been released at this stage on how the entrants will be determined but all matches will be held at a neutral venue
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said “women’s football has reached new heights at national-team level, and now it’s time for global competitions that showcase the best clubs from around the world. These FIFA competitions will stimulate growth, inspire athletes, create new rivalries, engage more fans and crown heroes from all over the world.”
“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.”
“Following extensive consultation with key stakeholders, the inaugural edition will take place in 2028 and will feature a total of 19 clubs, allowing for a competitive and an inclusive format based on the sporting merit accumulated at global level through the new FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in the previous two years.”
Former United States women’s national team coach Jill Ellis, who is now acting as FIFA’s Chief Football Officer, added “these are more than just new tournaments – these are drivers for the future of our sport that will raise standards, provide invaluable opportunities for growth and local development, and generate new revenue – all on a global scale. We thank the confederations, clubs, leagues, players and all stakeholders for their open dialogue and support, as well as the FIFA Council for taking the final decision to give women’s club football an unprecedented global stage on a truly historic day that will redefine the women’s game”.