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FIFA Announces Inaugural Women’s Club World Cup

FIFA announced on May 15 that the Women’s Club World Cup will take place for the first time ever in January and February 2026.

The Inaugural Women’s Club World Cup Will Take Place In 2026

FIFA’s Announcement

The FIFA Council officially announced the competition just two days before the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok.

The Women’s Club World Cup will take place for the first time across January and February 2026, with the host nation yet to be chosen.

It will be a 16-team tournament held every four years.

The timeframe proposed allows the cup to fit around the different league schedules.

The tournament looks set to happen during European domestic leagues and between the UEFA Women’s Champions League Group stages and knockout rounds. The USA’s National Women’s Soccer League, however, usually kicks off in March, shortly after the Club World Cup.

Origins of the Tournament

FIFA started talks on plans for a global women’s club tournament in December 2022. Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, had expressed his intentions to stage a new world tournament within the female game as far back as 2019.

Following this week’s announcement, Infantino described the need for the Club World Cup.

He said: “[it’s] crucial after the huge, huge success in Australia and New Zealand at the last [FIFA] Women’s World Cup, where we had two million viewers in the stadiums [and] two billion around the world.”

He emphasized the need to: “build on that success to create new global competitions because national team football is obviously based on club football as well.”

Teams and Leagues Involved in the Women’s Club World Cup

FIFA is yet to confirm the qualification process for this new tournament. They aim to represent all regions of the game – whilst keeping in mind that the best teams are currently playing in North America, Europe, and South America.

Barcelona won the last European title, NJ/NY Gotham FC are current NWSL champions, and Corinthians hold the Copa Libertadores Femenina.

Marni Dagtoglou

Marni is a women's football writer for LWOS amongst other sports sites. She covers the newest updates on the women's game from domestic leagues like the WSL and NWSL, to the UWCL, the Women's World Cup and other changing international tournaments. She can't get enough of how fast women's sports is growing and follows so many different leagues that it's a wonder her Flashscore account hasn't crashed.