In Zurich, FIFA has set the next major landmark in the women’s club calendar: the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup will take place in the United States in January 2028. The decision, taken by the FIFA Council on 15 October and confirmed this week, follows the governing body’s assessment that the expanded men’s tournament in 2025 had been a success.
The new competition will bring together clubs qualified through achievement in their confederation’s leading continental tournaments. Places will be determined by results recorded across the 2024 to 2027 seasons, placing the route to the United States in the hands of Champions League and continental-title campaigns rather than invitation.
The men’s edition offered the template for FIFA’s wider club ambitions. Its 2025 tournament featured 32 teams in eight groups, with the top two from each section moving into a knockout phase beginning with the round of 16. Brazil supplied Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Palmeiras, while Chelsea ultimately lifted the trophy, which has since been displayed at Stamford Bridge.
A wider investment in the women’s game
FIFA has paired the club announcement with a revised financial plan for the women’s international game. Every national team reaching the 2027 Women’s World Cup will receive US$2.5 million in preparation funding, equivalent to the sum provided to the teams competing at the 2026 men’s World Cup.
Players at the 2027 women’s finals will also receive service standards matching those available to the men at the previous year’s World Cup. Any surplus generated by the women’s tournament will be directed to the participating member associations, with a defined portion ring-fenced for the players themselves.
Elsewhere on FIFA’s calendar, Qatar has been confirmed as host of the 2026 Intercontinental Cup, another indication of how the international club schedule is continuing to stretch across the seasons and continents.
