FIFA to hold first-ever Women’s Club World Cup in 2026

The inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup will take place between January and February of 2026. 

The football governing body announced the date at its 74th Congress held in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday.

The first edition of the competition will involve 16 teams, however, FIFA did not specify how they would qualify or the venue for the tournament.

The tournament is scheduled to be held every four years.

“To facilitate the continued global development of women’s clubs and based on requests from the confederations to provide ample playing opportunities on a yearly basis, it was further proposed that an additional FIFA women’s club competition be organised in non-FIFA Women’s Club World Cup years as from 2027,” the statement reads.

Last year, FIFA also announced an expansion of the men’s Club World Cup. The 32-team competition will debut between June and July 2025 in the US.

The qualification criteria are based on teams getting consistently good results in their respective premier continental championships over four years. The changes also included the switch of the tournament from an annual event to a quadrennial competition.

A few months later, FIFA unveiled a new annual international club competition called the Intercontinental Cup.

The new competition will feature a playoff phase for the champions of the foremost club competitions across five continents — Africa, Asia, South America, Oceania, and North America.

The winner of the playoff will play the champions of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) in the final on neutral ground.