US to Host Inaugural Women’s Club World Cup in January 2028

The United States has been selected to host the first-ever FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, with the tournament scheduled for January 5 to 30, 2028, and 19 clubs from across the world expected to compete for the inaugural title. FIFA announced the decision on Thursday, October 22, following approval by the Bureau of the FIFA Council.

The competition will bring together leading women’s clubs from all six continental football confederations in a tournament FIFA intends to make a major fixture in the international women’s game. The event will be held every four years, with clubs qualifying largely on the basis of their performances in their confederations’ premier club competitions during the four-year qualifying period covering seasons ending in 2024 through 2027.

FIFA has not yet announced the host cities or venues for the 2028 tournament. The governing body said the United States was selected because of its experience staging major international competitions, its sporting infrastructure and the level of interest in women’s football in the country. The decision follows the United States’ hosting of the expanded men’s Club World Cup in 2025 and its role as co-host of the 2026 men’s World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.

FIFA’s chief women’s football officer, Sarai Bareman, said the organization had assessed potential hosts before concluding that the United States offered the strongest overall option. She said the intention was to establish a high standard for the inaugural competition and create a model for future editions, with participating clubs, host cities, commercial partners and broadcasters expected to play important roles in the event’s development.

Seven clubs have already secured places in the tournament: Arsenal Women of England, FC Barcelona Femení of Spain, Club América Femenil of Mexico, Gotham FC of the United States, SC Corinthians of Brazil, Wuhan Jiangda WFC of China and Naegohyang Women’s FC of North Korea. The remaining 12 places will be determined through the qualification framework established by FIFA.

The planned allocation gives six places to Europe’s UEFA, three each to the Asian Football Confederation, the Confederation of African Football, Concacaf and South America’s CONMEBOL, and one to the Oceania Football Confederation. Qualification rules prioritize continental champions from the relevant seasons, with club rankings used to determine additional places where required. FIFA said the system was designed to combine sporting merit with representation from across the global game.

The new competition is separate from the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, another international club tournament introduced to bring continental champions together in the years between Women’s Club World Cup editions. The Champions Cup’s 2027 final phase is scheduled to take place in Miami from January 26 to 31, with the semi-finals, third-place match and final spread across the closing days of the event.

The introduction of a 19-team club tournament marks a significant expansion of the international stage available to women’s teams beyond their domestic leagues and continental competitions. For clubs in Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, the format creates additional opportunities to compete against leading sides from other regions, while also placing greater attention on the qualification pathways and resources needed to sustain elite women’s club football. The tournament’s impact will depend in part on how successfully its first edition brings together competitive football, global audiences and a lasting platform for the women’s game.