FIFA announced on Thursday that the United States will host the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup. The tournament will run from January 5 to 30, 2028. It will feature 19 clubs drawn from all six confederations.
The decision followed a detailed review by world football’s governing body. The United States recently staged the men’s Club World Cup in 2025 and co-hosted the 2026 men’s World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
The competition will include three clubs each from the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. UEFA will send six teams while Oceania will contribute one. Six clubs will first contest a play-in stage. Three winners will then join 13 other sides in the main group stage. The top two teams from each of four groups will advance to the knockout rounds.
FIFA had originally planned the event for 2026. Officials later postponed it by two years to create space after the 2027 Women’s World Cup and before the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Seven teams have already secured places. They are Arsenal Women of England, Club América Femenil of Mexico, FC Barcelona Femení of Spain, Gotham FC of the United States, Naegohyang Women’s FC of North Korea, SC Corinthians of Brazil and Wuhan Jiangda WFC of China. A further dozen clubs will complete the field through remaining continental competitions.
Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s chief women’s football officer, outlined the selection process in a statement. “We undertook a detailed assessment to identify the most suitable host for the inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup,” Bareman said. “Ultimately, the United States’ recent excellence in staging top FIFA tournaments, combined with the significant interest in women’s football there plus its elite sporting infrastructure, made the country the standout option.”
Bareman added that the strong domestic women’s football ecosystem, government support, host cities and commercial partners would help set a high standard for future editions of the competition.
