FIFA set to postpone planned 16-team Women's Club World Cup
FIFA is set to postpone next year's inaugural Women's Club World Cup until 2027 at the earliest, after stakeholders in the women's game told the global governing body more time was needed to get it right.
FIFA first announced its intention to host a new 16-team tournament between January and February of 2026 after a meeting of its 37-strong council in Bangkok last May.
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However, 10 months on, there have been no announcements about a host, format or qualification criteria, let alone any broadcast or commercial deals.
With the proposed start now less than a year away, clubs, confederations, leagues and the players' union have persuaded FIFA to delay the launch of a big new tournament by at least 12 months but to push on with the creation of a smaller Women's Club World Cup that can played in next year's time slot.
The idea is that this tournament, which would involve four to six teams, would take place in the years between the 16-team competition, which will run on a four-year cycle.
This would replicate the men's game, which holds its first expanded Club World Cup in the U.S. this summer but has retained its annual six-team tournament, now called the Intercontinental Cup.
The decision to push back the launch of the new Women's Club World Cup is expected to be made at the next meeting of the FIFA Council on Wednesday.
FIFA has declined to comment but it should be noted that last year's announcement was only a proposal, not a firm commitment, hence the lack of detail.
Speaking in Bangkok at the time, Infantino said: 'To this date, we don't have a global club competition for women. Yet we are asking (men's) clubs to form women's clubs all over the world.
'We need to give players an opportunity to perform as well as on the global stage and to develop themselves in all continents of the world.
'For this reason, (we want) to have a 16-team FIFA Women's Club World Cup in January/February 2026.'
Furthermore, FIFA also released a press release shortly after its congress in the Thai capital that a further proposal had been made for 'an additional FIFA women's club competition to be organised in non-FIFA Women's Club World Cup years as from 2027.'
It now seems that Infantino, the confederations, leading women's leagues and everyone else concerned has decided to start small and get bigger, as opposed to the other way around.
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How the FIFA Women's Club World Cup could help lessen disparity in player loading
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