The World Championship is held every four years, from 2028, while the Champions Cup begins next year.
The Champions Cup and the World Football Club World Championship will be played for the first time in 2026 and 2028, respectively, decided on Wednesday the FIFA Council, at a meeting in Zurich, Switzerland.
Bringing together the six continental competition winners, the Champions Cup will take place in the years when the World Cup, with a quadrennial frequency, is not held.
The Oceania champion visits the Asian counterpart in the preliminary phase, with the winner to move to the terrain of the African Champions League holder in the second round.
The team that surpasses this level qualifies for the ‘Final Four’, in which it will measure forces with the European champion in the ‘socks’, while representatives of South America and North America, Central and Caribbean will decide other places for access to the third and fourth place attribution clash and the decision, in places to be defined.
The first three editions have the respective ‘Final Four’ scheduled for between January 28 and February 1, 2026, January 27 to 31, 2027 and January 24 to 28, 2029.
The announcement about the implementation of the Champions Cup took place in a season where, for the first time worldwide, each of the six confederations will crown a winner at its main women’s club competition, due to the ‘Champions’ Asian debut and the Cup in North, Central and Caribbean.
The annual gap between the second and third editions of the Champions Cup will be settled with the Club World Cup debut in January and February 2028, in a place to designate.
Six emblems will participate in an introductory phase of Play-in, with the three winners joining the 13 qualified directly to the group stage, where there will be four groups of four teams each, with the first two to head to the qualifiers.
Of the 19 total vacancies, Europe will be entitled to five direct, with Africa, North America, Central and Caribbean, South America and Asia to receive two each, and all confederations – including Oceania – will be involved in the discussion of the three players.
“All duels – from play -in to the final – will be held in a neutral place, to be determined by FIFA in timely time. The qualification for the 2032 edition will be decided later, taking into account the results and performances of the clubs in all competitions played in previous years,” said FIFA.
In May 2024, at a Bangkok Congress, the body had designed that the first championship in the women’s world was played by 16 finalists in January and February 2026, a scenario now postponed for two years and with three other teams.
“Women’s football had already reached new levels at national teams and now it’s time for global competitions to show the best clubs in the world. The two new evidence will stimulate growth [da modalidade]Inspiring players, creating rivalries, involving more adherents and crowning heroines worldwide, “said FIFA President, the Italo-Swiss Gianni Infantino, quoted by the organism’s official site.
The Women’s World Cup will take place every four years, such as the male counterpart, whose first expanded edition to 32 clubs will take place between June 15 and July 13, in the United States, including Benfica and FC Porto among the 13 European representatives.
“We thank the confederations, clubs, leagues, players and all stakeholders in their open dialogue and support, as well as the FIFA council for the decision to give women’s football an unprecedented global stage on a truly historical day, which will redefine women’s game,” said FIFA Director-General Jill Ellis, who, as a coach, was the only one to win two worlds.
