What to know as FIFA launches Women’s Club World Cup

FIFA has announced the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup, scheduled to start in early 2026 with 16 teams. The location and continental slot allocations, with Conmebol pushing for four, remain undecided.

Simultaneously, FIFA is planning another annual women’s club tournament, though details on its format and participant criteria are yet to be defined.

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At a recent council meeting in Bangkok, significant changes to the women’s international football calendar were approved for 2026-2029. The number of international windows, known as “FIFA dates” in Brazil, will decrease from six to five.

🔘 Approval of the Women's International Match Calendar 2026-2029
🔘 First edition of FIFA Women's Club World Cup to take place in early 2026
🔘 Mattias Grafström formally appointed as FIFA Secretary General

All the key updates from today’s FIFA Council meeting in Bangkok:

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) May 15, 2024

These will take place in February-March, April, May-June, October, and November-December, each spaced at least four weeks apart. The May-June and October windows will allow for up to two matches over nine days, while the other windows can accommodate three matches over 12 days.

The host for the 2027 Women’s World Cup will be decided this Friday by FIFA’s Congress, which includes 211 national football associations. Brazil, scoring 4 out of 5 in a recent FIFA evaluation, competes against a joint bid from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, which scored 3.7.

This decision is crucial for setting the stage for the next major tournament in women’s football.

Remembering Zagallo

Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.

Binge the first five episodes available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.