United States to Host First FIFA Women's Club World Cup in 2028 With 19 Teams

The United States has won the right to host another major football tournament. The country has been awarded the inaugural FIFA Women's Club World Cup, which will be staged in 2028. FIFA, world football's governing body, announced the decision, marking the start of a new global chapter for women's club football.

According to FIFA, the tournament will be held from 5 to 30 January 2028 and will feature 19 of the world's best women's clubs. The winter schedule has already prompted discussion in football circles, as the tournament will fall in the middle of the season for many European leagues.

FIFA has not yet officially announced which cities will host the World Cup matches. Details on host cities, stadiums and the match schedule are expected to be announced later. With several US cities experienced in staging major tournaments, that announcement will be closely watched.

After this first edition, the Women's Club World Cup will be held every four years. In other words, FIFA wants to build it into a regular calendar event, much like the men's Club World Cup, rather than a one-off tournament. It will give the best women's clubs from different continents the chance to meet on one stage.

Seven teams have already secured their places at FIFA's first Women's Club World Cup. They include England's Arsenal and Spain's Barcelona — two superpowers of European women's football. Their presence is expected to add considerably to the appeal of the inaugural edition.

The other confirmed teams are Mexico's America, the United States' Gotham FC, Brazil's Corinthians, China's Wuhan Jiangda and North Korea's Naegohyang FC. This pattern of continental representation shows that FIFA wants to give the tournament a genuinely global character.

FIFA also explained the reasoning behind choosing the United States. The most recent men's Club World Cup in FIFA's expanded format was also held in the United States. The country also hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup — although Canada and Mexico were co-hosts in that tournament and the hosting drew mixed reactions.

FIFA's head of women's football, Sarai Bareman, said the United States' recent excellent capability in hosting FIFA's top tournaments, the widespread interest in women's football there and its advanced sporting infrastructure together made the country the most suitable option. Her remarks made clear the three criteria behind the host selection.

The United States is also a major market for women's football commercially and in terms of spectator interest. FIFA itself noted the widespread interest in women's football there. The participation of a home team such as Gotham FC is expected to raise local interest further.

All told, January 2028 is now a major date in the women's club football calendar. Once the host cities and the remaining teams are finalised, the full picture of the tournament will emerge. How successful the first Women's Club World Cup proves to be will shape the future of this new four-yearly tradition.