The United States will host the first FIFA Women’s Club World Cup from January 5 to 30, 2028, world football’s governing body announced on October 22. The 19-team tournament, set to run every four years, is the first global club competition in women’s football.
FIFA’s chief women’s football officer, Sarai Bareman, said the country had stood out on infrastructure and recent record.
“We undertook a detailed assessment to identify the most suitable host for the inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup. 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 said in FIFA’s announcement.
The award follows the United States’ staging of the expanded men’s Club World Cup in the summer of 2025 and its co-hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico. Qatar had been in preliminary talks about hosting the women’s tournament earlier in 2026 but drew criticism over its human-rights record and the status of LGBTQ+ communities.
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Six confederations in the first field
The 19-team draw spans all six continental bodies. UEFA has six places, AFC, CAF, Concacaf and CONMEBOL have three apiece, and OFC has one. Bareman said the seven clubs already qualified, together with the twelve still to come through continental routes, would “show the strength and depth of women’s club football to a global audience,” as relayed by Flashscore.
Seven clubs have already qualified:
- Arsenal (England, UEFA)
- FC Barcelona (Spain, UEFA)
- Club América Femenil (Mexico, Concacaf)
- Gotham FC (United States, Concacaf)
- SC Corinthians (Brazil, CONMEBOL)
- Wuhan Jiangda WFC (China PR, AFC)
- Naegohyang Women’s FC (DPR Korea, AFC)
Twelve more clubs will book their places through continental routes before kick-off.
Trump’s record with women’s athletes
The tournament lands in a country whose administration has repeatedly collided with women’s sport. On February 5, 2025, Donald Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order, threatening federal funding at schools that let transgender athletes compete on women’s teams.
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The friction has carried into 2026. White House officials this summer publicly backed WNBA player Sophie Cunningham after she said transgender athletes should not play in women’s basketball, with Trump officials amplifying her position. In October, according to Sportbible, Trump told a rally that WNBA players would “destroy themselves” over anthem and transgender-athlete disputes.
FIFA did not reference the political backdrop in its announcement and cited no Trump administration involvement in the hosting decision.
No host cities named yet
FIFA has not confirmed host cities or venues. Los Angeles and San Diego were reportedly in the running during the bid process, and the tournament will finish six months before Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics.
In between editions of the Club World Cup, FIFA has launched an annual FIFA Women’s Champions Cup pitting the continental champions against each other.
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