FIFA picks the US for the 2028 Women's Club World Cup - but January dates clash with Europe

FIFA confirmed on Thursday that the United States will host the inaugural Women's Club World Cup, a 19-team tournament running 5–30 January 2028 and staged every four years, mirroring the revamped men's event.

Seven clubs have already qualified through continental titles: Arsenal, Barcelona, Gotham FC, Club America, Corinthians, Wuhan Jiangda and Naegohyang. Twelve slots remain, including six European sides still to be determined. FIFA did not announce host cities.

The January window is the consequential detail. It sits in the middle of the European domestic season, which raises immediate questions about player workload and whether clubs will release players for a month-long competition. Those questions are unresolved.

FIFA's chief women's football officer, Sarai Bareman, attributed the decision to the US's "recent excellence in staging top FIFA tournaments, combined with the significant interest in women's football there plus its elite sporting infrastructure." The record supports the hosting rationale: the US staged the men's Club World Cup in 2025, co-hosted the men's World Cup in 2026 with Mexico and Canada, and is set to co-host the Women's World Cup with Costa Rica, Jamaica and Mexico in 2031. US Soccer reported more than 165,000 fans across the first six senior national team fixtures after the 2026 World Cup.

The commercial stakes are also rising. The annual Women's Champions Cup already carries a $2.3m winners' prize, the largest single cash prize in women's club football. A global club tournament on US soil extends that trajectory — and gives the NWSL's Gotham FC a home-soil entry.

What the confirmation does not settle is the calendar. A January tournament in the US requires European clubs to interrupt their league seasons, and the 12 unconfirmed qualifiers mean the field's competitive shape is still unknown. FIFA has committed to a date and a host.