Fifa will introduce a Women’s Club World Cup competition that will run every four years starting from 2028.
The governing body is also launching a Women’s Champions Cup which will be the first global competition in women’s football, starting in 2026.
The Champions Cup will run annually, except in years involving the Club World Cup, and will include six teams.
Plans to launch a 16-team Club World Cup – which was originally due to begin in 2026 – were officially agreed by the Fifa Council on Wednesday afternoon.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said: “Women’s football has reached new heights at national-team level, and now it’s time for global competitions that showcase the best clubs from around the world.
“The Fifa Women’s Club World Cup will be a defining moment in the growth of women’s club football.”
How will Fifa Women’s Club World Cup look?
The Club World Cup will include 16 teams from all six confederations – Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania.
Thirteen clubs – including five from Europe – will earn direct passage into the competition and an additional three places are up for grabs via a “play-in” route, which will see the winners of one-legged knockout matches qualify.
Once in the competition, there will be a group-stage round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final to contest. All matches will be held at neutral venues.
Dates for the competition and the appointment of a host is still to be determined, while Fifa will also discuss prize money and the potential for special amendments in transfer windows to be made if it coincides with the Club World Cup.
There is also likely to be an introduction of minimum standards for clubs hoping to participate in the competition.
Fifa’s aim is to support the growth of women’s club football and they hope this will create more competitive matches globally.
Sources at Fifa claim the delay in its launch was to allow more time to discuss the match calendar amid ongoing concerns for player welfare.
In May last year, Fifa rejected claims that Fifpro and the World Leagues Association were not consulted over plans to host the 32-team Men’s Club World Cup.
What is Fifa Women’s Champions Cup?
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Women’s Super League leaders Chelsea could be in next year’s Champions Cup
In an attempt to help clubs maximise commercial opportunities, Fifa are introducing an annual global competition that will run either side of the Club World Cup.
The Champions Cup will involve six teams – the winners of each confederation – and will include seedings for the first two editions.
Champions from Asia and Oceania will meet in round one of the preliminary stage, with the winner meeting the African champions – who will host round two.
The Women’s Champions League winners will enter in the semi-finals and face the winner of round two, which will be played on Wednesday, 28 January.
The Concacaf and Copa Libertadores Femenina champions will play each other in the other semi-final.
Europe, North America or South America will host the latter stages of the competition, with a decision on who to be made in June.
The final and a third-place playoff will take place on Sunday, 1 February.
The next two editions of the Champions Cup will happen in 2027 and 2029, with the Club World Cup starting in between.
Seedings for the second year of the Champions Cup will be based on performance in the 2026 edition.
When are the global tournaments?
July 2025: Uefa Women’s European Championship
January 2026: Fifa Women’s Champions Cup
January 2027: Fifa Women’s Champions Cup
June 2027: Fifa Women’s World Cup
July 2028: Olympic Games
2028: Fifa Club World Cup
January 2029: Fifa Women’s Champions Cup