The Women’s Super League sounded the alarm about the timing of the proposed FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, warning of a potential “catastrophic” effect on English clubs and player workload.
Officials from England’s top league wrote to FIFA to express deep concern about its plan to stage the inaugural global women’s tournament from Jan. 5-30, 2028, possibly in Qatar and smack in the middle of the English domestic schedule.
The event could force the postponement of fixtures across five WSL match weeks and create a scheduling backlog. Other European leagues, including the top leagues in France and Spain, run on similar schedules.
A spokesperson said in a media briefing Wednesday that the WSL supports the concept of the Club World Cup, as well as efforts to grow the game worldwide, but want it to happen in the summer.
“This is a scheduling issue rather than a strategic one. The timing is what causes us real concerns,” the spokesperson said. “At best it will cause us real scheduling issues; at worst it is going to be catastrophic for the game in this country, our commercial program and, more importantly, the welfare of our players.”
European teams can secure up to six of 16 Club World Cup qualifying spots. Prospective entrants include Arsenal, the current Women’s Champions League holders, and Chelsea, the six-time reigning WSL champion.
The WSL spokesperson said the group was not adequately consulted by FIFA and has the option to bar English clubs from competing.
The club tournament would be held between a pair of marquee international summer events — the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“There are no gaps,” the WSL spokesperson said. “If the tournament is in a different time zone, with the rest and recovery needed, it could lead to rearrangement of a lot of fixtures.”
On the men’s side, FIFA has organized a Club World Cup in most years since 2000. The field expanded to 32 teams for the 2025 edition held in the United States last June and July during the European offseason. It interrupted the season for Major League Soccer, which is shifting its schedule in 2027.
FIFA chief football officer Jill Ellis defended the proposed timing of the women’s tournament in speaking with media on Tuesday and said it could be reassessed four years from now.
“We will enter a new calendar conversation in 2030,” Ellis said. “We will look at the entire ecosystem, taking into account all shareholders. Players are a massive part of that. (January 2028) was the window that I think everybody agreed upon.”
–Field Level Media
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