Soccer Football - FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Final - Spain v England - Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia - August 20, 2023 Spain's Salma Paralluelo in action REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Dec 17 (Reuters) - The inaugural FIFA Women's Club World Cup will take place in January 2028, soccer's global governing body said on Wednesday, with the tournament scheduled for mid-season in Europe's top domestic leagues.
FIFA had pushed the competition back to 2028 from its original date of 2026 in March this year to allow stakeholders more time to prepare and give women players some breathing space in an already condensed schedule.
The tournament hosts have yet to be confirmed and while the competition will take place during the NWSL Championship off-season in the U.S., it will disrupt the season for many of Europe's leagues.
The Women's Club World Cup will see six teams take part in the play-in stage, with the three winners advancing to the group stage joining 13 other clubs.
The group stage will feature four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout stage.
The AFC, CAF, Concacaf and CONMEBOL confederations will each have two direct slots, while UEFA will have five berths.
When the Club World Cup was pushed back, FIFA announced another new competition, the FIFA Women's Champions Cup, which features the six continental club champions. The semi-finals and final of that competition will take place in London in January 2026.
(Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Toby Davis)
