The curtain-raiser in the inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup will be held in China – with Wuhan Jiangda, the AFC Women’s Champions League winners, taking on Auckland United FC, champions of the OFC Women’s Champions League, on Wednesday, 8th October at the Wuhan Sports Centre Stadium.
“As Round 1 approaches, clubs’ fans, the media and football lovers around the globe are preparing to witness history being made, as the first FIFA Women’s Champions Cup commences in Wuhan,” said FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom in a statement.
“This tournament will bring together the best women’s clubs from every continent under the FIFA banner for the very first time, offering a global stage to showcase excellence, elevate the women’s club game and inspire generations to come.”
The winners of the match in Wuhan will go through to Round 2 in December at a venue to be confirmed, where they will take on the winners of the CAF Women’s Champions League, who will be determined in November.
For the final, knock-out phase of the tournament, which includes the semi-finals, the third-place play-off and the final, four clubs will meet at what FIFA describe as “a centralised location”, as yet unannounced.
This final phase – when Arsenal, the UEFA Women’s Champions League winners, enter the competition – will take place from Wednesday, 28th January to Sunday, 1st February 2026.
Arsenal will contest the first semi-final, playing the winners from Round 2, while CONCACAF champions Gotham FC, of the United States, will take on the team who win next month’s CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina.
About the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup
The FIFA Women’s Champions Cup was first approved by the FIFA Council in April last year, with more details around the opening instalment being confirmed at the Council’s meeting in March this year. The competition involves the six continental club champions competing against each other for the right to be crowned the best in the world.
FIFA say that the competition is scheduled to be held in every year that does not feature a FIFA Women’s Club World Cup. However, the Women’s Club World Cup has not yet begun. It was initially intended to launch in 2026 and in the draw proper would feature 16 teams from all over the world, but its inaugural edition has now been pushed back to 2028.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said previously of the Women’s Club World Cup that it would be “a defining moment in the growth of women’s club football.”
