April 17 – Concacaf has unveiled more details of its inaugural W Champions Cup that will kick-off this August with a play-in and group stage in September/October leading to a final four playing off at an as yet unnamed centralised venue in May 22-25.
The draw for the 11-team competition will take place June 6, though the teams that will be in the draw have not yet been decided.
What has been decided is the number of clubs per nation with the US and Mexico leading the way with three cub slots each.
W Champions Cup slots
Canada: 1 club in Preliminary Round*
Costa Rica: 1 club in Group Stage
El Salvador: 1 club in Preliminary Round*
Jamaica: 1 club in Group Stage
Mexico: 3 clubs in Group Stage
Panama: 1 club in Group Stage
USA: 3 clubs in Group Stage
Clubs will qualify from their respective domestic leagues.
The Canadian and El Salvadorian qualifiers will play off for a place in the group stage which will see two pools of five teams, with the top two from each group qualifying for the final four.
The W Champions Cup winner will qualify for the new FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which FIFA has committed to launching in the near future.
“Launching the Concacaf W Champions Cup is a very exciting next step on our journey of developing all aspects of women’s football in our region,” said Concacaf president Victor Montagliani at the unveiling of the competition after the inaugural W Gold Cup in February.
“When we launched our Concacaf W women’s football strategy in 2019 we focused on creating an enhanced calendar of national team competitions that benefited all of our Member Associations, and on providing opportunities for women and girls to develop a passion for football at all levels of the sport. We have made significant progress in those areas, albeit with much work more to do, and the growth of leagues and clubs is an important next phase in our strategy.”
Match dates
Official Draw: June 6, 2024
Preliminary Round: August 13-15, 2024
Group Stage Week 1: August 20-22, 2024
Group Stage Week 2: September 3-5, 2024
Group Stage Week 3: September 17-19, 2024
Group Stage Week 4: October 1-3, 2024
Group Stage Week 5: October 15-17, 2024
Final Round (semifinals, 3rd Place match, and Final): May 22-25, 2025
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