January 22 – The Women’s Super League (WSL) has raised “serious concerns” over the scheduling of the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, set to run from January 5–30, 2028, warning the decision could be “catastrophic” for both the domestic competition and player welfare.
FIFA insists its calendar works because it has been approved. Domestic leagues are increasingly asking a different question: approved by whom?
The dates, signed off by the FIFA Council in December, land squarely in the middle of the European season. In the WSL’s case, at least five match rounds would be affected, potentially more once travel, time zones, and recovery periods are factored in.
A WSL spokesperson described January scheduling as “at best inconvenient, and at worst, catastrophic,” adding that the league’s clear preference is for the tournament to be staged in the summer. The league has formally written to FIFA, arguing it was not properly consulted before the dates were finalised.
The WSL has stressed it does not want to block clubs from competing and supports efforts to grow the global women’s game. But the option to decline an invitation exists. The question is, when will clubs feel compelled to use it?
The calendar of the next few years is packed. The 2028 Club World Cup is scheduled between the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the LA 2028 Olympics. Two tournaments that women’s football has been built around over the last three decades.
FIFA’s chief football officer Jill Ellis previously said: “We will enter a new calendar conversation in 2030… taking into account all shareholders, players are a massive part of that. This was the window that I think everybody agreed upon.”
The tournament was originally planned for 2026, then pushed to 2028. In its place, FIFA scheduled the Champions Cup in late January, directly clashing with WSL fixtures anyway.
At some point, clubs may decide that protecting players, competitions, and commercial stability matters more than complying with a calendar built elsewhere.