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FIFA Women's Club World Cup

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Founded
  
2017 (expected)

Region
  
International (FIFA)

FIFA Women's Club World Cup

The FIFA Women's Club World Cup is a proposed international women's association football competition that is being organised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition is currently in planning and is expected to commence in 2017.

The format of the tournament is unknown. The men's FIFA Club World Cup involves seven teams, including the six continental club champions and the host nation's national club champions. In the women's tournament the winners of that year's Copa Libertadores Femenina (South America) and UEFA Women's Champions League (Europe) will likely enter. As of 2016, no Asian, African, North American or Oceanic continental tournament is being played.

History

The International Women's Club Championship (IWCC) was the first international annual competition contested by women's champion clubs. The competition was founded and organised by the Japan Football Association and the L. League. The first International Women's Club Championship took place in Japan in November 2012 with participation from four teams; Olympique Lyonnais (Europe), Canberra United (Australia), INAC Kobe Leonessa (Japan) and NTV Beleza (cup winner, Japan).

In October 2012, L-League's senior executive, Taguchi Yoshinori, announced that he intended the IWCC run for three years and expand to include more continental champions. It was also envisaged that FIFA would ultimately endorse the tournament as a female equivalent of the FIFA Club World Cup.

In October 2013, FIFA's Executive Committee heard a proposal from their Women's Football Task Force to explore the idea of an official FIFA Women's Club World Cup. The following month Brazilian broadcaster Globo reported that FIFA had already sanctioned a separate Club World Championship, with similarities to the men's Intercontinental Cup, to be contested by the 2013 Copa Libertadores Femenina champions São José and 2012–13 UEFA Women's Champions League champions VfL Wolfsburg during 2014. However, the match never progressed beyond the planning stages. In 2015 the FIFA Women's Football Task Force again proposes the creation of the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, with the inaugural edition expected to be played in 2017.

In August 2015, the Women's Football Task Force confirmed that the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup was a work-in-progress. The Task Force also proposed an increase in teams and in development of competitions at confederation level in relation to the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup.

A friendly played between Arsenal L.F.C. (FA Women's Cup holders) and Seattle Reign FC (NWSL Shield holders) on 26 May 2016 at Memorial Stadium, Seattle was described as "a stepping stone to the grand idea of a FIFA Women's Club World Cup."

References

FIFA Women's Club World Cup Wikipedia