The Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, and Gotham FC will represent the NWSL in the upcoming 2025/26 Concacaf W Champions Cup, the confederation announced alongside key details of the tournament's second iteration on Monday.
The top three 2024 NWSL finishers will join three clubs from Mexico's Liga MX, as well as one squad each from Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama in the 10-team group stage, which will run from August 19th through October 16th of this year.
Mirroring the expansive schedule of the 2024/25 inaugural event, the second edition will see its four-match semifinal and final rounds taking place over a single weekend in May 2026.
Meanwhile, this year's battle to become North America's top club team is still ongoing, with Gotham FC qualifying for the 2025/26 competition all while advancing to this month's 2024/25 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals alongside with fellow NWSL club Portland.
Both May 21st semis are NWSL vs. Liga MX affairs, with the Bats facing Club América before the Thorns take on Tigres UANL in Nuevo León, Mexico.
The semifinal victors will battle for the first-ever Concacaf Champions Cup on May 24th, with the winner earning both confederation bragging rights and automatic qualification into FIFA's 2026 Champions Cup and 2028 Club World Cup.
As interest in the women's game grows around the world, FIFA is looking to capitalize on the demand by launching new regional competitions — while also adding to an increasingly crowded schedule for some of its most successful teams.
How to watch the Concacaf W Champions Cup semifinals
Gotham FC will kick off the 2024/25 Champions Cup semis against Club América at 7:30 PM ET on Wednesday, May 21st, with Portland's clash with the Tigres immediately following at 10:30 PM ET.
Both semifinals will stream live on Paramount+.
FIFA confirmed that the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup will now kick off in 2028, officially delaying its original 2026 launch this week.
Instead, soccer's world governing body will introduce a new Champions Cup next year, with FIFA ratifying both events on Wednesday.
The alternate Champions Cup will be a smaller, six-club affair with winners from regional tournaments like the UEFA Champions League and Concacaf Champions League.
FIFA plans to make the Champions Cup an annual event set for every year that does not include the quadrennial Club World Cup.
While worldwide club tournaments are an exciting prospect, a crowded schedule, lack of secured funding, and little news of the proposed 19-team Club World Cup’s development prompted timing concerns as 2026 rapidly approaches.
Now kicking off in early 2028, the Club World Cup will initially begin with six top clubs representing the AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, the OFC, and UEFA. Those teams will take part in the play-in stage, where three winners will advance to the group stage.
Those three clubs must then contend with five directly qualified UEFA teams, plus two direct qualifiers each from CAF, CONMEBOL, AFC, and Concacaf.
While demand for increased global programming is spreading, FIFA’s delay underlines the logistical hurdles of creating new competitions — not to mention the strain they can cause athletes.
"FIFA needs to involve its stakeholders, like the NWSLPA and NWSL, for an event like this to reach its potential," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told ESPN on Wednesday.
"Otherwise, they are hamstringing women's football yet again like they've done since time immemorial."
UK takes aim at 2027 FIFA World Cup
In other international soccer news, the UK announced Wednesday that the country is preparing a bid to host the 2035 FIFA World Cup, with England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland joining forces in an attempt to bring the sport’s biggest event to the United Kingdom.
England’s track record should make the bid particularly attractive after hosting the 2022 Euro to record-shattering attendance and global viewership success — and seeing the home side emerge victorious in the Lionesses first-ever major tournament win.
"Football is and always will be at the core of our country’s identity," said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, throwing the government's full support behind the bid.
"That pride was on full display when England hosted the Women’s Euro 2022. It not only showed the best of our nation to the world but inspired a generation of girls into the game, all whilst boosting the economy."
Should FIFA ultimately award the 2035 hosting duties to the UK, that tournament will mark the first World Cup hosted by the nation since the men's 1966 edition.
With Brazil set to host the 32-team 2027 World Cup and the US expected to lead a serious bid for the expanded 48-team 2031 edition, the FIFA Council officially recommended this week that either African or European nations serve as host for 2035.