The W Champions Cup is heading Stateside. FIFA confirmed plans to bring the second iteration of its global club competition to Miami in January 2027.
Inter Miami’s Nu Stadium will host the tournament semifinals, bronze medal match, and final, as four teams battle to succeed 2026 winner Arsenal.
“The excitement surrounding this competition is already growing, and we know the second edition will be bigger and better than the first,” said FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis.
No NWSL clubs will feature in the event. Instead, Mexico’s Club América is representing the region after winning May’s Concacaf W Champions Cup.
América will be joined by reigning UWCL champion Barcelona, alongside this year’s Conmebol Libertadores Femenina winner. One additional club from Asia or Africa will also participate.
Liga MX Femenil triumphed over the NWSL this weekend, as Mexico’s Club América downed Gotham and Washington en route to the 2026 Concacaf W Champions Cup title.
After dismantling Gotham 4-1 on Wednesday, América faced the Spirit in Saturday’s continental final. The Mexican side built on an intense attacking output to secure the 5-3 win.
Club América forward Scarlett Camberos won Player of the Tournament. She scored four goals in two games — including the championship’s final strike.
"It's been a great experience for the team," said Washington head coach Adrián González.
"It's always hard, because you put a lot of effort… I couldn't be prouder. I think we are going to learn from this and I am sure that we are gonna keep getting in finals and for sure we will win finals in the future."
Club América Moves to 2027 FIFA Champions Cup with Concacaf Win
The NWSL and Liga MX Femenil are now tied 1-1 for all-time Champions Cup trophies, as regional competition spreads within the women’s game.
The win advances América to the 2027 FIFA Champions Cup. The global tournament kicks off in Miami, despite no US teams qualifying.
A new team will lift the Concacaf trophy, after defending champion Gotham fell to Liga MX Femenil’s Club América 4-1 in last night’s Champions Cup semifinals.
Former Gotham forward Geyse notched three assists on the night, while former Angel City and Bay FC forward Scarlett Camberos racked up a hat trick while silencing the Bats’ defense.
“It was a very difficult game for us,” said Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “I have to give a lot of credit to my players. They gave absolutely everything they had in those conditions.”
The NWSL will have one representative in Saturday’s final, as Washington got past Pachuca 1-0 to advance to the club’s first continental final.
18-year-old Paraguay international Claudia Martínez continued her quality Spirit debut, scoring the game’s lone goal in the 81st minute off a multi-pass team sequence.
Washington faces a Club América side riding high, after downing Monterrey to win a third league title in front of 6.8 million viewers last week.
Where to Watch the 2026 Concacaf W Champions Cup Final
The Champions Cup final kicks off Saturday at 9:30 PM ET, live on Paramount+.
The 2026 Concacaf W Champions Cup is heating up, as NWSL sides Gotham and Washington kick off the regional tournament’s semifinals tonight in Mexico.
2024/25 winner Gotham faces 2026 Liga MX Clausura champion Club América, before the Spirit battles Pachuca on its home field.
Tonight’s winners advance to Saturday’s final, with the eventual Concacaf champion qualifying for the global 2027 FIFA Champions Cup in Miami.
Last year’s final featured the best of both top-flight North American leagues, as Gotham took down Tigres to claim the inaugural title.
The Bats have yet to lose a game in Concacaf competition, carrying a 7-0-3 record across the continental competition’s first two editions.
“It’s obviously fantastic to be here again,” said Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amoros. “That’s where we want Gotham to be… We want to be at the international stage.”
Where to Watch 2026 Concacaf W Champions Cup Semifinals
The Champions Cup semifinals kick off tonight at 7:30 PM ET, live on Paramount+.
The San Diego Wave are closing out 2025 with a title, defeating Liga MX Femenil side Tigres UANL 3-0 to lift the World Sevens Football (W7F) trophy on Sunday.
Wave attacker Makenzy Robbe opened the scoring in the 7v7 venture's championship match, before forward Adriana Leon tacked on a second-half brace to put the game out of reach — and secure the $2 million winner's share of the $5 million prize pool for the NWSL side.
"I think in sevens it's a lot more emphasis on the individual, and so I think players who maybe don't play [as much in NWSL matches]...get to show their creative side," noted Robbe. "It was definitely an element to this, which was really fun."
In a showcase of club talent across the Americas, the San Diego Wave finished the second-ever W7F tournament undefeated, scoring 14 goals while only conceding three en route to becoming the champion of the competition's first-ever North American iteration.
"It was so fun, and honestly, I would love to be back again," said San Diego goalkeeper and the tournament's golden Glove winner DiDi Haračić. "And we got the bag."
Wave midfielder Gia Corley took home the Breakout Player award, and while Tigres fell just short of the trophy, forward María Sánchez earned the competition's Golden Ball and Golden Boot with her six goals and two assists.
Club América of Liga MX Femenil earned a third-place finish, winning $700,000 in prize money as the bronze medal winners.
The Kansas City Current and San Diego Wave are leveling up, with the NWSL teams set to represent the US in the first-ever North American edition of the seven-a-side tournament World Sevens Football (W7F).
Kicking off December 5th in Fort Lauderdale, the NWSL clubs will join Northern Super League side AFC Toronto, Brazilian powerhouse Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, and Colombian contender Deportivo Cali — as well as Liga MX titans Club América and Tigres UANL — on the W7F tournament pitch.
W7F will announce the eighth and final team to join the competition at a later date.
Armed with a $5 million prize pool, December's W7F competition follows a successful May 2025 debut of the soccer venture in Portugal.
"Our team thrives on intensity, creativity, and competition, which fit perfectly with the 7v7 style of play," said Kansas City assistant coach Milan Ivanovic. "This tournament is an incredible opportunity for our players to test themselves against some of the world's best in a dynamic, fast-paced environment."
"We're proud to represent Kansas City and the NWSL on the international stage and to continue pushing the women's game forward," added Ivanovic.
How to watch December's W7F tournament
There will be four competition sessions in the upcoming W7F event, with two days of group play before the semifinals, third-place, and championship matches take place on December 7th.
All W7F matches will stream live on DAZN.
Gotham FC's 2026 dance card is filling up fast, with the Bats booking both the Concacah Champions Cup and FIFA Women's Champions Cup semis while also preparing for the 2025 NWSL Playoffs next month.
As the reigning Concacaf W Champions Cup winners, FIFA announced Saturday that Gotham will take on the just-qualified Brazilian side Corinthians at next year's first-ever Champions Cup.
The FIFA announcement comes just weeks after Gotham again punched their ticket to the Concacaf W Champions Cup semis, advancing through the 2025/26 competition to set up a semifinals rematch against Liga MX Femenil's Club América next May.
In response to the growing demand for international women's club competitions, the FIFA Women's Champions Cup will serve as a preview for the expanded Women's Club World Cup in 2028.
Gotham's side of the FIFA Champions Cup bracket sees the North and South American champions facing off for a Club World Cup ticket, with UEFA Champions League winners Arsenal battling either China's Wuhan Jiangda — winners of the AFC Women's Champions League — or the as-yet-undetermined winners of Africa's CAF Women's Champions League in the second semifinal.
Taking place in London, the Champions Cup semifinals will kick off on January 28th, before the third-place match and final takes the pitch on February 1st.
The increasingly crowded schedule reflects the Bats' continued success, as international competitions challenge Gotham to stay focused on their NWSL postseason campaign.
Gotham raised a continental trophy on Saturday, with the NWSL side toppling Liga MX's Tigres UANL 1-0 to claim the first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup crown.
Powered by a goal from star striker Esther González in the match's 82nd minute, the win punched Gotham's ticket to two additional global tournaments: the inaugural FIFA Champions Cup in 2026 and the 2028 debut edition of the FIFA Women's Club World Cup.
"The other day, we talked about the first-ever champions of competitions like the UEFA Champions League, the Euro, the World Cup, and the Olympics," said Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós following Saturday's victory. "Now, forever, the first team to win the Concacaf W Champions Cup will be Gotham FC."
"These players, with this coaching staff — we are incredibly proud of what they've accomplished."
Gotham wasn't the only NWSL club to claim a Saturday victory at the inaugural confederation tournament. Following a 2-0 loss to the Tigres 2-0 in Wednesday's semifinals, the Portland Thorns bounced back with a 3-0 win over Liga MX side Club América in Saturday's third-place match.
Now with hardware in tow, the Bats will have some ground to make up after the current international break, with Gotham slipping to ninth place in the NWSL standings during their absence from the league last weekend.
The battle for continental soccer glory continues on Wednesday, as the Portland Thorns and Gotham FC land in Mexico for the 2024/25 Concacaf W Champions Cup semifinals.
After advancing past last fall's group-stage play, both NWSL sides now face Liga MX standouts in the knockout rounds with a ticket to Saturday's Champions Cup Final on the line.
The back-to-back semifinals will take place on Wednesday in Nuevo León, Mexico, with live coverage streaming on Paramount+:
- Club América vs. Gotham FC, 7:30 PM ET: Both the Bats and this year's Liga MX regular season champions are looking to bounce back, as Gotham attempts to shake off a recent NWSL skid while América seeks redemption after stumbling in their season-ending league tournament earlier this month.
- Tigres UANL vs. Portland Thorns, 10:30 PM ET: Expect a high-energy clash between the three-time NWSL champs and six-time Liga MX title-winners, with the Thorns coming off a five-match undefeated streak and the Tigres shooting to impress in front of their home crowd at Estadio Universitario.
It's not just hardware and continental bragging rights on the line, though.
Saturday's 2024/25 Concacaf W Champions Cup victors will also earn automatic qualification into FIFA's 2026 Champions Cup — a six-team tournament between confederation winners — and the first-ever Club World Cup, which will kick off in 2028.