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- Fifa has confirmed tournament will run between 5th and 30th January
- Qatar previously expressed interest in staging 2029 men’s Club World Cup
Qatar is in talks to host the inaugural edition of the Fifa Women’s Club World Cup in January 2028, according to The Guardian.
Fifa confirmed last month that its newest club tournament would be held from 5th to 30th January in 2028, with its decision implying that it would be held in a country with a warm climate for that time of the year. No information has been provided on whether a formal bidding process will be held to determine the event’s host.
A total of 16 teams are expected to compete, with at least five to come from Europe. Fifa has yet to provide an entry criteria for the competition, which will also see Asia, Africa, South America and North America represented by two clubs each.
Qatar’s reported interest marks its latest attempt to host a Fifa competition, following its staging of the 2022 men’s World Cup. The Middle Eastern country held the Fifa Intercontinental Cup last month, which was won by Paris Saint-Germain, and will next deliver the second men’s Finalissima match contested by Spain and Argentina.
The Guardian previously reported Qatar had declared interest in hosting the men’s Club World Cup in 2029, but that tournament is now to be held in the northern hemisphere summer, with Morocco and Spain considered the most likely hosts for the event.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is considered unlikely to put itself forward for the Women’s Club World Cup, given its commitment to hosting the Spanish Super Cup in the same month.
Despite being held once every four years, the new Women’s Club World Cup is expected to cause disruption for the women’s club soccer calendar, with many domestic leagues usually playing games during January.
Fifa’s talks with Qatar for the Women’s Club World Cup comes ahead of its debut edition of the Women’s Champions Cup, which commences this month and will be its first global women’s club competition. A report from The Guardian last month claimed that it has yet to sell broadcast rights for the tournament, with just over two weeks until its opening match.
SportsPro says…
Fifa has increasingly turned to the Middle East to host its marquee events since Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup. Saudi Arabia was awarded the 2034 World Cup as the sole bidder for the tournament, although other expressions of interest were limited to just nations from the Asian and Oceania confederations.
Should Qatar be chosen to host the first Women’s Club World Cup, Fifa’s decision would likely be controversial given the country’s strong anti-LGBTQ+ rights stance. Its women’s national team has also not played an official game in 12 years since being formed in 2009 – demonstrating its lack of pedigree in women’s soccer.
As for clubs and domestic leagues, the competition may not be welcomed given its timing and the disruption it would cause for the calendar. It also further increases the workload placed on elite players, which has already been the subject of complaints made by players union FifPro.
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