Women’s Club World Cup: WSL against potentially ‘disastrous’ new competition schedule

It is the second new mid-season women’s competition introduced by FIFA in recent years.

The inaugural Champions Cup – which features continental champions from around the world, including Arsenal – will take place next week in London, between January 28 and February 1.

WSL officials say the planned Club World Cup will result in up to five weeks of WSL fixtures being rescheduled, creating a potential fixture backlog and impacting player fitness.

They say they have written to FIFA to raise their concerns and will meet global officials in London during the Champions Cup to discuss the issue.

BBC Sport has been told that the WSL would prefer to hold the tournament in the summer during a year devoid of any other major global competitions, rather than disrupt the domestic schedule.

The BBC has also learned that the planned timetable was presented at a WSL meeting with club leaders on Monday, where players were “shocked” at how busy the calendar was.

The fact that the Club World Cup will be held between the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics is also a concern.

“There are no loopholes,” a WSL spokesperson said. “If the tournament was in a different time zone, with the need to rest and recover, it could result in a lot of matches being rearranged.

“We know Arsenal will be involved and Chelsea will likely be involved as well. It will be great for our clubs but their games will likely be moved to midweek periods which are less attractive to fans. It’s delicate timing.”

The WSL is now considering its options, although asking English teams to boycott the competition is not currently on the table.

One option being considered is to move the Women’s Football League’s winter break – which is usually held over Christmas and New Year – to cover the Club World Cup in the 2027-2028 season.