The Women's Super League (WSL) is set to face significant disruption in the upcoming season due to the Club World Cup. Arsenal and Chelsea are likely to miss domestic matches for up to a month, as the inaugural Women's Club World Cup is scheduled for January 5-30, conflicting directly with the WSL schedule.
FIFA has not confirmed the qualification criteria for the tournament, but it is known that Arsenal is guaranteed a spot as the 2025 Champions League winners, while Chelsea is expected to qualify unless Manchester City wins this season's Champions League. This scheduling means both clubs could miss up to four WSL match weeks and the fourth round of the FA Cup, significantly affecting the fixture list and causing congestion towards the season's end.
UEFA will allocate six spots for clubs: five qualifying automatically and one through a six-team qualifier. The three highest-ranked clubs, along with 13 automatic qualifiers, will form a 16-team competition. These spots are reserved for Champions League winners from 2024 to 2027, currently held by Barcelona and potentially Arsenal, with this season's title still undecided. The remaining spots will be filled by the highest-ranked clubs in UEFA's Champions League coefficient table.
Chelsea currently ranks third in the four-year cycle, behind Barcelona and Lyon, with a 17-point lead over fourth-placed Bayern Munich, making it impossible for them to be overtaken. Bayern and Wolfsburg are next in line, although Wolfsburg's lack of qualification for this season's Champions League means they may be surpassed by Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain. FIFA intends to limit participation to two clubs per country, so if City wins the Champions League, Chelsea would lose its place.
The WSL has not commented, citing a lack of detailed information from FIFA. However, sources acknowledge the potential challenges. The WSL's winter break, scheduled from December 21 to January 10, could be slightly extended but not aligned with the Club World Cup due to calendar constraints. This shift would create a backlog of WSL fixtures during the Champions League knockout stage, beginning in early February.
Fixture congestion is a growing concern in women's football, with 2028 posing additional challenges due to the Olympic football tournament in Los Angeles in August, just before the European domestic season starts. The International Olympic Committee has expanded women's football to 16 nations for the 2028 Games, allowing senior internationals to participate, unlike the men's version.
FIFA's decision to hold the Club World Cup mid-season has intensified these issues. Last month, European Leagues, a lobby group, extended its legal complaint to the European Commission, accusing FIFA of "abuse of power and dominant position" in the women's game.
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