The ultimate Gotham FC preview for the FIFA Women's Champions Cup | OneFootball

There is still over a month away before NJ/NY Gotham FC begins the 2026 NWSL season. However, the Bats will play their first competitive matches of the year beginning this week. They will play in the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, which will be just two games. The semifinals will occur on Wednesday, and then the finals or third-place match will be on Sunday. As such, fans will be able to see their players play earlier than other NWSL teams.

The Champions Cup, of course, involves the teams that won their continental tournaments. Gotham FC is playing because they won the CONCACAF Champions Cup back in the spring. A few teams were already eliminated, so that leaves the Bats, SC Corinthians Paulista, Arsenal W.F.C., and the Royal Armed Forces Sports Association as the four teams to play in the semifinals.

There is some concern for Gotham since they are not in the middle of their season and have not played since the NWSL Championship. But other than Arsenal, the other teams have also been on a bit of a break, even if they played more recently compared to the NJ/NY side.

Nevertheless, the Bats have been in preseason for most of January, and their offseason was only a little over a month. With that said, this tournament will be a tough test since the team will go up against other fantastic sides from around the world. Therefore, here is a preview of the Champions Cup for Gotham FC.

Gotham FC Champions Cup preview

To begin, who will Gotham FC face in the tournament? The ladies obviously know they will face Corinthians in the semifinals. The Brazilian club finished the regular season in second place. They also played in multiple tournaments, losing just four times in 2025. This is a team that knows how to win, so it will be tough for the Bats.

The next opponent will depend on whether the NWSL team wins the semifinal matchup. If the ladies win, then they will play in the finals. If they lose, then they will play in the third-place game. Hence, the next team they will face will be either Arsenal or ASFAR.

Arsenal is currently in third place in the Women's Super League and finished in second last season. Then, ASFAR won their most recent Moroccan Women's Championship, their tenth in a row. Between the teams, the English side would be the more difficult opponent, and would likely be the most difficult game of the tournament, if the two sides meet.

Meanwhile, the semifinals against Corinthians will take place on Wednesday, January 28, at Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford. Unfortunately for most fans, the match will be at 7:30 AM. Many will be getting ready for work and school, so it would not be shocking if many supporters do not watch the fixture.

At least the third-place game and finals will be on Sunday, February 1. If Gotham loses on Wednesday, then they will play at 9:45 AM. If they win, then the finals will occur at 1:00 PM. Both are reasonable times when it comes to watching the beautiful game in England. In addition, both fixtures will take place at Emirates Stadium in London.

Now, how can Gotham FC fans watch their team in the Champions Cup? This is when it gets tricky. FIFA said they can be watched on FIFA+, and the club has the same information. Others, like The Athletic, are saying that FIFA has yet to announce how to watch the match in the United States, which is strange since fans are one day out from the semifinals. Regardless of any changes, updates will be below.

Finally, what else is at stake other than a trophy? The answer is $2.3 million. The winner will receive that sum, and then the runners-up will win $1 million. The other two teams will earn $200,000, so the Bats have the ability to earn more money by winning it all.

In the end, it really is impossible to guess what will happen to Gotham FC since these will be their first matches since the offseason. It would be great to add another trophy to the cabinet, but nobody should have the expectation that they should win. At least they have already won two trophies in the last year, so any result is easy to swallow. Still, winning would be awesome.