Women’s football fans express concerns at FIFA plans to launch Club World Cup in 2028 | OneFootball

Arsenal are the most recent holders of the Women’s Champions League

Supporters’ groups from across English women’s football have expressed their concerns over FIFA’s plans to launch a Women’s Club World Cup in 2028.

Deborah Dilworth, head of women’s football for the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), has sent a letter to WSL chief executive Nikki Doucet and FA CEO Mark Bullingham to express “serious concerns” over the planned tournament.

The letter was co-signed by 34 supporter groups, including fans of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Among the signatories were also fans of WSL 2 and Women’s National League clubs.

Why are fans concerned about the Club World Cup?

In the FSA letter to the WSL and FA, dated November 21st, several serious concerns were expressed over the launch of the Club World Cup in 2028.

This included the health of the players and how the domestic landscape could be distorted if an English team won the competition.

Dilworth wrote: “The FSA’s Women’s Game Network cares about the health, wealth and connectivity of the entire domestic game and we believe the WCWC could negatively affect the full pyramid of women’s football in England.

“The concentration of money to a few is also of deep concern to women’s football. Should a domestic team win the tournament the prize money windfall could further distort the landscape and affect sporting competitiveness.

“We believe that this could impact investment made in other clubs – if other owners feel they can’t compete they might pull out their investment entirely. This hinders rather than stimulates investment.

The FSA voiced concerns that the tournament would be sandwiched between the 2027 Women’s World Cup and 2028 Olympics, and how it could affect the domestic calendar.

In the letter, the FSA added that the “increased burden on supporters should be considered” and that many of their members have said that the game is “not ready for a competition like this.

Dilworth wrote: “Many of our members have communicated the fear that the game is not ready for a competition like this, especially one that may not be beneficial to everyone, and the organic growth is being sacrificed for a tournament designed to reward a handful of clubs.”

How will the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup look?

The Women’s Club World Cup would feature 16 teams from all six confederations, six of which are from Europe.

Thirteen clubs will earn a direct passage into the competition, while the final three spots will be claimed via a “play-in”.

As many as four Women’s Super League teams could potentially be involved.

Back in March, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “Women’s football has reached new heights at the national-team level, and now it’s time for global competitions that showcase the best clubs from around the world.

“The Fifa Women’s Club World Cup will be a defining moment in the growth of women’s club football.”

The tournament is separate from the new Women’s Champions Cup which features Arsenal as one of six confederation title winners.

Arsenal will look to become the inaugural Women’s Champions Cup winners in 2026, with the following two editions to be held in 2027 and 2029.

Which supporter groups co-signed the letter?

Below are the full list of co-signatories in the letter sent by the FSA.