play1:20Krieger: Gotham FC deserved NWSL Championship winAli Krieger was full of praise for Gotham FC and their manager Juan Carlos Amorós after their NWSL Championship win over Washington Spirit.
Beth Mead reflects on Arsenal’s ‘rollercoaster’ UWCL league phase (0:46)Beth Mead speaks after Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Oud-Heverlee Leuven in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. (0:46)
Krieger: Gotham FC deserved NWSL Championship winAli Krieger was full of praise for Gotham FC and their manager Juan Carlos Amorós after their NWSL Championship win over Washington Spirit.
Ali Krieger was full of praise for Gotham FC and their manager Juan Carlos Amorós after their NWSL Championship win over Washington Spirit.
Emily KeoghJan 26, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseBased in London, Emily Keogh is ESPN’s women’s soccer correspondent, specializing in the WSL and UWCLFollow on X
It’s not the same as the Women’s Club World Cup, right?
Where are the games being held, and why is it happening now?
The inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup travels to London on Wednesday as the final four clubs battle for the trophy. Having started back in October, the competition is played between the six best teams from each continental confederation, with this week’s final tournament format featuring two semifinals, a third-place playoff and a final.
Each FIFA confederation held its own version of the UEFA Champions League tournament, many for the first time as they did not have a historical club tournament like UEFA.
On announcing the new competition last year, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “Women’s football has reached new heights at national team level and now it’s time for global competitions that showcase the best clubs from around the world.”
No, the 16-team Club World Cup is a separate competition. But think of this one as its little sister.
Originally, the Club World Cup was scheduled for 2026, but due to organizational and planning issues, FIFA chose to postpone it until 2028. Not wanting to miss the chance at having three tournaments in consecutive years, with the 2027 World Cup to be held next year in Brazil, FIFA opted to implement the six-team Champions Cup.
The Club World Cup, already engulfed in controversy over its possible hosting in Qatar and scheduling concerns, is set for Jan. 5-30, 2028, which will directly impact at least five Women’s Super League (WSL) matchdays, something the league believes could be “catastrophic.”
The teams competing in London are England’s Arsenal (UEFA), NWSL side Gotham FC (CONCACAF), Brazilian team Corinthians (CONMEBOL), and Morocco’s ASFAR [Royal Armed Forces Sports Association] (CAF).
New Zealand’s Auckland United FC (Oceania) and China’s Wuhan Jiangda WFC (AFC) have already been knocked out of the competition, with Wuhan beating Auckland in the first round and then losing to ASFAR in round two. The other three teams progressed straight to the semifinals.
Having won the UEFA Women’s Champions League for a second time — ending an 18-year wait since their first victory in 2006 — Arsenal are Europe’s representative.
North America will have Gotham FC as they won the 2025 NWSL Championship, which earned them a place in the inaugural CONCACAF Women’s Champions Cup — a 10-team competition split into two groups, a semifinal and final. Gotham came second in their group to progress to the knockouts, then beat Club America 3-1 in the semifinal, before defeating Tigres 1-0 in the final to claim the crown.
Africa will be represented by ASFAR, who have won every domestic Moroccan title since 2015 and every Moroccan Throne Cup since 2013. CAF first started the African Women’s Champions League in 2021 and ASFAR won it in 2022, then again in 2025, becoming the only team to win it twice in its five-year history.
The CONMEBOL champions are Brazilian side Corinthians, who won the Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol Feminino before sealing a third-straight Copa Libertadores in a dramatic penalty shootout against Deportivo Cali.
Meanwhile, Ocenia’s Auckland United FC won the third edition of the OFC Champions League, and Chinese side Wuhan Jiangda picked up the inaugural AFC Champions League for Asia.
Gotham FC, who run a different calendar to the UK — they play March-November, while WSL teams play September-May — are in their offseason but have spent the past month based in Europe, playing a variety of teams to gain momentum, exposure and keep fit.
These two are rather unfamiliar opponents to each other but, as a leading powerhouse in one of the most advanced leagues in the world, with a host of top international players like Jaedyn Shaw, Rose Lavelle and Esther González, Gotham are likely to take the win.
However, Corinthians’ ethos and pedigree is not to be overlooked. They have some impressive players — such as captain Tamires, who has over 150 caps for Brazil — and a true identity that makes them a ruthless team. However, Gotham’s dedicated preparation in Europe will make them tough to beat.
Gotham player to watch: Ann-Katrin Berger. Anyone who watched the WSL from 2018-2024 will remember Berger for her iconic saves and world-class performances that helped Chelsea to win five WSL titles. Returning to England, Berger comes off the back of some impressive form for Germany and will be at the center of Gotham’s hopes for the inaugural trophy.
Corinthians player to watch: Jhonson. The forward has enjoyed a stellar 2025. She netted the decisive penalty against Deportivo Cali in the Copa Libertadores final to qualify the Timão for this competition and has now worked her way into Brazil’s senior setup. The 20-year-old is quickly proving to be a key cog for the South Americans and will enjoy trying to open up the Gotham defense.
But ASFAR may prove more of a challenge than expected. The Moroccan side demonstrated their resilience with a dramatic comeback in their second-round match against Wuhan to secure a semifinal spot, and that is something Arsenal have struggled with this season.
Arsenal player to watch: Alessia Russo. The crown jewel in the Arsenal attack, Russo is used as both a striker and attacking midfielder to force opponents into mistakes at the back. She holds the ball up and dictates the tempo, and has been one of the club’s best players this, and last, season. She is hard to stop once she gets going and ASFAR will need to close her down effectively.
ASFAR player to watch: Anissa Lahmari. The former Paris Saint-Germain star has a wealth of experience across the globe. She has played in France for several clubs, had a loan spell at Reading, and spent a period of time in Spain with Levante before joining ASFAR. She was also part of France’s youth setup before switching her allegiance to Morocco in 2023. Lahmari has played against Arsenal before, and her teammates will be picking her brains as to how to frustrate the north London side.
Beth Mead reflects on Arsenal’s ‘rollercoaster’ UWCL league phase (0:46)Beth Mead speaks after Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Oud-Heverlee Leuven in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. (0:46)
Beth Mead speaks after Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Oud-Heverlee Leuven in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. (0:46)
CloseBased in London, Emily Keogh is ESPN’s women’s soccer correspondent, specializing in the WSL and UWCLFollow on X
Gotham FC take on Corinthians in the first semifinal at 12:30 p.m. GMT (7:30 p.m. ET) on Wednesday, Jan. 26. Then Arsenal face ASFAR in the second at 6 p.m. GMT (1 p.m. ET).
The winners will play the final on Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. GMT (1 p.m. ET), with the losers in the third-place playoff beforehand at 2:45 p.m. GMT (9:45 a.m. ET).
Auckland United and Wuhan Jiangda were awarded $100,000 for their participation.
The two teams who exit in the semifinals will earn $200,000.