US in advanced talks to host 2028 Women's Club World Cup, Guardian reports

The United States is in advanced discussions to stage the first Women's Club World Cup in January 2028, according to reporting published by the Guardian on Thursday. Los Angeles and San Diego are among the cities under consideration, but a hosting agreement has not been confirmed. The proposed competition would feature 19 teams.

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The Guardian reported that the US could secure the event without a formal bidding process, although Qatar had also held talks with Fifa about hosting. An American tournament would follow the expanded men's Club World Cup staged there last year and the men's World Cup held in North America this summer. Fifa was contacted for comment by the newspaper.

The women's club competition is scheduled to begin on 5 January 2028, leaving organisers limited time to prepare and promote it. According to the report, Fifa wants to use the event to assess potential stadiums, ticket pricing and spectator demand before the larger 2031 Women's World Cup. That competition is set to involve 48 national teams, compared with 19 clubs in the proposed January event.

The Guardian said the US is lined up to stage the 2031 tournament alongside Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica, with formal approval still due at an Extraordinary Fifa Congress on 23 November. The smaller club competition would therefore provide an opportunity to examine hosting arrangements three years before the national-team event.

January scheduling also places the club tournament between the 2027 Women's World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. Both international events are expected to require full-strength squads. The Guardian reported that some leading clubs favour changing the rules to restrict players to one international tournament a year, covering competitions for both clubs and national teams.

Commercial arrangements remain another unresolved issue. Europe's leading clubs have demanded completion of a proposed joint venture between European Football Clubs and Fifa before television rights for the women's competition are sold, the newspaper reported. That agreement has been outlined but not signed off, leaving the hosting discussions alongside further decisions still needed to organise the inaugural event.