Women’s Match Calendar Added to European Leagues’ EU Complaint Against FIFA

European Leagues has expanded its competition-law complaint against FIFA to include the women’s international match calendar and related regulatory decisions. The organization announced Tuesday that it had formally submitted the extension to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition, alleging that FIFA has not meaningfully involved women’s professional leagues in calendar decisions.

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The new submission builds on a complaint lodged in October 2024 by European Leagues, FIFPRO Europe and LaLiga. That original action focused on the men’s international match calendar, including decisions concerning the 2025 Club World Cup and 2026 World Cup. The complainants argued that FIFA had used its regulatory authority without an adequate process for consulting leagues and player unions.

European Leagues says the same concern now applies to the women’s game. Its statement alleges that FIFA’s roles as both global governing body and competition organizer create a structural conflict of interest, and that regulatory decisions can favor FIFA’s own competitions and commercial interests. Those assertions are allegations within an ongoing complaint, not findings by the European Commission.

The league association said FIFA’s approach threatens the growth and financial stability of domestic women’s competitions and creates risks for player health and wellbeing. It is asking the Commission to ensure that calendar-related decisions comply with European Union law and include women’s professional league representatives in the process. European Leagues represents 53 professional divisions and more than 1,328 clubs across 34 countries.

FIFA has presented a different account of how the calendar was developed. When its council unanimously approved the 2026-29 Women’s International Match Calendar in May 2024, FIFA said the framework followed research, analysis and consultation with confederations and other stakeholders. It also said reducing international windows from six to five would provide more recovery time, reduce travel and limit disruption to domestic leagues.

The Commission will now consider the expanded submission as part of its investigation into the complaint. European Leagues has not announced a timetable for a decision, and the filing does not itself change the current match calendar. For domestic competitions, the immediate development is that women’s leagues are now formally included in a broader legal challenge over who shapes football’s international schedule and how those decisions are made.