Ahead of the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, the FIFA Council met in the Thai capital on Wednesday to take decisions including the approval of the Women’s International Match Calendar 2026-29.
A number of measures were approved regarding the future of women’s football, including preliminary details of the first FIFA Women’s Club World Cup which will be held in January-February 2026. The competition, which was approved in principle by the FIFA Council in December 2022, will be contested by 16 teams and held every four years. An additional FIFA women’s club competition was proposed to take place in non-FIFA Women’s Club World Cup years as from 2027.
The Women’s International Match Calendar 2026-29 was unanimously approved and will, according to FIFA, “provide more opportunities for rest and recovery for players throughout the calendar, with a reduction in the number of windows from six to five facilitating less disruption to domestic leagues and reduced travel”.
FIFA has also added measures assisting women to its Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players which will take effect from 1 June. These are:
- Extending the rights and protection to adoptive parents as well as non-biological mothers
- Recognising the physical, psychological and social dimensions in the event of an inability to provide employment services due to severe menstruation or medical complications relating to pregnancy
- Encouraging associations to facilitate attachment and emotional balance for female players with their families while on international duty
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, “The Women’s International Match Calendar and the subsequent amendments to our regulations represent an important milestone in our pledge to take the women’s game to the next level by enhancing competitiveness across the world, particularly in those regions where women’s football is less developed and protecting the well-being of the players. Having agreed the calendar well in advance will be beneficial for planning purposes.”
The FIFA Council also confirmed the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025 would be staged in the Philippines, and that the next five editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup would be held annually in Qatar starting from next year.
The 74th FIFA Congress begins on Friday 17 May. Among the items on the agenda are steps to tackle racism in football, and the naming of the hosts of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. FIFA’s member associations will choose between Brazil and a joint-bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands after a USA-Mexico bid was withdrawn late last month.
