The inaugural Women\u2019s Club World Cup\u2019s January 2028 dates \u201ccould be catastrophic\u201d, the Women\u2019s Super League has said, with the league raising serious concerns over the potential impact of the tournament on domestic calendars.<\/p>\n
A WSL spokesperson said on Wednesday that the league is firmly against the dates and have made their case strongly to Fifa<\/a>, who have announced that the competition will be held from 5\u201330 January 2028.<\/p>\n A WSL spokesperson added that they believe clubs and players are also opposed to the schedule, but the league are stopping short of calling for a boycott or threatening to withdraw English teams from the competition, adding: \u201cWe are not against the introduction of new tournaments in principle [but] those dates would have an impact on five WSL match rounds.\u201d<\/p>\n The WSL has called for the competition to be held during the northern hemisphere\u2019s summer months instead. The league\u2019s spokesperson also added that they do not want to prevent their member clubs from participating. The qualification pathways for different continental confederations has not yet been revealed, nor has a host.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Fifa\u2019s chief football officer, the former USWNT coach Jill Ellis, appeared to be open<\/a> to the possibility of the 2028 tournament being contested in the Middle East. She also criticised anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the United States, warning of hypocrisy and not wanting to \u201cthrow stones in glass houses\u201d when discussing the prospect of Qatar hosting the event. The Guardian revealed this month that the world\u2019s governing body is in discussions with Qatar as a possible host<\/a>.<\/p>\n The January 2028 dates would not clash with any Women\u2019s Champions League ties, but many domestic European leagues will be affected. The WSL currently has a winter break from mid-December to early January.<\/p>\n The new Women\u2019s Club World Cup had been originally targeted for 2026 by Fifa but the Guardian exclusively revealed last year that it was likely to be delayed<\/a>.<\/p>\n