How fair is the women's Champions Cup?
Well, on paper, it's not fair at all. It benefits Arsenal on and off the pitch.
There are considerable concerns over the integrity and fairness of the competition. Arsenal is viewed as having a significant financial and logistical advantage. The competition is being played in London in their time zone and climate. Also, the final will be hosted at Arsenal's Emirates.
It has been understood that there is widespread support for a global club competition in women's football. The announcement of the record-breaking £1.7 million prize pot for the tournament is very welcome. But the club has been frustrated by the timing and other details around the competition's inaugural edition. Many feel FIFA has not done enough to address the significant advantage goalkeepers have.
A Fifa spokesperson said: “As this is the inaugural edition of the competition, Fifa undertook a comprehensive assessment to identify the most suitable location to launch this new event. London was selected as the optimal choice based on a range of strategic considerations.
“In line with FIFA’s commitment to growing the women’s game globally, key factors such as visibility, player experience, climate, accessibility for global fans and teams, media infrastructure, and commercial potential were thoroughly evaluated. London offers a world-class football infrastructure, a strong and diverse fanbase, and the ability to amplify the competition’s global profile. These criteria mirror the standard approach used for global event planning and align with FIFA’s strategic objectives to enhance the commercial value and audience reach of women’s football.”
The public announcement of which stadiums would host the semi-finals, third-place playoff, and final was not made until 12 December.
Arsenal are in season. AS FAR have played only one game ahead of their loss to Arsenal. At the same time, Corthians and Gotham FC have not played at all in 2026 and are out of season. Their last game for Gotham was on the 22nd of February, and their season did not start until 14th March. Corinthians played the second leg of the final of the Campeonato Brasileiro Feminino A1 on the 14th September.
As a result of this mismatch, there has been disruption to transfer window activity and huge logistical issues around player availability for the FIFA-run tournament. For Gotham and any future NWSL sides to compete in the tournament, calling players into preseason early violates the NWSL Players’ Association Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the league, which entitles players to at least 28 days off during the offseason.
However, sticking to that number would jeopardise player welfare by not giving those competing adequate time to get their bodies match-ready. The decision to host a three-week training camp in Spain to prepare players properly has meant the club has had to, in negotiations with the NWSLPA, reallocate those protected days off elsewhere. Which, in turn, means a second pre-season period has also been cut short, affecting their buildup to the 2026 NWSL season.
Additionally, FIFA provides financial support for training only for the three days before the game, which is difficult when they are not in season. Meaning that's four to six weeks of preseason on the clubs, as that is widely accepted as necessary to properly bring players up to speed after a break of two weeks or more.
For Corinthians, there was an added wait for players, with visa issues meaning Dayana Rodríguez, Gisela Robledo, and Paola García could not travel until Sunday.
Another benefit for Arsenal is that, being in the UK, especially in London, they can use their own training facilities and recovery resources, which are already available to them at no extra cost, as FIFA has not provided ice baths for the training bases of the other three clubs. This is in line with any Fifa tournament, with the global governing body committed to paying for business-class flights, accommodation, food and beverages, and on-the-ground support.
With this in mind, the growing cost of participating in the Champions Cup for the travelling women's team has begun to offset any financial benefits.
While understoodrstand that Fifa believes no team will be financially out of pocket due to their participation in the round, it is also understood that the costs Gotham have incurred, including those associated with the three-week training camp in Euorpes means that they club will out of pocket as they would have neede dto win the competition to be in the black and they did not make the final.
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