There are growing concerns over the integrity and fairness of the Fifa Women’s Champions Cup, with Arsenal viewed as having a significant financial and logistical advantage over fellow competitors Gotham FC, AS Far and Corinthians due to the competition being played in London and the final hosted at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
The Guardian understands that while there is widespread support for a global club competition in women’s football and the announcement of the record-breaking £1.7m / $2.4m prize pot for the tournament is very welcome, clubs have been frustrated by the timing and other details of the inaugural edition, with some feeling that not enough is being done by Fifa to address the significant advantage afforded to Arsenal.
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 profile on a global scale. 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.”
Arsenal are not alone in having a home advantage in a global club competition, with Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders and LA FC all competing in the men’s Club World Cup in the US. However, only Seattle played all three of their games at their home stadium with five of the 10 games played by US teams coming away from home.
The public announcement that Brentford and Arsenal would host the semi-finals, third-place playoff and final of the inaugural Champions Cup didn’t arrive until 12 December. The timing of the competition means Uefa Champions League winners Arsenal and CAF Champions League winners AS Far will both be in mid-season form.
NWSL Championship winners and Concacaf Champions Cup winners Gotham FC played their final game of the 2025 season on 22 November, and the 2026 NWSL season does not begin until 14 March. Copa Libertadores Femenina winners Corinthians played the second leg of the final of the Campeonato Brasileiro Feminino A1 on 14 September – although their season kicks off sooner after the Champions Cup with their Supercopa do Brasil against Palmeiras on 7 February.
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 pre-season early breaches the NWSL Players’ Association Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the league, with players entitled to a minimum of 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 properly prepare players has meant the club have had to, in negotiation with the NWSLPA, find a way to 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.
In addition, Fifa only financially supports training for the three days before the first game, putting the onus on clubs to bear the financial burden of ensuring players are physically ready to compete. Four- to six-week preseasons are widely accepted to be 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.
Fifa also has not provided ice baths for the training bases of Gotham, Corinthians and AS Far. 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. However, Arsenal benefit from access to these types of recovery resources as they are readily available at their training ground as normal and at no extra cost.
With men’s teams operating on much larger budgets, facility discrepancies like this, at a tournament such as the men’s Club World Cup, are less of an issue and easily resolved by clubs themselves. But the growing cost of taking part in the Champions Cup for travelling women’s teams has begun to offset any financial benefits. While the Guardian understands that Fifa believes no team will be financially out of pocket due to their participation in the tournament, it is also understood that the costs Gotham have incurred, including those associated with the three-week training camp in Europe, means that only winning the competition would leave them in the black.
Should Arsenal and Gotham reach Sunday’s final, attention will turn to the ever-present debate of which league, the NWSL or WSL, is the best in the world. Fans and players want that type of showdown to be on as level a playing field possible. We won’t necessarily have that on Sunday, but we can also expect evolution, a Fifa spokesperson telling the Guardian that it understands that, as with all its events, “this tournament will evolve and strengthen over time, just as we’ve demonstrated with the growth journey of the Fifa Women’s World Cup”.
