FIFA has approved a new women’s international match calendar for 2026-2029. While the calendar is still not optimized for maximum player rest and recovery, it does show some compromise from FIFA in acknowledging player workloads — specifically, reducing the number of overall international windows from six to five.
However, FIFA is also adding to the women’s calendar with the confirmation of the Women’s Club World Cup — the inaugural tournament to take place in January and February 2026 — and the CONCACAF W Champions Cup starting in August this year (Gotham FC, San Diego Wave, and Portland Thorns FC will feature in this edition). These events will add heavily to elite players’ loads when those players are already highly in demand between club and country.
While there was compromise, one group felt particularly left out of conversations. The Women’s Leagues Forum, which includes representatives from 16 women’s national leagues, expressed dissatisfaction in a letter to FIFA before the calendar’s release, requesting they be allowed to have input into the calendar due to its impact on global league schedules.
What are the main changes to the international match calendar?
There are three big logistical takeaways from the new calendar approach. FIFA removed an…
