For the first time in history, the six women’s club champions from each continent came together to compete in a brand-new competition: the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™.
The tournament brought together Arsenal Women FC (Europe), ASFAR (Africa), Auckland United FC (Oceania), SC Corinthians (South America), Gotham FC (North America) and Wuhan Jiangda WFC (Asia) across three stages played in 2025 and 2026.
The opening round saw Auckland United face Wuhan Jiangda. In the second round, the winner met CAF Women’s Champions League winners ASFAR. The final stage then featured the second-round winner alongside the Concacaf, CONMEBOL and UEFA champions.
How and when the teams qualified
Auckland United and Wuhan Jiangda, firsts for the history books
The FIFA Women’s Champions Cup adventure began on 8 October 2025 with the opening match between Auckland United and Wuhan Jiangda.
In front of more than 32,000 spectators at the Wuhan Sports Centre Stadium, the Chinese side had to wait until the closing moments to overcome the New Zealand champions.
In the 88th minute, Jiang Chenjing nudged the ball past Auckland’s keeper, sending Wuhan through to the second round and etching her name into history as the competition’s first-ever goalscorer. Wuhan then had to wait to find out which African side they would face in the second round, with the CAF Women’s Champions League final still to be played.
Quotes
“This is a significant moment. I think it is huge for women’s football clubs around the world. We all enjoyed the match and hope there will be more events like this, so that women’s football can continue growing on a global scale.”
Wang Shuang, Wuhan forward
“Just taking part in this tournament is an incredible privilege. There has never been anything like this in club football. It is an opportunity to create a pathway and a legacy, to give visibility to players who may not be part of national teams or fully professional environments, and to show that they can compete on the global stage.”
Chloe Knott, Auckland United midfielder
ASFAR join the competition
ASFAR emerged victorious in the CAF Women’s Champions League final on 21 November, earning them the right to host Wuhan Jiangda in the second round of the Women’s Champions Cup at the Stade de Berrechid.
The match was fiercely contested. Wuhan looked set for victory after Wang Shuang’s stunning strike into the top corner in the 29th minute, only for ASFAR to equalise in the 89th minute thanks to a late response from Hajar Said. In extra time, the Moroccan side took control, with Sanaa Mssoudy finishing calmly after holding off Wuhan’s defence.
With their victory, the Military Women had secured a momentous achievement: qualification for the first-ever final stage.
Quotes
“Everyone knows that ASFAR is a club that never gives up and always performs well in all competitions. We have made history, like always.”
Najat Badri, ASFAR captain
A spectacular final stage in London
The final stage, held on Wednesday 28 January and Sunday 1 February in London, came with high expectations.
In the first semi-final at the Brentford Stadium, SC Corinthians squared off against US outfit Gotham FC. Backed by their passionate Fiel supporters, the South American champions emerged stronger in a tightly contested match, with 40-year-old Gabi Zanotti scoring the decisive goal in the 83rd minute, assisted by another Corinthians legend, Tamires.
In the other semi-final, Africa’s champions were outmatched by Arsenal. The European champions scored four first-half goals through Stina Blackstenius, Frida Maanum, Mariona Caldentey and Olivia Smith, before substitute Alessia Russo added a second-half brace.
ASFAR showed improved form in the third-place play-off, but lapses in their defence allowed Gotham to claim a 4-0 win with four different goalscorers.
The final delivered a thrilling contest at Arsenal Stadium. In front of 25,031 fans, the Gunners took the lead twice, only for Corinthians to equalise on both occasions, including a dramatic 96th-minute penalty converted by Victoria to make it 2-2. In extra time, Australia’s Caitlin Foord struck the decisive goal to hand Arsenal the first FIFA Women’s Champions Cup title.
Quotes
“The message we want to send is that this is only the beginning. We are at the start of a new journey for women’s football. It is about continuing to believe, work hard and do everything you can to achieve your dream – because it is possible. That is the message, girls: keep believing, because we believe too.”
Tamires, Corinthians defender
“Of course, I am proud that we won the competition. We faced champions from different continents – serial winners – and we came out on top. We are proud to have won this tournament and to have been part of it.”
Renee Slegers, Arsenal head coach
“At Gotham, we want to be the best. Excellence and quality are at the heart of everything we do. Ultimately, win or lose, we want to stay true to our identity. We didn’t show the best version of Gotham in this tournament, so if we get the chance to come back, we really want to show what our football is about: playing forward and scoring goals.”
Mandy Freeman, Gotham right-back
“We need time to reduce the gap between Moroccan football, African football in general, and European or American football. We saw that against Arsenal and Gotham. At national-team level, the USA play the best football and have won many FIFA Women’s World Cups. We need time to close that gap – and we need to change our mentality, because everything starts there.”
Mohamed Amine Alioua, ASFAR head coach
