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Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script><ul><li>New CONCACAF W Champions Cup announced</li><li>Three NWSL sides to feature, 11 total teams</li><li>Starts in August 2024</li></ul>

Brilliant news for the NWSL and their CONCACAF rivals! Inaugural W Champions Cup announced as new continental competition

The competition will be the first-ever tournament to pit North and Central American clubs against each other, with play slated to begin this August. Three teams from the NWSL, three from Mexico's Liga MX Femenil and five from other countries around the region make up the field for the competition's debut. The winner of a preliminary round match between Canada and El Salvador's representative will join the other nine sides to make up 10-total teams in two pools of five teams.Each team will play four-total group stage games, with two home and two away, from August to October this year. The top two teams from each group, four total, will then qualify for a final-four event to be played in May 2025.

WHAT HAPPENED?

"Launching the Concacaf W Champions Cup is a very exciting next step on our journey of developing all aspects of women's football in our region," said Concacaf president and FIFA vice president, Victor Montagliani. "When we launched our Concacaf W women's football strategy in 2019 we focused on creating an enhanced calendar of national team competitions that benefited all of our Member Associations, and on providing opportunities for women and girls to develop a passion for football at all levels of the sport. We have made significant progress in those areas, albeit with much work more to do, and the growth of leagues and clubs is an important next phase in our strategy. "The W Champions Cup will provide a tremendous sporting opportunity for clubs in Concacaf, and we look forward to the first edition commencing in August this year, to crowning a first champion in May 2025, and to delivering an exciting pathway to the new FIFA Women's Club World Cup."

WHAT A FIFA AND CONCACAF REPRESENATIVE SAID

The format will pit 11 teams annually from the following designations to go head-to-head in a winner-takes-all competition. To qualify, clubs will qualify through their respective domestic leagues based on <a href="https://www.concacaf.com/news/concacaf-launches-region-s-first-official-women-s-continental-club-competition-with-annual-w-champions-cup/" target="_blank">"sporting merit through criteria which must be proposed by their Member Association and ratified by Concacaf."</a><table><tbody><tr><td>Canada (Women's Premier League)</td><td>One club in Preliminary Round</td></tr><tr><td>Costa Rica (Liga Promerica)</td><td>One club in Group Stage</td></tr><tr><td>El Salvador (El Salvador Liga Femenina)</td><td>One club in Preliminary Round</td></tr><tr><td>Jamaica (JFF Women's League)</td><td>One club in Group Stage</td></tr><tr><td>Panama (Liga De Futbol Femenino)</td><td>One club in Group Stage</td></tr><tr><td>United States (NWSL)</td><td>Three clubs in Group Stage</td></tr><tr><td>Mexico (Liga MX Femenil)</td><td>Three clubs in Group Stage</td></tr></tbody></table>

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The competition is slated to start this August, and it's unknown who has or who will qualify for the 2024/25 edition, but it's an exciting development for the domestic game in North America. For the NWSL in particular, it's an opportunity for some of the world's best to test themselves against new foes in a new competition.

WHAT NEXT FOR THE CONCACAF W CHAMPIONS CUP?

Brilliant news for the NWSL and their CONCACAF rivals! Inaugural W Champions Cup announced as new continental competition | Goal.com Kenya

CONCACAF has announced the inaugural launch of the W Champions Cup, featuring 11 sides from the USA, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.