FIFA has confirmed Inter Miami's Nu Stadium as the host venue for the final round of the Women's Champions Cup, set for late January. Barcelona are in. Club America are in. The other two spots are still being fought for across three other confederations.
The 26,700-capacity stadium was a deliberate choice — soccer-specific, right-sized, and sitting in a market that's shown it can actually fill seats for the women's game. As FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis put it: Miami has "demonstrated community support for soccer through a variety of competitions in recent years." The mild January climate didn't hurt either.
How the field is taking shape
Barcelona earned their place as UEFA's representative. Club America qualified through CONCACAF's W Champions Cup, beating out the Washington Spirit in May — so no U.S. club in this one. CONMEBOL's slot goes to the winner of October's Copa Libertadores Femenina.
The fourth spot involves a longer road. Auckland United FC, who won the OFC Champions League, face AFC Champions League winners Naegohyang Women's FC in October. That winner then plays Africa's CAF representative in December, with the survivor booking a Miami ticket. Three matches just to earn the right to show up.
Arsenal won the inaugural edition in February — 3-2 over Corinthians, $2.3 million in prize money for the winners, $1 million for the runners-up. That financial gap matters. It's a signal of where the sport is putting its weight.
The bigger picture
Ellis, who coached the U.S. women's national team before moving into her FIFA role, made the strategic logic explicit: when FIFA announced this competition, only UEFA and CONMEBOL had confederation-level club tournaments. Now all six confederations do. The competition created the demand.
"Sometimes when you build a competition, it actually drives investment in people wanting to participate," she said. That's not spin — the numbers back it up.
The Champions Cup also fits into FIFA's longer runway: a 16-team Women's Club World Cup launches in 2028, held every four years, with the annual Champions Cup filling the gaps in between. Barcelona, already dominant domestically and in the Women's Champions League, arrive in Miami as the team to beat — and the clear favourite for anyone looking at the outright market.
