Gotham FC To Meet Brazil’s Corinthians In FIFA Women’s Champions Cup

CONCACAF champions Gotham FC will face the new South American champions, Corinthians of Brazil, at the first-ever FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in London next year.

The meeting of the two continental champions is the first confirmed match-up in the final four of the new tournament which will be a stepping stone to the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2028.

The first-ever winners of the AFC Women’s Champions League, Wuhan Jiangda of China played the Oceania champions Auckland FC in the opening play-off of the tournament earlier this month. In front of 32,218 spectators at the Wuhan Five Rings Sports Center, the honor of scoring the competition’s first-ever goal went to Jiang Chenjing.

Wuhan Jiangda have now progressed to a second play-off against the as-yet unknown winners of the CAF Women’s Champions League in Africa. Whoever emerges victorious from that tie will travel to London in February to face European champions Arsenal in the final four of the competition.

Gotham FC, who won the first-ever CONCACAF W Champions Cup Final in May by defeating hosts Tigres UANL in Monterrey, are in the other half of the draw. They were drawn to face the South American champions, the team which won the Copa Libertadores Femenina.

Corinthians had won the last two editions and made it seven victories in succession for Brazilian clubs at the continental championships by defeating Deportivo Cali of Colombia today. The entire 16-team tournament was played in the Greater Buenos Aires province of Argentina over 17 days.

In the final played at the Estadio Florencio Sola in Banfield, Corinthians won their sixth title in nine years, and a third in a row, following a penalty shoot-out. The match had finished scoreless after regulation time. Brazilian forward Jhonson scored the decisive penalty after Cali’s Kelly Ibargüen failed with to convert her kick.

The final stages of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup – comprised of two semi-finals, a third-placed match and a final – will be played during the last week of January. Two weeks ago the FIFA Council decided that the matches in the final four will be played in London with the exact venue yet to be decided.

Arsenal will have to reschedule their Women’s Super League match on January 31 against Leicester City. Winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League ensured that, as Title Holders, Arsenal went directly into the group stage of this season’s competition. This meant they avoided the extra burden of playing a two-leg qualifier having finished second in their domestic league.

However, while this earned their players an extra week off in the summer, they will now have to play an extra two games in the middle of what promises to be another demanding season for the team, playing in a total of five competitions.

Last season, Arsenal became the first-ever women’s team to win the Champions League having finished third in their domestic league. In order to do this, they had to come through two qualifying rounds which meant they played a record 15 games in the tournament, one of 41 for the club this season.

This season, they may only need to play 11 matches to retain the trophy. If they however, fail to finish in the top four positions of the new “Swiss format” Champions League group phase, they could have to play-off for a place in the knockout stages.

The eight teams finishing between 5th and 12th position of in the group stage will have to play an extra two-leg tie in February, immediately after Arsenal play in the FIFA Women’s Champions Trophy. If they also reach the semi-finals of the Women’s League Cup, Arsenal will have to play nine games between February 1 and March 1.

In total, Arsenal could potentially play a maximum of 45 games this season. As a comparison, domestic treble winners Chelsea, who also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, played 40 games in all competitions this season.