The FIFA Council have approved a new four-year international women’s match calendar that includes reducing the number of international windows available.
The calendar, based on a "player-centric approach", also includes a plan for the first edition of the Women's Club World Cup in 2026.
Women’s football’s increasingly congested fixture list on the international stage has been a point of fierce consternation amid striking rises in injuries to elite-level players. England boss Sarina Wiegman and Chelsea boss Emma Hayes have been two of the calendar's most vociferous critics, routinely calling on the governing bodies to reconsider the increasing physical demands of players.
Last summer’s Women’s World Cup was blighted by an unprecedented number of high-profile stars unavailable for selection due to injury. A recent FIFPRO report found that increased workload, travel and insufficient rest periods were making players “more susceptible” to injury.
And at the latest FIFA Council meeting in Bangkok, the football’s ruling governing body announced significant changes to the current international match calendar for women’s football for the 2026-2029 term.
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FIFA reduced the number of international windows from six to five, getting rid of the controversial July window and the September window. Instead, windows will be consistently played in February-March, April, May-June, October and November-December each year.
The May-June and October windows will be nine days long, with up to two matches played by teams. The February-March, April and November-December windows will elapse over 12 days with up to three matches permitted to be played.
A minimum four-week break will be allotted between international opportunities, while a minimum 10-week break will take place between major global tournaments, including the 2027 Women’s World Cup the following international break.
Further, the inaugural Women's Club World Cup will take place in a January-February window in 2026 and is set to be contested by 16 teams. The competition will be held every four years.
FIFA have announced a new calendarAccording to FIFA, the decision on the new four-year calendar is derived from “extensive research, analysis and consultation, with the impact on players at the heart of its design" and will provide "more opportunities for rest and recovery, less disruption to domestic leagues and reduced travel."
The decision arrives in a significant week for the global women’s game, with the Fifa Congress also set to vote and decide the hosts of the 2027 Women’s World Cup on Friday. Brazil look the favourites ahead of a joint-bid from Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands. The women’s tournament has never been staged in South America.
FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, Dame Sarai Bareman said: “In many parts of the world, international football provides crucial top-flight playing opportunities for female players, and this is particularly the case in nations where domestic leagues are not yet fully professional.
"This calendar strikes a balance to enable the domestic and international games to grow side by side, while at the same time ensuring players will have more opportunities to rest, recover, and re-train between windows and following major tournaments.”
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