# 2025–26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
The 2025–26 Concacaf W Champions Cup is the second edition of Concacaf's premier women's club competition, featuring ten clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean in a group stage followed by centralized finals in Pachuca, Mexico. The winner earns a place in the [FIFA Women's Champions Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-womens-champions-cup) 2027 and a berth in the 2028 FIFA Women's Club World Cup.[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knSTAlbzrbc) • [2](https://www.concacaf.com/news/what-s-at-stake-w-champions-cup-fifa-pathway)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | Second edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup, the Confederation's premier women's club competition[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knSTAlbzrbc) |
| Teams | 10 clubs in two stages: a Group Stage and a Final Round[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knSTAlbzrbc) |
| Group Stage | Two groups of five teams, each playing two home and two away matches, from August 19 to October 16, 2025[3](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf) |
| Finals | Semifinals on May 20, Third Place Match and Final on May 23, 2026, at Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, Mexico[4](https://www.concacaf.com/news/2025-26-concacaf-w-champions-cup-finals-schedule-confirmed) • [5](https://www.concacaf.com/news/revamped-format-for-region-s-w-champions-cup) |
| FIFA qualification | The winner qualifies to the FIFA Women's Champions Cup 2027; the 2024/25, 2025/26, and 2027 winners share the region's berths in the 2028 FIFA Women's Club World Cup[2](https://www.concacaf.com/news/what-s-at-stake-w-champions-cup-fifa-pathway) • [6](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/w-champions-cup/news/w-champions-cup-finals-set-to-kick-off-wednesday) |
| Defending champion | NJ/NY Gotham FC, winner of the 2024/25 edition[6](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/w-champions-cup/news/w-champions-cup-finals-set-to-kick-off-wednesday) |
| Last edition of its kind | The 2025/26 Finals conclude the final edition under the current centralized Finals format[7](https://es.concacaf.com/news/arrancan-las-finales-de-la-copa-de-campeones-concacaf-w) |
## Background
Concacaf launched the W Champions Cup in 2023 as the region's first official women's continental club championship, with the inaugural 2024/25 edition running from August 2024 to a final four in May 2025.[8](https://www.concacaf.com/news/concacaf-launches-region-s-first-official-women-s-continental-club-competition-with-annual-w-champions-cup) The competition is played every year and serves as the official qualifying tournament for Concacaf clubs to FIFA women's club competitions.[3](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf) NJ/NY Gotham FC won the 2024/25 edition and used that title to enter the inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup in 2026.[6](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/w-champions-cup/news/w-champions-cup-finals-set-to-kick-off-wednesday) • [9](https://www.fifa.com/en/articles/womens-champions-cup-2026-teams-fixtures-dates-venue-qualifying)
## Format and schedule
The official draw took place on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. ET.[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knSTAlbzrbc) The Group Stage was played across five match weeks: August 19–21, September 2–4, September 16–18, September 30–October 2, and October 14–16, 2025.[3](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf) Each group contains five teams, and each team plays two home and two away matches within its group.[3](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf)
The Final Round, consisting of the Semifinals, Third Place Match, and Final, is played at a centralized location hosted by Concacaf.[3](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf) In January 2026, Concacaf awarded the Finals to Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, Mexico, a stadium that previously hosted the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Final and is staging the Semifinals, Third Place Match, and Final for the first time in the competition's history.[10](https://www1.concacaf.com/competitions/w-champions-cup/news) • [6](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/w-champions-cup/news/w-champions-cup-finals-set-to-kick-off-wednesday) The Semifinals are set for May 20, 2026, with the Third Place Match and Final on May 23.[4](https://www.concacaf.com/news/2025-26-concacaf-w-champions-cup-finals-schedule-confirmed)
## Qualification
Entries are defined by each association's qualification criteria. The three United States clubs are the 2024 NWSL Shield champion, the 2024 NWSL Shield runner-up, and the 2024 NWSL Champion; if one club holds multiple of those positions, the next best club in the 2024 NWSL Shield Rankings takes the vacated place.[3](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf) Mexico receives three clubs: the 2024 Apertura champion, the 2025 Clausura champion, and, of the two runner-up clubs, the one with the highest position in the 2024–2025 season general table.[3](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf) One club each qualifies from Canada, through the League 1 Canada 2024 Inter-Provincial Championship winner; [Costa Rica](https://www.edgepedia.org/costa-rica), through a Super Copa between the 2024 Apertura and Clausura champions; [El Salvador](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-salvador), through the 2024 Apertura and 2025 Clausura champions or a playoff between them; and Panama, through a Supercopa between the 2024 Clausura and 2025 Apertura champions.[3](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf)
## What is at stake
The W Champions Cup is the sole path for clubs in the Concacaf region to qualify for the FIFA Women's Champions Cup and the FIFA Women's Club World Cup.[4](https://www.concacaf.com/news/2025-26-concacaf-w-champions-cup-finals-schedule-confirmed) The winner of the 2025/26 Finals qualifies to the FIFA Women's Champions Cup 2027.[2](https://www.concacaf.com/news/what-s-at-stake-w-champions-cup-fifa-pathway) For the [2028 FIFA Women's Club World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/2028-fifa-womens-club-world-cup), whose first edition is scheduled for 2028, Concacaf's berths are distributed among the winners of the 2024/25, 2025/26, and 2027 editions of the competition.[6](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/w-champions-cup/news/w-champions-cup-finals-set-to-kick-off-wednesday) The competition champion does not gain automatic entry to the next edition of the W Champions Cup itself.[3](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf)
## End of the centralized format
The 2026 Finals mark the final edition of the competition under its current centralized Finals format.[7](https://es.concacaf.com/news/arrancan-las-finales-de-la-copa-de-campeones-concacaf-w) Concacaf has announced a revamped format for subsequent editions, ending the group stage and centralized Finals.[5](https://www.concacaf.com/news/revamped-format-for-region-s-w-champions-cup)
## Broadcasting
In the United States, the Finals are carried in English on [CBS Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-sports) platforms, including Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and CBS Sports Golazo Network, and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.[6](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/w-champions-cup/news/w-champions-cup-finals-set-to-kick-off-wednesday)
## References
1. [Official Draw | 2025/26 Concacaf W Champions Cup, Concacaf (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knSTAlbzrbc)
2. [What's at Stake at the W Champions Cup, Concacaf](https://www.concacaf.com/news/what-s-at-stake-w-champions-cup-fifa-pathway)
3. [2025/26 Concacaf W Champions Cup Regulations, Concacaf](https://www.concacaf.com/media/iglc1eqf/25-26-cwcc-regs-eng.pdf)
4. [2025/26 Concacaf W Champions Cup Finals Schedule Confirmed, Concacaf](https://www.concacaf.com/news/2025-26-concacaf-w-champions-cup-finals-schedule-confirmed)
5. [Revamped Format for Region's W Champions Cup, Concacaf](https://www.concacaf.com/news/revamped-format-for-region-s-w-champions-cup)
6. [W Champions Cup Finals Set to Kick off Wednesday, Concacaf](https://www.concacaf.com/competitions/w-champions-cup/news/w-champions-cup-finals-set-to-kick-off-wednesday)
7. [Arrancan las Finales de la Copa de Campeones Concacaf W, Concacaf](https://es.concacaf.com/news/arrancan-las-finales-de-la-copa-de-campeones-concacaf-w)
8. [Concacaf launches region's first official women's continental club competition with annual W Champions Cup, Concacaf](https://www.concacaf.com/news/concacaf-launches-region-s-first-official-women-s-continental-club-competition-with-annual-w-champions-cup)
9. [FIFA Women's Champions Cup 2026: All you need to know, FIFA](https://www.fifa.com/en/articles/womens-champions-cup-2026-teams-fixtures-dates-venue-qualifying)
10. [W Champions Cup news, Concacaf](https://www1.concacaf.com/competitions/w-champions-cup/news)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Seasons and editions › Women's football seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license