Women’s Football 2026: Growth & Forecasts

This month there have been various activities in multiple regions and more events related to FIFA’s flagship tournaments for women’s football.

In 2025, FIFA renewed and expanded its Women’s Football Development Program to give a greater boost to women’s football. Additional information can be found here.

Inside FIFA looks at just some of the significant recent activities that continue to build the footprint of women’s football globally.

Bolivia continues to show its interest in promoting women’s football and continues to have the support of FIFA through the League development. The most recent project has been the celebration of a national under-19 tournament in Cochabamba, with which the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) intends to promote its under-20 and senior national teams.

The under-19 tournament is the continuation of the first national youth women’s league held last year, in which under-16 teams from all regions of the country participated. The under-19 tournament was complemented with a Women’s football promotion campaign with the aim of attracting young people in the country to football for the first time.

The Football Federation of Montenegro (FSCG) has successfully completed its talent development program through the FIFA League Development program with the launch of the first national women’s under-16 league.

Jadranka Pavičević, director of women’s football at the FSCG, said: “This league has closed the gap between our youth and the senior league. It is a great help in keeping our girls in football and giving them an excellent opportunity to compete against peers of the same age.”

Bhutan enjoyed a busy period of activity before and after the new year. The first FIFA women’s football promotion campaign in eastern Bhutan was a great success in Mongar. Designed for girls aged 6-16, the two-day program was highly supported and designed to introduce young girls to football in an inclusive and empowering environment.

The Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) later organized a comprehensive training seminar in Thimphu. training for managers and administrators three days long. It was well attended and represents a major milestone in the professionalization of football management in the Himalayan kingdom.

Complementing several FIFA women’s football campaigns in recent years and the first women’s league in the country, the Lao Football Federation (LFF) organized a training for managers and administrators. The seminar, held in the capital Vientiane, was attended by FIFA Council member and LFF Vice President Kanya Keomany. Its objective was to empower and inspire women leaders working in football administration at federation, regional and club levels.

“This is the first time that a training workshop for women’s football managers and administrators has been organized in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. We firmly believe that effective administration is essential for the development of women’s football at all levels, from the youth system to national and international competitions,” said Ms Keomany.

Poland is in the middle of a historic period for women’s football and the Polish Football Federation (PZPN) is determined to make the most of this opportunity to continue promoting our sport. The PZPN organized numerous festivals over several months last year as part of the FIFA women’s football promotion campaign. An impressive total of around 5,000 young players participated in the project, which aimed to increase the visibility of women’s football, encourage parents to enroll their daughters in training and support the recruitment of players by grassroots clubs.

Poland will host the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026™ in September, its first FIFA women’s tournament, after successfully organizing the men’s competition seven years ago. The women’s football festivals followed Poland’s historic debut at last year’s UEFA Women’s Euro and its first-ever qualification for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2024.

The Lebanese Football Federation (FLFA) designed a League development with the support of world football’s governing body. Some 350 players participated in the under-19 and senior categories in the cities of Beirut, Jounieh, Tripoli and Tyre.

The FLFA is focused on a program designed to advance women’s football through a new professional structure that creates a competitive and supportive environment. It is also a structure that encourages men’s clubs to invest, attract broadcast partners and open commercial opportunities.

“Football has given a voice to Lebanese women. Our responsibility is to protect it, make it grow and let its talent speak louder than any limitations,” said Wael Gharzeddine, FLFA women’s football technical director.

India concluded a year full of development activities and successes on the field with two female coaches reaching the elite level thanks to the FIFA Coach Training Scholarship (Individual). Rutuja Gunwant and Sudha Rani successfully completed the AFC A Diploma Course in Coaching in January, expanding the list of qualified and academically trained female coaches in India.

This comes after India hosted multiple festivals in 2025 as part of the FIFA women’s football promotion campaignas well as a capacity-building seminar for female administrators. On the field, India qualified for all three AFC competitions in a single cycle for the first time.

The historic first edition of the FIFA™ Women’s Champions Cup will reach its exciting conclusion on Sunday in London, England. Brentford Stadium hosted the semi-finals, in which Brazilian side SC Corinthians beat Concacaf champions Gotham FC with a tense 1-0 victory, before Arsenal Women FC defeated Moroccan side ASFAR by a wide margin of six unanswered goals.

“I joined Corinthians in 2018 and I had been waiting for this moment for a long time,” said Zanotti, the Brazilian team’s top scorer. “But I want to highlight the collective work we have done today. There is nothing individual about it, it is always a collective effort,” he concluded.

He striking trophy recently presentedwhich features six maps representing each confederation, will be in play at Arsenal’s stadium, where the first women’s intercontinental club champion will be crowned. The Global women’s sports organization Kynisca has recently been announced as Presenting Partner of this historic tournament.

Fans can be part of history by purchasing tickets through FIFA.com/ticketsand the matches can be seen through a combination of free broadcasts either streaming or through local stations.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ seems closer than ever after the presentation of the emblem, motto and sound identity of the tournament. The launch took place in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, with a spectacular event that marked a crucial milestone on the road to the first FIFA Women’s World Cup™ to be held in South America.

With the presence of numerous Brazilian football stars, the event revealed the marked Brazilian character of the tournament’s emblem, the slogan GO EPIC™ and a unique sonic identity that sets the stage for what promises to be a truly memorable tournament.

“Brazil lives football with devotion, and we all already perceive that excitement about welcoming the world and hosting a historic tournament,” declared Gianni Infantino. “At the end of the day, everyone here and the entire country speaks the universal language of football. A language that was born in Brazil, because, here, football is much more than a sport. In Brazil, football is creativity, emotion and passion. It is life. It is everything.”

“All Brazilians who live football with joy will show the world the true meaning of the word ‘celebration’. Let’s celebrate, rejoice and enjoy the time we spend in Brazil,” he declared.

In January, world football’s governing body announced another historic tournament with the FIFA Series™, featuring women’s football for the first time. The FIFA Series was launched in 2024 with the aim of promoting the development of football on and off the field of play, as part of the Goal 7 of the FIFA Strategic Objectives for World Football: 2023-2027.

The confirmed list includes Brazil, host of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™, who will welcome a diverse group of teams with different football and cultural traditions when Canada, Korea Republic and Zambia visit in April for matches.

Elsewhere, Ivory Coast will host Mauritania, Pakistan and the Turks and Caicos Islands, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal and an OFC team will visit Thailand.