The Women's Cup
| Organizer(s) | OnSide Entertainment FXE Futbol Agrinzonis Management Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Current champion(s) | Racing Louisville FC (2 titles) |
| Most championships | Racing Louisville FC (2 titles) |
| Website | thewomenscup |
The Women's Cup (often stylized as TWC) is an annual club women's soccer invitational tournament originally hosted by Racing Louisville FC in the United States.[1]
History
Launched by OnSide Entertainment, FXE Futbol, and Agrinzonis Management Group in 2021, before the formation of a FIFA-organized club world championship similar to the men's FIFA Club World Cup, The Women's Cup was viewed to provide opportunities for prominent women's club teams from different confederations to compete against one another, and was seen as a stepping stone for the eventual formation of the FIFA Women's Club World Cup, similar to the then-active Women's International Champions Cup.[2]
The inaugural 2021 TWC was a four-team tournament[3][4] which saw the hosts win in a dramatic shoot-out. TWC expanded to feature six North American, European, and Asian women's soccer teams competing for the championship in 2022.[5] 2023 was the first year to see a staging of The Women's Cup outside of the United States, and 2024 was the first year to see multiple stagings in the same calendar year with the introduction of the "Global Series", with the champions of each tournament slated to play against each other in February 2025 as a "final four".[6] The first 2024 tournament, stylized as TWC Colombia, was played at Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia, and featured four teams: NJ/NY Gotham FC and Racing Louisville FC from the NWSL; and América de Cali and Deportivo Cali of the Colombian Women's Football League. It was held during the NWSL preseason and scheduled as two doubleheaders on February 27 and March 2.[7] The series continued with the TWC Louisville and TWC Kansas City tournaments, both of which were held during the summer.
List of finals
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Louisville, Kentucky, | Racing Louisville FC | 2–2[8] (7–6 p) |
FC Bayern Munich |
| 2022 | Louisville, Kentucky | OL Reign | 2–1 | Racing Louisville FC |
| 2023 | Madrid, Spain | Atlético Madrid | 1–0[9] | AC Milan |
| 2024 | Cali, Colombia | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 3–1[10] | Racing Louisville FC |
| 2025 | São Paulo, Brazil | Racing Louisville FC | 1–1 (3–2 p) |
SE Palmeiras |
Results by club
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | Total Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racing Louisville FC | 2 (2021, 2025 ) | 2 (2022, 2024 C) | 1 (2024 L) | 5 | |
| Atletico Madrid | 1 (2023) | 1 (2024 K) | 2 | ||
| OL Reign | 1 (2022) | 1 | |||
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | 1 (2024 C) | 1 | |||
| Juventus FC | 1 (2024 L) | 1 | |||
| Kansas City Current | 1 (2024 K) | 1 | |||
| AC Milan | 1 (2023) | 1 (2022) | 2 | ||
| FC Bayern Munich | 1 (2021) | 1 | |||
| Palmeiras | 2 (2024, 2025) | 2 | |||
| América de Cali | 2 (2023, 2024 C) | 2 | |||
| PSG | 1 (2021) | 1 | |||
| Club América | 1 (2022) | 1 | |||
| INAC Kobe Leonessa | 1 (2024 K) | 1 | |||
| Chicago Red Stars | 1 (2021) | 1 | |||
| River Plate | 1 (2023) | 1 | |||
| Deportivo Cali | 1 (2024 C) | 1 | |||
| Colo-Colo | 1 (2024 L) | 1 | |||
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 1 (2024 K) | 1 | |||
| Tokyo Verdy | 1 | ||||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1 |
Broadcasting
In 2022, matches of the Women's Cup were broadcast via Paramount+.[11]
The 2024 Summer tournaments were broadcast via vizio's WatchFree+ program in the United States and on DAZN in Europe.
See also
- Women's International Champions Cup
- UEFA Women's Champions League
- AFC Women's Club Championship
- CAF Women's Champions League
- CONCACAF W Champions Cup[12]
- CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores Femenina
References
- ^ Ratterman, Lexie (April 12, 2022). "Racing Louisville FC to host The Women's Cup for second time in August". WDRB.
- ^ "Previewing the Women's Cup Tournament - 18–21 August, Louisville, KY". August 17, 2021.
- ^ "TWC - About us". thewomenscup.world.
- ^ Mahmud, Shahnaz (May 31, 2021). "Bayern Munich's women's team on the search for fans and commercial development in the US". Off the Pitch. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ "The Women's Cup returns to Louisville in 2022 with expanded format".
- ^ "Kansas City Current set to host The Women's Cup at CPKC Stadium featuring championship-caliber teams from across the globe - Kansas City Current".
- ^ Anderson, Jason (January 16, 2024). "Gotham FC, Racing Louisville represent NWSL at The Women's Cup Colombia". Pro Soccer Wire. USA Today. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "Racing Louisville FC clinches inaugural Women's Cup". spectrumnews1.com.
- ^ Sports, Pulse (August 26, 2023). "Rasheedat Ajibade: Super Falcons star produces magic as Atletico Madrid defeats AC Milan to win Women's Cup". Pulse Sports Nigeria.
- ^ Lewis, Michael (March 2, 2024). "A Trophy Already: Gotham FC captures The Women's Cup". Front Row Soccer.
- ^ "The Women's Cup". Paramount Plus. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ "Concacaf plans to launch a women's soccer Champions League after the 2023 World Cup". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 17, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2022.