 | This article needs to be updated.(February 2024) |
| Organizing body | OnSide Entertainment FXE Futbol Agrinzonis Management Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Current champion(s) | NJ/NY Gotham FC (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Atletico Madrid NJ/NY Gotham FC OL Reign Racing Louisville FC (1 title each) |
| 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]
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] This was followed by TWC Louisville and TWC Kansas City, both held in summer.
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Louisville |  Racing Louisville FC | 2–2 [8] (7–6 p) |  FC Bayern Munich |
| 2022 | Louisville | OL Reign | 2–1 | Racing Louisville FC |
| 2023 | Madrid |  Atlético Madrid | 1–0 [9] |  AC Milan |
| 2024 | Colombia | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 3–1 [10] | Racing Louisville FC |
| Louisville | Juventus FC | 1–0 |  Palmeiras | |
| Kansas City | Kansas City Current | 1–0 | Atlético Madrid |
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Third Place | Fourth Place | Total Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racing Louisville FC | 1 (2021) | 2 (2022, 2024 C) | 1 (2024 L) | 4 | |
| 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 | 1 (2024 L) | 1 | |||
 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 Place | 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 |
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.
The Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including: the men's and women's national teams, Canadian Premier League, youth organizations, beach soccer, futsal, Paralympic and deaf national teams. The Canadian Soccer Association also administers and operates the Canadian Championship.
Kelley Maureen O'Hara is an American professional soccer player who plays as a wingback for National Women's Soccer League club Gotham FC and the United States women's national soccer team. A two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist, she previously played professionally for FC Gold Pride, the Boston Breakers, Sky Blue FC, Utah Royals FC and the Washington Spirit. While currently playing as a defender, she began her collegiate career playing as a forward and occasionally played an attacking role during her professional career.
Carmelina Moscato is a Canadian soccer coach and former professional player who is currently an assistant coach for Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played as a defender for UPC Tavagnacco in the Serie A; Piteå IF and Dalsjöfors GoIF in the Damallsvenskan; the Chicago Red Stars, Boston Breakers and Seattle Reign FC in the NWSL; and Western Sydney Wanderers in the Australian W-League. She made 94 appearances for the Canadian national team. She served as the commissioner of League1 Ontario Women's Division from 2019 to 2020. She was the director of women's football for the Bahamas Football Association in 2021.
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. Headquartered in New York City, it is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federation.
Raquel "Rocky" Rodríguez Cedeño is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League and the Costa Rica national team.
Lynn Raenie Williams is an American professional soccer player who plays for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. The NWSL's all-time leading scorer, she was drafted out of Pepperdine University by the Western New York Flash in 2015.
Rosemary Kathleen Lavelle is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.
Kailen Mary Iacovoni Sheridan is a Canadian professional soccer goalkeeper for National Women's Soccer League club San Diego Wave and the Canada national team. She previously played for Sky Blue FC / NJ/NY Gotham FC and played college soccer for the Clemson Tigers. She was named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Wave in 2022.
Jaelin Marie Howell is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Florida State Seminoles and was awarded the Hermann Trophy two years in a row. She was drafted by Racing Louisville FC with the second overall pick of the 2022 NWSL Draft.
Margaret Melinda "Midge" Williams-Purce is an American soccer player who plays as a forward for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States women's national soccer team. She previously played for Portland Thorns FC and the Boston Breakers. A 2023 NWSL Champion and Championship MVP, she is known for her strength on the ball and her willingness to defend from the attack.
Emily Ann Fox is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right back for Women's Super League club Arsenal and the United States national team.
Ella Hendley Stevens is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club NJ/NY Gotham FC. She played college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils before being drafted by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2020 NWSL College Draft.
Samantha Ryan Hiatt is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Taylor Jacklyn Flint is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for San Diego Wave FC and the Orlando Pride. She was the third overall pick of the 2020 NWSL College Draft after playing for the Colorado Buffaloes. She debuted for the United States national team in 2022.
The 2021 Racing Louisville FC season was the club's first season of play. Racing Louisville competed in the National Women's Soccer League, the top flight of professional women's soccer in the United States.
Elexa Marie Bahr Gutiérrez is a footballer who plays as a forward for Racing Louisville FC. Born in the United States, she plays for the Colombia women's national team. She represented Colombia at the 2022 Copa América Femenina, where the Colombians finished as runner-up, as well as the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. She has previously represented Honduras at under-20 level.
Savannah Marie DeMelo is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She was the fourth pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft after playing collegiately for the USC Trojans. She debuted for the United States national team at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Elisabeth Charlotte Jean is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
The 2024 Portland Thorns FC season is the team's twelfth season as a professional women's soccer team. Thorns FC played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States. The Thorns opened the NWSL season against the Kansas City Current playing in the first game at the Current's newly built CPKC Stadium.
