The new OFC Professional League has already played several rounds and (A-League) side Auckland FC are flawless after three matches. No surprise there. The Women's equivalent of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, the FIFA Women's Champions Cup, is about to complete its inaugural edition in a "final four" in London at the end of this month. The remaining teams are: 28/01 | Gotham FC (USA) - SC Corinthians (Brazil) 28/01 | Arsenal FC (England) - AS FAR (Morocco) 01/02 | Third Place 01/02 | Final It's interesting that in the Women's game the FIFA Champions Cup does not get played in Club World Cup years. The first Women's Club World Cup is scheduled for 2028.
The usual (annual) confederation stats update... UEFA 1. Spain (20 Titles) 2. England (15 Titles) 3. Italy (12 Titles) Record Champion: Real Madrid, Spain (15 Titles - Last in 2024) CONMEBOL 1. Argentina; Brazil (25 Titles) 2. Uruguay (8 Titles) 3. Colombia; Paraguay (3 Titles) Record Champion: CA Independiente, Argentina (7 Titles - Last in 1984) CONCACAF 1. Mexico (40 Titles) 2. Costa Rica (6 Titles) 3. El Salvador; USA (3 Titles) Record Champions: Cruz Azul and Club America, Mexico (7 Titles - Last in 2025 and 2016) AFC 1. South Korea (12 Titles) 2. Japan (8 Titles) 3. Saudi Arabia (7 Titles) Record Champion: Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia (4 Titles - Last in 2021) CAF 1. Egypt (19 Titles) 2. Morocco (7 Titles) 3. DR Congo; Tunisia (6 Titles) Record Champion: Al Ahly, Egypt (12 Titles - Last in 2024) OFC 1. New Zealand (16 Titles) 2. Australia* (4 Titles) 3. New Caledonia; Papua New Guinea (1 Title) Record Champion: Auckland City, New Zealand (13 Titles - Last in 2025) *Australia is no longer a OFC member.
Longest consecutive winning streak in each confederation's premier club competition: CONCACAF: 16 – Mexico (end of streak 2022) OFC: 8 – New Zealand (end of streak 2018) CONMEBOL: 7 – Brazil (ongoing) UEFA: 6 – England (end of streak 1982) AFC: 3 – South Korea (end of streak 1998) CAF: 3 – Cameroon (end of streak 1980); Egypt (ongoing) Longest consecutive winning streak at the club level: 7 – Auckland City, OFC (end of streak 2017) 5 – Real Madrid, UEFA (end of streak 1960) 4 – Independiente, CONMEBOL (end of streak 1975) 3 – CF Monterrey, CONCACAF (end of streak 2013) 3 – Cruz Azul, CONCACAF (end of streak 1971) No clubs in Africa or Asia have won more than two in a row.
28/01 | Gotham FC (USA) - SC Corinthians (Brazil) 0:1 28/01 | Arsenal FC (England) - AS FAR (Morocco) 6:0 01/02 | AS FAR - Gotham FC (Third Place) 01/02 | Arsenal FC - SC Corinthians (Final) So much for a NWSL-UEFA final.
🇦🇺 The two New Zealand clubs in the A-League, Auckland FC & Wellington Phoenix, will not be permitted to enter the Australia Cup in 2026.The decision has been made to only allow Australia-based clubs into the competition in order to simplify qualification for AFC tournaments pic.twitter.com/b68vuCyZ9q— The Sweeper (@SweeperPod) January 27, 2026 They simply have to let Wellington Phoenix into the OFC Pro League now.
Sometimes, the online "WoSo" discourse here in the US makes me worried that the divide between its zealots and detractors may never be bridged... then you see NWSL fans whip out the tried and true "Preseason!!1!" excuse for yesterday's faceplant and realize, maybe we're not so different after all
Champions League round of 16 draw: https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsl...-round-of-16-draw-paris-saint-germain-vs-che/ So we get a replay of the 2025 CWC final between PSG and Chelsea. Also ManCity against Real Madrid. Bodø/Glimt‘s fantastic story (in pre-season) continues against Portugal’s Sporting.
And for the sake of completion: 28/01 | Gotham FC (USA) - SC Corinthians (Brazil) 0:1 28/01 | Arsenal FC (England) - AS FAR (Morocco) 6:0 01/02 | AS FAR - Gotham FC 0:4 (Third Place) 01/02 | Arsenal FC - SC Corinthians 3:2 AET (Final) (2424) Arsenal v SC Corinthians Highlights | Final | FIFA Women's Champions Cup 2026 - YouTube
And, thanks to FIFA's homage to Janus with respect to club championships (namely, the Intercontinental still being a thing in the new CWC era), we now have two claimants to the world crown facing off
The AFC and CAF league/group stages have also concluded. Pyramids FC continue to look strong in Africa and were nearly perfect. Quarterfinals: RS Berkane (Morocco) - Al Hilal (Sudan) Espérance (Tunisia) - Al Ahly (Egypt) Mamelodi Sundowns (S. Africa) - Stade Malien (Mali) AS FAR (Morocco) - Pyramids FC (Egypt) Apparently, Al Hilal is playing in Rwanda due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan. In East Asia, the elimination rounds feature clubs from Thailand, Indonesia, and Australia. They do not feature a single CSL club, a league which has fallen drastically. The other "Super League" in the other most populous country in the world, barely survived and just started play. Interestingly, the Indian FA is still introducing relegation for the first time in ISL history. Despite the turmoil.
🚨 #OFFICIALAFC has confirmed the postponement of matches in the Round of 16 in the West Zone of the AFC Champions League EliteAdditionally, quarter-final matches in both AFC Champions League Two and AFC Challenge League have also been postponed. pic.twitter.com/GAcAFfoHdf— The Asian Game (@TheAsianGame) March 1, 2026
“This decision raises serious concern about the administration’s willingness to abide by its own agreement and statements regarding the issuance of visas for the World Cup.”@LAGalaxy’s Jamaican opponent in CCC may be short 10 players because of visa woes https://t.co/wslxnIwETU— Kevin Baxter 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🇵🇷 (@kbaxter11) March 7, 2026 Once again US visa issues impact the Concacaf Champions Cup. A recurring problem for clubs from the Caribbean and Central America.
The four East Asian quarterfinalists in the AFC have been determined: Machida Zelvia (Japan) Vissel Kobe (Japan) Johor Darul Ta'zim (Indonesia) Buriram United (Thailand) JOHOR DT hold firm to make HISTORY! | Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Johor DT | Highlights ACL Elite™ Etheridge the HERO in dramatic 2nd leg! | Buriram United vs Melbourne | Highlights ACL Elite™ Interesting to see some ASEAN reps in the final eight. But not sure the East has enough to take the title away from the Saudi giants who - once again - get to play the final eight in Jeddah. Or do they? Jeddah is far away from Iran, but will everyone agree to travel there? And Is April still realistic? (The Western quarterfinalists have yet to be determined)
The quarterfinals are set in UEFA: PSG - Liverpool Real Madrid - Bayern Munich Barcelona - Atletico Madrid Sporting - Arsenal No clubs from Italy and a bit of an underwhelming performance by England. Real Madrid knocked out Man City and PSG got their CWC revenge with an 8:2 aggregate victory over Chelsea. Portugal's Sporting overcame a 3:0 deficit from the first leg and eliminated everyone's Cinderella darling Bodø/Glimt. Over in CONCACAF, Cincinnati could also not hold on to a 3:0 advantage from the first leg and was eliminated in spectacular fashion by a relentless Tigres in front of a fantastic crowd. In spite of scoring an away goal which is still used as a tiebreaker in the CCC. I got up early to tune in and did not regret it for a second. Here is the winning goal in the 98th minute: He aquí la narración EMOTIVA de @AgomezlunaM y comentarios de @AldoFariasGzz del gol de último minuto de Fernando Gorriarán con asistencia de André-Pierre Gignac (ambos de Tigres UANL) ante Cincinnati para TUDN USA — valió cada maldito segundo el capturar semejante relato... pic.twitter.com/k4DFWVTSEB— lilboimx (@lilboimx) March 20, 2026 Full Highlights: Tigres UANL vs FC Cincinnati | 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup | Round of 16 The quarterfinals are: Toluca (MEX) - LA Galaxy (USA) LAFC (USA) - Cruz Azul (MEX) Nashville (USA) - Club America (MEX) Tigres UANL (MEX) - Seattle (USA)
And the semis in CAF are: Espérance (Tunisia) - Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA) AS FAR (Morocco) - RS Berkane (Morocco) That's right. No Egyptian club. Al Ahly and title holders Pyramids both got eliminated. (The match was played behind closed doors)
Champions Cup is forcing top clubs into a re-prioritisation of season objectives - Inside World Football The CCC has come a long way. And as things stand today, Infantino will have to once again get creative to include Inter Messi in the 2029 CWC - if he still plays. (2625) Inter Miami CF vs Nashville SC | 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup | Round of 16 - YouTube
AFC sets April dates to complete West Region ACL Elite ties in Jeddah, two days before finals KO - Inside World Football While it makes sense on some level to play the Western R16 in Jeddah, which is far away from the conflict, it means even more homefield advantage for the two Jeddah clubs - Al Ittihad and Al Ahli. The 2027 ACL "final eight" better be in East Asia.
The Women's badge: Only in the World 🥇 pic.twitter.com/TtrNCLJfCZ— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 1, 2026 Still holding out hope that FIFA come to their senses and rename this competition FIFA Champions Cup. And hopefully we don't have to wait until Infantino is gone. In my opinion we need that clear distinction between historical CWC/IC and whatever this is. Iran teams will not travel to ‘hostile’ countries; Tractor FC asks for venue change for ACL Elite tie - Inside World Football Yeah, I don't think that is going to happen. Not with the final eight also in Saudi Arabia. After 10 rounds played, Auckland FC predictably lead the 2026 OFC Pro League, ahead of "guests" South Melbourne. 2010 OFC champions Hekari are sitting in last place. Attendance has varied drastically, from 75 to 9,005 for an average of 1,411 per match. Is all of this sustainable? Apparently, they are still planning on playing a OFC Champions League this year in August (with Auckland City). That strikes me about as sensible as playing the "African Football League" and CAF Champions League side by side and we saw how that turned out.