Kynisca, the women’s soccer-dedicated research body owned by sports team owner Michele Kang, has been announced as the presenting partner for FIFA’s inaugural women’s club competition, the Champions Cup, which is being held as a four-team event starting next week.
Under the pair’s agreement, Kynisca will gain visibility throughout the tournament’s four matches - two semi-finals, a third-place playoff, and the final - all set to take place between January 28 and February 1 in London, UK.
The semi-finals will be staged at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium, while Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium will host the third-place play-off and the final.
The teams involved are Arsenal (England), winners of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, ASFAR (Morocco), winners of the CAF Champions League, Concacaf champions Gotham FC (US), and Conmebol champions SC Corinthians (Brazil).
Jill Ellis, FIFA’s chief football officer, said: “The launch of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup is a powerful step forward for women’s club football globally.
“Partnering with Kynisca underlines our shared, unwavering commitment to building platforms that showcase the pinnacle of women’s football.”
Last week, FIFA confirmed most of its broadcast partners for the tournament, with close affiliate DAZN, the sports streaming service, to provide free-to-air coverage of the games in most territories, excluding the home markets of the four teams involved – the UK, Morocco, the US, and Brazil – as well as China.
Coverage in the UK and Ireland will be provided by pay-TV giant Sky Sports, while CazeTV, the sports streaming channel run by YouTuber Casemiro Miguel, has picked up rights in Brazil.
FIFA said the domestic broadcasters that will provide coverage in Morocco and the US will be announced soon.
Kang said: “Partnering with FIFA on this historic competition reflects Kynisca’s belief in the power, potential, and global appeal of the women’s game. We are proud to support a tournament that will set new benchmarks for excellence and ambition.”
Kang launched Kynisca in July 2024 and has used the vehicle to invest in women’s soccer, throwing $25 million into the overall research and development of the women’s game in the US last April.
That investment came after she had already pledged $30 million to US soccer in November 2024, to be used by the body over five years.
A prolific figure within women’s sport, Kang is the owner of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Washington Spirit, as well as the London City Lionesses (England) and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (France).
The Champions Cup has been touted as the forerunner to a full Women's Club World Cup, which FIFA will launch in 2028 and will take place every four years (the slimmed-down Champions Cup will be held in the other three years of each cycle).
The first Women’s Club World Cup is set to feature Arsenal, Gotham FC, and Wuhan Jiangda as part of a 16-team lineup, with the tournament staged every four years.
