Bridging Continents

This week, I had the privilege of attending both semifinal matches of the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, a new competition featuring the champions of each continent. Before the first match, Women in Football and Brentford Football Club hosted a panel event highlighting the growth of the women’s game, led by trailblazing players, coaches, and administrators.

If you’d like to read key insights from that discussion, you can find them in my LinkedIn post. Here, I want to focus on the competition itself and what it says about the future of international club football.

At its core, this tournament represents a deliberate effort to give players and clubs more international exposure: new styles of play, different tactical approaches, and the opportunity to compete in front of unfamiliar audiences. That ambition was on display across both semifinals, even if the conditions and outcomes varied.

Gotham FC vs SC Corinthians | 0-1

The first match between Gotham FC (USA) and SC Corinthians (Brazil) kicked off at lunchtime, an unfortunate scheduling choice that likely limited attendance for a game featuring stars such as Rose Lavelle, Jess Carter, and Gabi Zanotti. Still, the atmosphere had its own energy. Local schoolchildren filled sections of the stands, many possibly attending their first professional match, while a vocal group of Corinthians supporters brought unmistakable Brazilian passion.

Gotham controlled possession but struggled to convert chances. Corinthians, persistent and disciplined, found their breakthrough in the 83rd minute when 40-year-old captain Gabi Zanotti (the oldest player in the tournament) scored the decisive goal. Despite affordable ticket prices, the midday kickoff clearly worked against drawing a larger crowd. The match itself, however, demonstrated the value of intercontinental competition: contrasting rhythms, techniques, and game management on the same pitch. Game highlights here.

AS FAR vs Arsenal FC | 0-6

The second semifinal between CAF Women’s Champions League holders AS FAR (Morocco) and reigning UEFA Champions Arsenal FC (England) carried historic significance: it was the first time an African women’s club faced a European club in official competition. With just over 8,000 fans in attendance, Arsenal asserted control almost immediately. Their passing was crisp, their movement around the box relentless, and their physicality limited AS FAR’s ability to build sustained possession.

AS FAR showed resilience in the first half, but the second told a different story (and by then, they were already down by 4 goals). Arsenal’s experience and depth became overwhelming, which featured goals from Stina Blackstenius, Frida Maanum, Mariona Caldentey, Olivia Smith, and two from Alessia Russo. Yet one of the most captivating performances came from AS FAR’s Sanaâ Mssoudy, whose quick feet and effortless dribbling embodied the kind of finesse that makes football’s greats so compelling to watch. Game highlights here.

Beyond the football, the stands revealed an important cultural insight: many AS FAR supporters waved Moroccan flags rather than club banners, underscoring how women’s football in Morocco is closely linked to national identity and nation branding. This connection reflects six years of targeted investment by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation in the top two divisions of club football and the national team. During the pre-match event, Tobin Heath (legendary US women’s footballer) even cited Morocco as an example of how early and sustained investment in women’s football can yield results, predicting the national team could soon break into the world’s top 10.

However, a quick comparison of Arsenal FC and AS FAR underscores the structural gap between clubs:

Arsenal Women, founded in 1987, are fully integrated into Arsenal FC and backed by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. They are the most successful club in English women’s football history and among the most decorated globally, including two UEFA Women’s Champions League titles (2007 and 2025). In 2025, Arsenal generated €25.6 million in revenue, topping the Deloitte Women’s Football Money League, with average home attendances around 30,000 and a combined social media following of over 10 million.

AS FAR Women, founded in 2007, are affiliated with one of Morocco’s most successful men’s clubs and the nation's military; many of the players also play for the Moroccan women’s national team. They dominate domestically and regionally, with multiple league titles and two CAF Women’s Champions League trophies. However, their commercial revenue, average attendance, and operating budget are not publicly disclosed. Their social media following stands below 100,000, and while major finals attract strong crowds, domestic league matches remain far more modest. That being said, they are still reportedly one of the better funded clubs in Africa.

On paper, Arsenal clearly holds the advantage in finances, infrastructure, and global reach. With two extra decades of development and far greater commercial visibility, AS FAR faced an enormous challenge. Still, their domestic and continental success shows what is possible with focused investment and national support.

My main takeaway is this: international club competitions can shape the women’s game in one of two ways. They can motivate leagues and clubs to invest more, leveraging visibility, prize money, and global exposure to narrow the gap over time. Or, if investment remains uneven, they risk reinforcing existing regional and global disparities. These competitions have also raised concerns about scheduling conflicts, as clubs are forced to shorten their offseason and top players face increased workload demands.

Stay Tuned

On Sunday, February 1, 2026, AS FAR will face Gotham FC in the third-place playoff, while Arsenal FC and SC Corinthians will compete for the $2.3 million prize and, perhaps more importantly, for the distinction of becoming the first champions of this new international club competition.

I recently spoke with Dr. Yassine El Yattioui about the growth of women’s football in Morocco. That article will be published next week and will explore these themes in greater depth.