Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first edition of the International Women's Club Championship took place in 2012. Four teams competed that year including Canberra United from Australia and INAC Kobe Leonessa from Japan.
Sarai Bareman became Chief Women's Football Officer in 2017. She stated they needed to be very careful about how and when to introduce such a global event due to uneven development levels across different regions.
The inaugural edition was originally scheduled to take place in January and February 2026 before facing postponement to 2028. Sixteen teams were initially scheduled to participate in this first tournament which later expanded to nineteen teams.
AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA all have representatives in the competition. Continental confederations will determine qualification pathways for their respective champions to ensure strategic balance between different footballing regions.
Competition was set to occur every four years following that initial schedule. The format now includes both a primary quadrennial event and an annual secondary tournament known as the FIFA Women's Champions Cup starting from 2027.