• Tournament has backing but more preparation needed
• Four-team mini-tournament could take place in 2026

Fifa’s new 16-team Women’s Club World Cup could be delayed beyond its previously-proposed 2026 launch, the Guardian has learned.

The tournament is understood to maintain widespread backing within the governing body, as well as across the confederations, but discussions are ongoing regarding the possibility of the inaugural staging of the event being pushed back by a couple of years to allow more time for all concerned to properly prepare for it, according to sources.