The Women’s Cup lineup is set.
Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan will join hosts Racing Louisville, OL Reign, Liga MX Femenil side Club América and WE League’s Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza for seven total games from August 14 to 20 at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.
“The Women’s Cup has quickly become the preeminent professional women’s club soccer tournament in the world,” said J.P. Reynal, The Women’s Cup’s president and CEO.
“With the addition of these two storied European powerhouses, we’ve solidified an international field like none previously assembled. We look to continue growing the tournament in years to come.”
Spurs are coming into the tournament fresh from its best-ever FA Women’s Super League finish during the 2021-2022 campaign, with a 9W-8L-5D record led by manager Rehanne Skinner.
Given the feat, Skinner was nominated as FA Women’s Super League Manager of the Season. Defender Ashleigh Neville, who scored a game-winning goal vs. Leicester City on the season’s final day to secure Spurs’ finish, was also shortlisted for Player of the Season.
“Rehanne and the team are coming off the back of their best WSL campaign to date and are looking to build on this going into next season,” said Fabio Paratici, Tottenham Hotspur’s managing director of football.
“The Women’s Cup will see us tested against top opposition from around the world, giving us ideal preseason preparation while enabling our passionate fans in the United States to see our women’s first team in action for the first time.”
AC Milan enters the competition after going 14W- 4L- 4D during the 2021-2022 season and finishing the year as runner-up in Italy.
“Being part of this important international event shows just how much women’s football has grown in Italy, both from a sporting point of view and in terms of visibility and knowledge beyond national borders,” said Elisabet Spina, AC Milan’s women’s team sport director.
“Representing Italy and Europe alongside Tottenham is a source of pride for us.
“The Women’s Cup represents an extraordinary moment of encounter and confrontation for clubs from different continents — a strategic event that allows us to continue our development as a team on and off the pitch. We have one goal: the global growth of women’s football.”
The Women’s Cup will be staged outside of the regular-season NWSL schedule, while the visiting European clubs arrive in the final stages of their preseasons.
The international clubs open The Women’s Cup with quarterfinals on Sunday, August 14 before the winners meet Racing and OL Reign in the semifinals. The two losing teams from Sunday will play against each other for fifth place. The final and third-place matches are set for Saturday, August 20.
Game times are to be announced.
“It is a huge honor to have AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur representing Europe in the 2022 edition of The Women’s Cup,” said Jaime Phillips, the tournament’s co-founder and executive director. “These are prestigious soccer clubs worldwide, and we are excited to have them competing for a championship this summer in Louisville.”
