Women's World Cup 2023: ECA & FIFA agreement for the release of players by clubs

"Following extensive consultation with stakeholders around the world, ECA and FIFA have reached a key agreement on the release dates for players participating in the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 owing to the specific calendar circumstances of this edition," announced the two bodies on 17/05/2023.

"The consensus framework takes into consideration the existence of different playing seasons (2022-23 and 2023) for leagues around the world, with some players ending their club competition ahead of the tournament while others will have just started their season. The mandatory release date for players remains on 10/07/2023, and where a player has official club matches up to that date, the club is expected to retain the player unless otherwise mutually agreed between the member association and club concerned. However, acknowledging that a number of clubs will conclude their domestic season before the start of the tournament, the new consensus agreement has established a non-mandatory release timeframe of 23-29/06/2023 - four weeks ahead of the tournament kick-off on…