Jess Carter has urged FIFA to “take care” of players following Gotham FC’s defeat to Corinthians in the inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
The England defender was speaking after Gotham’s semi-final loss, highlighting player welfare and congested scheduling as major concerns as the women’s game continues to grow.
Carter acknowledged the benefits of the new tournament but questioned the decision to stage it in January and called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to better protect players amid an increasingly demanding calendar.
Why is the timing under scrutiny?
There has been growing debate around congested schedules in the women’s game, with concerns intensifying following the introduction of the Women’s Champions Cup.
The announcement that the first edition of the Women’s Club World Cup is set to take place in 2028, also in January, has caused further uproar.
‘Absolutely not happy’ - Jess Carter
For leagues such as the Women’s Super League, a January tournament would cause huge disruption to the domestic season, potentially affecting up to five gameweeks.
For other leagues, such as the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), which Gotham FC play in, concerns centre on the tournament falling out of season, leaving limited recovery time for players.
Carter, who was an instrumental part of Sarina Wiegman's Euro 2025 winning squad, has played in the NWSL since 2024.
When asked if she was happy with a January scheduling for these tournaments, the 28-year-old replied: “Absolutely not. I don’t think anyone is happy, but I don’t really know when else you put it in.
“You’re asking players to cut their off-season short when everyone has just had competitions, Euros, travelling across the world. Then we come in after a very limited time off and have to play again."
The format of the competition saw champions from each of the six continental confederations face each other, with Carter's Gotham FC losing to Brazilian side Corinthians in the semi-final on Wednesday, played at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium.
“We’re about three weeks in, if that," Carter added. "I don’t think Corinthians have had many games either so I don’t think we can use that as an excuse for losing.
“None of us are as sharp as what we'd be if we were in full flow - both physically and with our decision-making and being clinical in the final third. But I think we had enough opportunities today to not use that as an excuse.
'Just take care of us'
“It’s not going to be much better for Arsenal. They had a game a few days ago, got another one soon, but I don't know when else you'd put it in.
“At the moment there's just a lot of games being added to the women's game and people are just hoping that everyone can cope with the load. But I don't really know when else we'd play it, to be honest."
When asked directly what message she would send to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the Lionesses defender responded: “Exactly that. Just take care of us. Look after the players.
“We all want to play, we want to give everybody the highest level of entertainment and we can only do that if we're all well and we're all fit. And that goes across the board for every single women's game.”
Despite her concerns, Carter believes the premise of the Women’s Champions Cup is a positive addition and offers players a unique opportunity to compete at the highest level.
“Yeah, I think the tournament is a great idea. For a lot of the girls, getting to be in England is pretty amazing. Getting to play against some of the best teams in the world is always a privilege.
“To be in these competitions, there's not many teams in this competition, so you should feel privileged to be here in the first place. And it's something that we aim to do every year going forward from now on.”
'There should be a better system'
In beating Gotham, Corinthians have set up a final on Sunday at Emirates Stadium against UEFA Champions League winners Arsenal, who beat Moroccan side ASFAR 6-0.
A tight 1-0 win for the Brazilian champions was enough to eliminate the NWSL champions, but Carter's teammate, Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, believes she might have saved the goal if the team had been more prepared.
"I have to say I'm not as fit as I want to be because we only had three weeks to prepare for the tournament," the German goalkeeper added.
"It's obviously a hard task and ask from the players that normally have December and January off to compete here. So maybe on a better day and a fitter day, maybe I should make the save.
"There should be a better system that everyone comes fit enough into their competition because you want to play against the best teams. And I think that's where you have to figure out when the best time is."
