Following a successful third edition of the Women's International Champions Cup, which concluded at Portland's Providence Park on August 21, tournament organizer Relevent Sports Group CEO Daniel Sillman outlined plans to expand the event in '22 and beyond. After this year's WICC attracted an audience of 227,000 U.S. viewers across ESPN's networks -- up 37% from '19 (the event did not take place in '20 due to the pandemic) -- as well as a 120% increase in sponsorship revenue from '19 to '21, Sillman said the plan is to expand the tournament to six teams next year. He added that in '23, as many as 8-10 teams could be participate. For next year's six-team event, Relevent plans to feature four European clubs and two from the NWSL.
Sillman highlighted the competitive nature and the prize money -- the winners of this year's tournament, NWSL side Portland Thorns, took home $100,000 -- as two of the keys to the event's success. Each participating club qualified for this year’s WICC based on its success in '20. The Thorns qualified by winning the '20 NWSL Fall Series; Lyon the '20 Women’s Champions League and French league; the Dash the '20 NWSL Challenge Cup; and Barcelona the '20 Primera División. While the tournament fell during the preseason for France's Olympique Lyonnais and Spain's Barcelona, the Thorns and Houston Dash are well into the '21-22 season.
Next year's WICC will likely take place in two cities, with Sillman saying Portland is being considered as a possible host again. Sillman also said that Relevent is in talks to renew its partnership with this year's WICC broadcaster, ESPN. Sillman: "We invested the same in production on the women's side that we did on the men's [ICC]. It was phenomenal production quality and ESPN did a great job marketing and distributing it."
