Women’s European football is ready for a big shake-up next season with the reshaping of the Champions League and the introduction of a new competition, the European Cup.
The changes mark a significant evolution for the women’s game and echo the structure seen in men’s European competitions, which have also undergone a revamp since the start of the current campaign. The UEFA Women’s Champions Leaguewhich began as the UEFA Women’s Cup in 2001/02, will adopt a new format aimed at expanding its competitiveness, while the Europa Cup provides an additional platform for clubs across the continent to test themselves on the big stage.
90 min takes a closer look at the revamped format of each competition, the key changes fans need to know and the key dates to mark in their calendars for the 2025/26 season.
From next season, the Champions League will have an expanded entry and an 18-team league stage that will replace the group stage format. Teams will no longer play three opponents twice, but will instead face six different teams in the league, playing half of their games at home and half away.
The six opponents will be determined by a draw, with each team placed in three different seeding spots based on the club’s latest odds. Each team will be drawn to play two opponents from each pot, playing one match each at home and away.
The results of these matches will determine the order in the league stage, and it is hoped that this new format will increase the competitiveness until the end of the round, rather than the groups being decided with many games to go, as is currently the case. The top four teams out of 18 will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, while those placed fifth to 12th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off to secure their place in the last eight.
Those who automatically qualify for the quarter-finals will be seeded and will play the return leg at home. From that point on, the competition will follow the existing format leading up to the final.
In terms of qualification, the winners of the previous season qualify automatically, as well as the domestic champions of the six best-ranked national associations. The second-placed associations one and two will also progress directly to the league stage, with the remaining places determined by the qualification route.
In the 2025/26 season, the champions and runners-up of France and Germany will automatically qualify for the championship, along with the champions of Spain, England, Portugal and Italy.
Qualifications
League stage
Knockout rounds
13 teams will directly enter the newly formed Europa Cup, namely the third-placed teams of the domestic league from associations ranked 8-13 and the second-placed associations ranked 18-24. The Europa Cup will also offer a second chance to clubs relegated in the third qualifying round, as well as the runners-up and third-placed teams in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
There will be no league stage or group stage in the European Cup as it will be a direct knockout that will run parallel to the Champions League. A total of six rounds will be played, starting with the first and second round of qualifications until the two-match final at the end of the season.
The winners of this competition will automatically qualify for the third qualifying round of next season’s Women’s Champions League, meaning they will have just one round to negotiate for a place in the league stage of the primary tournament.
Qualifications
Knockout rounds
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