Women's Champions League 2025/26: New format, how WSL teams qualify and Women's Europa League explained
The 2025/26 Women's Champions League has a new format; it will follow the same path as the men's Champions League, which adopted a new style for the 2024/25 season; WSL clubs Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd will all feature next season
Saturday 24 May 2025 19:01, UK
European football in the women's game is changing for the 2025/26 season. Here, we take a look at the new Women's Champions League format, how WSL teams will qualify and the inaugural Women's Europa Cup...
What will the Women's Champions League look like next season?
The men's Champions League changed to a new 'league phase' format this season. The Women's Champions League will follow for the 2025/26 campaign.
The league phase will be expanded to 18 teams - two more than currently compete in the group stage format - with each team to play six different opponents in three home and three away games. The sides will be ranked in one overall table.
The top four sides in the league phase will go straight into the quarter-finals. Clubs finishing in 5th to 12th place will compete in a two-legged knockout phase play-off to secure their spot in the last eight. The remaining teams - place 13th to 18th - will exit the competition.
The Women's Champions League quarters and semis will then follow the regular two-legged knockout format.
How will qualification work for WSL teams?
The winners of the WSL automatically qualify for the league phase - this season, that is Chelsea. The teams finishing second and third will go through qualification rounds, competing in the 'league path'.
The WSL's third-placed side will enter the process in the second round of qualification. That will be played as a one-off mini tournament, with the semi-final on August 27 - a month after the Euro 2025 final - with the final and third place play-off on August 30.
The winner will then move on to the third round of qualification, when the WSL's second-placed side will also enter the process. This will be a two-legged play-off against one opponent. The first leg will be played on September 11 and the second on September 18.
The five winning teams from the league path will secure a place in the league phase. There is also a 'champions path' for league winners from associations ranked seventh or lower by UEFA's coefficient. Four teams from this qualification path will also join the league phase.
Arsenal have qualified for the league phase through this season's Women's Champions League as winners.
What about the Women's Europa Cup?
From the 2025/26 season, UEFA will introduce a new European competition in women's football - the Women's Europa Cup.
Unlike the Women's Champions League, the competition will be a straight two-legged knockout tournament played over six rounds - two qualification rounds before a round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Thirteen teams based on their league finish in associations ranked eighth or lower will go straight into the first qualification round.
They will be joined by the 11 teams who finish third in the champions and league path second qualification rounds in the Women's Champions League.
The winning teams from these ties will then move on to the Women's Europa Cup second qualification round. They will be joined by the teams who finished as runners-up in the league and champions path second qualification rounds, and the losers of the third qualification round matches - a total of 20 teams.
It means that a WSL team could compete in the inaugural competition should they fail to reach the Women's Champions League's league phase.
The Women's Europa Cup winners will qualify for the third qualification round of the champions path for the 2026/27 Women's Champions League.
Women's Champions League 2025/26 key dates
All draw dates are provisional and subject to change
Second qualifying round (one-venue mini-tournament)
Draw: June 16
Semi-finals: August 27
Final/third-place play-off: August 30
Third qualifying round
Draw: September 1
First leg: September 11
Second leg: September 18
League phase
Draw: September 19
Matchday 1: October 7/8
Matchday 2: October 15/16
Matchday 3: November 11/12
Matchday 4: November 19/20
Matchday 5: December 9/10
Matchday 6: December 17
Knockout phase play-offs
Draw: 19 December
First leg: February 11/12
Second leg: February 18/19
Quarter-finals
Draw: December 19
First leg: March 24/25
Second leg: April 1/2
Semi-finals
Draw: December 19
First leg: April 25/26
Second leg: May 2/3
Final at the Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway - To be confirmed
