European women's football is set to undergo a major change next season, with the Champions League undergoing a rework and the introduction of a new competition, the European Cup.
The changes represent a major development in the women's game and reflect the structure seen in the men's European competitions, which have also undergone a revamp since the start of the current season. the Women's Champions Leaguewhich began as the UEFA Women's Cup in the 2001/02 season, will adopt a new format aimed at expanding its competitiveness, while the European Cup provides an additional platform for clubs across the continent to test themselves on the big stage.
90 minutes It takes a closer look at the revamped format of each competition, the key changes fans need to know about, and the crucial dates to mark in their calendar for the 2025/26 season.
From next season, the Champions League will be expanded and an 18-team league stage will replace the group stage system. Teams will no longer play three opponents twice and will instead face six different teams in the league, with half their matches played at home and half away.
The six opponents will be determined by lottery, with each team being seeded into three different classification pots based on the club's most recent coefficient ranking. Each team will be drawn to play two opponents from each pot, playing one home-and-away match each.
The results of these matches will determine the standings in the league stage, and it is hoped that this new format will increase competitiveness until the end of the round, rather than deciding groups with many matches remaining, as is currently the case. The top four teams out of 18 will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, while the fifth to twelfth-placed teams will compete in a home-and-away playoff to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Those who automatically qualify for the quarter-finals will be seeded and will play the second leg at home. From that point on, the competition will follow the current format leading up to the final.
In terms of qualification, the winners of the previous season automatically qualify, as well as the local champions of the six highest-ranked national associations. The runners-up of the first and second federations will qualify directly to the league stage, with the remaining positions being determined through the qualification path.
In the 2025/26 season, the champions and runners-up of France and Germany will automatically qualify for the league stage, along with the champions of Spain, England, Portugal and Italy.
Qualification
League stage
Knockout rounds
13 teams will participate directly in the newly formed European Cup, namely the third-placed teams in the domestic league from associations ranked 8 to 13 and the runners-up of associations ranked 18 to 24. The European Cup will also provide a second chance for clubs eliminated in the third qualifying round, as well as teams The second and third place holders of the second qualifiers for the Champions League.
There will be no league stage or group stage in the European Cup, as the knockout match will be direct in parallel with the Champions League. Six rounds will be held in total, starting with the first and second qualifying rounds, and ending with a back-and-forth final match at the end of the season.
The winners of this competition will automatically qualify for the Champions Path third qualifying round for the following season's UEFA Women's Champions League, meaning they will only have one round to negotiate a place in the league stage of the preliminary tournament.