European women's football is set for a major shake-up next season with the Champions League undergoing a reformation 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 the European men's competition, which has also undergone an overhaul since the start of the current campaign. of UEFA Women's Champions Leaguewhich began as the UEFA Women's Cup in the 2001/02 season, will adopt a new format aimed at broadening its competition, while the European Cup provides an additional platform for clubs across the continent to prove themselves on the international stage. great.
90 min takes a closer look at the revamped format of each competition, the key changes fans need to know and the crucial dates to mark in their calendars for the 2025/26 season.
From next season, the Champions League will have expanded entry and an 18-team league stage that will replace the group stage format. Teams will no longer play three opponents twice and will instead face six different teams in one league, playing half their matches at home and half away.
The six opponents will be determined by a draw, with each team placed in three different pots based on the club's final odds ranking. Each team will be drawn to play two opponents from each pot, playing one match from each home and away.
The results of these matches will determine the standings in the league stage and it is hoped that this new format will increase the competition until the end of the round, rather than the groups being decided with multiple matches to play, as is currently the case. The top four teams from the 18 will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, while those ranked fifth to 12th will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure their place in the last eight.
Those who automatically qualify for the quarter-finals will go through and play the second leg at home. From that point on, the competition will follow the existing format leading up to the finals.
In terms of qualification, last season's winners qualify automatically, as do the domestic champions of the six highest-ranked national associations. The runners-up of associations one and two will also go straight through to the league stage, while the remaining places will be determined by the qualifying route.
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.
training
League stage
Knockout rounds
13 teams will enter directly into the newly formed European Cup, that is the third teams in the domestic league from associations ranked 8-13 and runners-up from associations ranked 18-24. The European Cup will also offer a second chance to clubs eliminated in the third qualifying round, as well as runners-up and third-placed teams from the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
There will be no league 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 qualifying rounds and ending with a two-match final at the end of the season.
The winners of this competition will automatically qualify for next season's Women's Champions League third qualifying round, meaning they will have just one round to negotiate a place in the league stage of the tournament primary.