How does the new Women’s Champions League format work? Qualifying rounds, league phase and key dates | OneFootball

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The first of three English teams start their Women’s Champions League campaign this week, and here we take a look at the competition’s new format, how teams qualify for the league phase and key dates for this season’s competition.

Women’s Champions League introduces new format for 2025-26 season

European football is changing in women’s football this season, with a new format introduced for the Champions League.

The change comes after the men’s competition changed to a new ‘league phase’ format last season. This season, the Women’s Champions League will follow a similar format.

There will be 18 teams taking part in the league phase, two more than the group stage format of recent years.

Each team will play six different opponents, three at home and three away, and ranked into one overall table.

The top four sides in the league phase will advance directly to the quarter-finals. Teams that place between fifth and 12th, will compete in a two-legged playoff to decide the final four teams to make the last eight.

Remaining teams placed between 13th and 18th will crash out of the competition.

Which teams will take part in the league phase of the Champions League?

At the time of writing, nine teams have already booked their place in the 18-team league phase under the new Champions League format.

That list includes defending champions Arsenal, and reigning Women’s Super League holders Chelsea.

They are joined by Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Juventus, Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain and VfL Wolfsburg.

A further nine teams will join them if they successfully make it out of the qualifying rounds.

How do the Champions League qualifying rounds work?

First and second qualification rounds

The qualification stage is split into two mini-tournaments – a ‘Champions Path’ and a ‘League Path’.

Those included in the Champions Path won their respective league titles last season, while the League Path includes those who finished either runner-up or in third place.

The Champions Path begins in the first round of qualifying, featuring 21 teams. Mini-tournaments were held, consisting of three or four teams, with semi-finals and finals.

The six teams that won their group, including the Republic of Ireland’s Athlone Town, joined 22 other teams in the Champion Path in the second round of qualifying.

Also in the second round of qualifying, the league path gets underway, featuring 15 teams, including Manchester United.

The second round of qualifying again features mini-tournaments involving three or four teams, in both the champions and league paths.

Manchester United kickstart their Champions League on Wednesday against PSV.

Should they win, they will face the winner of a clash between Hammarby and Metalist Kharkiv on Saturday.

United will be without new signing Fridolina Rolfo for the second qualifying round, with the Swede out for the next two to three weeks.

Manchester United enter the Champions League in the second round of qualifying but will be without new signing Fridolina Rolfo

Third qualification round

In the Champions Path, seven tournament winners from the second round join reigning Austrian champions St. Polten in the third round of qualifying.

Unlike the previous two rounds, games are played over two legs home and away, with four teams advancing to the league phase of the Champions League.

In the League path, four teams will advance from the second to the third round of qualifying. There, they will be joined by Atletico Madrid, BK Hacken, Eintracht Frankfurt, Paris FC, Real Madrid, Sporting.

Five teams from the League Path will qualify for the league phase of the competition.

Do teams drop into the Women’s Europa Cup?

In total, 31 teams from the Women’s Champions League will drop to the Women’s Europa Cup this season.

Manchester United will drop into the Women’s Europa Cup if they finish second or third in their mini-tournament in the second round of qualifying, or if they lose their two-legged third-round qualifying match.

Teams entering the competition include;

Europa Cup First Round

Europa Cup Second Round

Women’s Champions League key dates

Qualifying rounds

League phase (draw on September 19th)

Knockout phase (Draw on December 18th)