The UEFA Women’s Champions League will be expanded and have a new format from the 2025/26 season, European football’s governing body announced on Saturday.
The upcoming changes to the Women’s Champions League format include transforming the group stage into an 18-team league phase. Each team will participate in three home and three away matches, followed by knockout rounds.
Although no further details have been confirmed, this adjustment aligns with the proposed new format for the men’s Champions League, set to be implemented next season. The men’s format involves organizing 36 teams into a single league, with each team playing eight matches.
Before the introduction of the group stage in 2021, the Women’s Champions League was a straightforward knockout competition. The 16 participating teams were divided into four groups of four.
Barcelona currently holds the title of reigning champions, having triumphed over Germany’s Wolfsburg in the last season’s final, with notable contributions from Spain’s World Cup-winning star, Aitana Bonmati.
UEFA has additionally announced the establishment of a second tournament for women’s clubs starting from the 2025/26 season.
Presently, the Champions League stands as the sole UEFA competition for women’s teams, in contrast to the three men’s tournaments, which include the second-tier Europa League and the recently introduced Europa Conference League.