The UEFA’s Executive Committee has settled on an 18-club Women’s Champions League (up from 16), with three home matches, three away matches and knockout rounds. It is also establishing a second European competition for women’s clubs. These changes will be in effect for the 2025/26 season.
For the women, as for the men, every match in the season will now count toward a team’s rank for the championship – with three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a defeat. Top clubs will compete directly more often and earlier than before to yield “more competitive matches.” The UEFA nonetheless promises a “wide variety of opponents” and does not raise the total of matches played. As the UEFA’s explainer article puts it, “Teams will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against six different teams in the league stage, playing half of those matches at home and half of them away.”
The knockout rounds, says the UEFA, will enable more teams to “test themselves against European opposition” and give teams eliminated in early rounds of the Women’s Champions League “ a second chance to play in a continental competition.”
The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 will take place at venues in eight Swiss cities – Basel, Bern, Geneva, Luzern, Sion, St. Gallen, Thun and Zurich – on July 2-27, 2025.
Meanwhile, the championship for UEFA Women’s futsal planned for 2024/25 has been canceled, as the UEFA’s executive committee has decided to adopt a four-year cycle and scheduled the next championship for 2027. Double the number of futsal teams – eight instead of four – will be competing.
