Champions League to introduce league phase from 2025-26

The Women's Champions League will adopt a new league phase format from the 2025-26 season.

Currently 16 teams are split into four groups, but from 2025-26, 18 teams will compete in one league playing three home and three away matches before moving into a knockout phase.

The changes were approved by UEFA’s executive committee at a meeting in Hamburg on Saturday and will move the competition closer to the new format planned for the men’s Champions League.

From next season, the men’s Champions League will do away with the traditional eight groups of four and replace them with one 36-team league, where teams play four matches at home and four away in a seeded system before moving into the knockout phase.

In addition to the change in format for the women’s game’s top continental club competition, UEFA has also approved a second competition that will be a straight knockout event.

Further details on the new format will be issued on Monday, UEFA said.

The committee also confirmed the match schedule for the next Women’s Euro in Switzerland in 2025, with the final scheduled for 27 July in Basel.

Prize money for the men’s Euro 2024 tournament has been set at the same level as Euro 2020 – with a total of 331 million euros set to be distributed.

The winning team could receive a maximum payout of 28.25m euros. The draw for the tournament finals take place later on Saturday.