Starting from the 2025-26 campaign, the current format of the Women's Champions League will change from 16 teams to 18, increasing the attractive matchups between significant clubs in the early stages. Additionally, a second continental competition will be introduced, providing access to European football for more teams. The agreement has been reached with the consensus of all involved parties, starting with the European Club Association, and then involving all national bodies, leagues, and the entities themselves.

Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA President, said: "The new format of the UEFA Women's Champions League and the introduction of a second competition are further demonstrations of this commitment, and both will be exciting and competitive competitions that allow more players and clubs from across the continent to dream of European glory."

The changes in the Women's Champions League format are based on a single league of 18 teams, as opposed to the current 16. The number of matches remains unchanged, but the new format allows for attractive and powerful team matchups in the early stages, rather than typically occurring later in the tournament. 

Currently, four teams qualify for the preliminary stage, including the previous season's champion and the champions of the three major leagues. The champions of leagues ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth in UEFA, along with the runners-up of the first and second-ranked leagues, will now also qualify for the league stage.

The new format will see teams no longer playing against three opponents twice (home and away), but facing six different teams in the league stage, with half of those matches played at home and half away. From the quarter-finals onwards, the format will return to the current setup, with two-legged knockout rounds for the top eight. The final will, as usual, be played at a neutral venue.

The second competition is a new addition and will allow new teams and some eliminated in the early rounds of the Women's Champions League to be reprieved and stay connected to continental football in the 2025/26 season. The goal of this new second competition is to provide a path for clubs that previously couldn't approach European competitions due to their potential. 

Teams ranked third in leagues ranked between 8th and 13th, and the runners-up of associations ranked 18th to 24th, will directly enter the competition. Additionally, those eliminated from the UEFA Women's Champions League in Round 2, as well as the runners-up and third-placed teams from Round 1 tournaments, will get a second chance.

The second competition will be a straight knockout, featuring a total of six rounds, all played over two legs (home and away). Winners will automatically qualify for the second round of the Champions path of the next season's UEFA Women's Champions League, although they will have to play a qualifying round first.

It is evident that, according to UEFA, everything will have to fit into a schedule in line with the rights and needs of the footballers. The Women's Champions League will continue to strengthen the position of women's football globally and in its development. 

The creation of a second competition will be an incentive for clubs that were left out of the race; now, with demands commensurate with their potential, they can find their place. These opportunities will make it easier for them to find new funding systems and be more attractive to the players themselves.

The development of continental women's football has been exponential since its origin in the 2001-02 season. The embryo of what is now considered the Women's Champions League emerged in 2009 with a knockout stage and subsequent rounds leading to the final. In the last two seasons, growth has been even greater with the arrival of television and the economic injection that has given women's football the boost it needs to find its place.