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UEFA has confirmed the title of the second-division women's European football tournament. The new flagship tournament will be called the 'UEFA Women's Europa Cup', which will aim to expand the competitiveness of women's football in continental stages.
Presenting the 🏆 UEFA Women’s Europa Cup 🏆!
— UEFA (@UEFA) December 16, 2024
The UEFA Executive Committee has approved the name of the newly created second women’s club competition that will kick off from the 2025/26 season.
🤩 An exciting new era for women's football in Europe!
The tournament is set to commence from the 2025-26 season and will adopt a knockout format.
A new era begins
On 2 December 2023, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the post-2025 sporting concept for European women’s club football.
The UEFA Women's Europa Cup will be of similar importance as the UEFA Europa League which is the existing second-divison of men's European football competitions. However, the 'Cup' in the title implies the knockout status of the newly-formed tournament.
UEFA has addressed the new tournament to be "primed for drama and unpredictability". The official logo, branding, and trophy design will be unveiled in 2025.
Format and qualification
The UEFA Women’s Europa Cup will be played consisting of six different rounds– two qualifying rounds, the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a two-legged final to crown the inaugural champions.
13 teams will be eligible for direct qualification to this tournament; third-placed teams from leagues of the UEFA nations ranked 8-13, and runners-up from associations ranked 18-24.
The UEFA Women's Europa Cup's first qualifying round will primarily feature 11 teams eliminated in the UEFA Women's Champions League second qualifying round. On the other hand, 20 teams eliminated from the UWCL second and third qualifying rounds will enter the Europa Cup second qualifying round.
Significant changes in women's football in Europe
Major boost incoming for Women's club football in Europe from next season onwards, featuring:
— UEFA (@UEFA) December 16, 2024
👑 A revamped and fully centralised @UWCL
🏆 The new UEFA Women's Europa Cup
💰 A new financial distribution system that will benefit clubs across the continent.
More: ⤵️
As the UEFA Women's Champions League will also welcome notable changes from next season onwards, UEFA shows its commitment to expanding women's football to more countries marking a long-standing transformation. UEFA stated the following in its official announcement in July 2024:
Both competitions have been developed with the aim of increasing competitiveness and maximising participation while also considering calendar constraints and player load.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin also stated:
UEFA has placed huge importance on developing women's football in recent years, making enormous strides thanks to a dedicated strategy, solid investment, and a passion to ensure the game is open to everybody. The new UEFA Women's Champions League format and the introduction of a second competition are further demonstration of this commitment and both will be exciting, competitive competitions that allow more players and clubs across the continent to dream of European glory.