Stars excited ahead of league phase challenge
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Article summary
As we prepare to debut the brand-new league phase for the 2025/26 UEFA Women’s Champions League, some of the game's top players have shared what they like most about the competition's updated format.
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The UEFA Women’s Champions League will now follow the blueprint that was successfully implemented in the men’s club competitions last season, replacing the group stage with a new league phase.
Each team will face six different opponents in the league phase, with overall standings determining who proceeds to the knockout section of the competition.
Eighteen teams will take part in the league phase – two more than would enter the former group stage – allowing for broader participation on Europe’s biggest stage.
Also from this season, some of the teams who fell short in the Women's Champions League qualification rounds get another chance with the introduction of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup, a second club competition which gives even more clubs and players the opportunity to star on the continental stage.
More teams, more experience
Bayern München centre-back Vanessa Gilles is looking forward to facing a broader range of opponents and the challenge of testing her team against various styles of play.
"I think it’s more pressure, but I think it’s exciting as a player to get to play more teams," she said. "It’s giving teams more experience against different opposition instead of playing the same team twice in the same group stage.
"Now you get to play many different teams right from the get-go and, hopefully, move onto the knockouts with that experience."
Gilles is also excited by the experiences she’ll get with a wider variety of opponents presented earlier in the competition.
"It'll be fun to see different stadiums, different leagues, different cultures, different styles of play," she added.
Making the most of the 90 minutes
As teams prepare to come up against fresh opposition each matchday, Bayern midfielder Georgia Stanway highlights how the new format will demand that players be sharper than ever, leading to more intense and entertaining matches.
"I’m super excited for the new league system to be implemented this year," she said. "I think it just brings something completely different."
"It’s not a matter of playing the same team twice, both home and away, but it’s about being on it and focused, and in that moment, because you know you’re not going to play that team again.
"You need to make the most of the 90 minutes that are in front of you."
Epic from the start
Under the new format, fans can expect huge match-ups right from the very start, rather than having to wait until the knockout rounds for Europe’s top teams to play each other.
"It’s a bigger impact on your form from the very beginning because you're going to meet good teams right away,” said Barcelona winger Caroline Graham Hansen, who stresses the importance of a fast start.
"You have to take the points because only four teams are going straight to the quarter-finals and the rest have to go to an extra round. So you really have to put your best form on from the beginning."
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Anaïs Ebayilin suggests that this increase in competitiveness will encourage teams to raise their game.
"It’s an exciting format for us, because we’re getting right into the swing of it by facing some great teams," Ebayilin said. "It’s great to dive straight into this competition.
"This format will allow us to express ourselves from the start."
Gilles agrees that meeting challenging opponents earlier will also be a positive for Bayern as they bid to progress through the competition.
"The advantage for us is being exposed to those big games right from the get-go," she explained.
"It’ll be good to gain experience and those big-game moments."