New UEFA Women’s Champions League format delivers drama, quality and rising standards

The first season of the revamped 18‑team UEFA Women’s Champions League league phase has marked a major step forward for elite women’s club football.

Replacing traditional groups with a league phase has produced tighter contests, more meaningful matches and marquee fixtures from the start — raising both the competitive standard on the pitch and engagement off it.

A more dynamic, competitive environment

Across 54 matches, the new format delivered 181 goals and featured players from 41 nations. Every match mattered as qualification and seeding scenarios for the knockout phase were in play until the final whistle on Matchday 6.

With 54% of matches either drawn or decided by a single goal, a sharp rise from 27% at the same stage last season, games have also been more open as 54% of fixtures featured goals from both teams, up from 38% in 2024/25, contributing to a total of 181 goals at an average of 3.35 per match.

While the attacking nature of the competition has remained, the quality of competition tightened considerably: the average winning margin reduced from 2.88 goals to 1.98.

Even scoring first is no longer decisive – what used to guarantee an 88%-win rate now results in victory just 61% of the time, underscoring closer contests, greater shifts in momentum, and more frequent lead changes and come-from-behind victories across the league phase.

Bayern München came back from 2-0 down to beat Arsenal 3-2 on Matchday 3Getty Images

Nadine Kessler, UEFA women’s football director, said: "What we have seen so far this season is exactly what we hoped: dynamism, unpredictability, comebacks, debutants making their mark and top clashes between big teams.

"The UEFA Women’s Champions League is building on its 25-year history and cementing its position as the global benchmark in women’s club football. We are proud to see fans across the world embracing the competition and its iconic clubs and players in even greater numbers than before."

Top clashes arrived early, too, with the league phase featuring two past finals and four past semi-finals — matchups once reserved largely for the latter stages.

On Matchday 1, eight‑time champions OL Lyonnes and reigning holders Arsenal renewed their rivalry from last season’s semi-final. While Arsenal emerged victorious in that tie, this time it was the French side who shifted the narrative, delivering a statement win over the title holders.

On Matchday 4, Chelsea and Barcelona added another chapter to their continued rivalry, meeting once again after their semi-final encounter last season, with this latest showdown ending in a 1-1 stalemate.

Alexia Putellas, Barcelona captain, said: "The new UEFA Women’s Champions League format appeals to me. I think you always play top teams in this competition because they have to be terrific to qualify.

"But I think this new format adds further tests and an extra layer of interest because there will be more meetings between historically successful and famous clubs."

Alexia Putellas (right) in action for Barcelona against Chelsea on Matchday 4 of the league phaseGetty Images

Opportunity and exposure for more clubs

The single-table format also broadened elite‑level experience. Newcomers and emerging clubs were tested directly against the competition’s full competitive spectrum.

Pot 4 clubs demonstrated the growth the exposure of playing better sides has afforded them by taking an average of 1.1 points per game in the new format, compared with 0.6 last season in the old group stage.

Perhaps the best exponents of the new system showing the competitiveness and unpredictability of the league phase were debutants OH Leuven, who took points off established teams, shaping the qualification battle across the league table while earning themselves a place in the play-offs.

OH Leuven progressed to the knockout phase in their debut Women's Champions League campaignBelga/AFP via Getty Images

The structure ensured that every club had both visibility and influence — hallmarks of a format designed to expand meaningful participation.

Julie Biesmans, OH Leuven midfielder, said: "I think, for teams like us, the new format is really interesting, because you play against different opponents, and mostly, when there is a group stage, you already kind of know who is going to finish first or second.

"I think this gave us a bigger chance to actually go through, and that’s what happened, even if we didn’t think about it, we didn’t dream about it. But yeah, it happened, and that’s why this format is really nice for us."

The intensity never dipped. On Matchday 6, seven of nine matches still carried qualification stakes, compared with just three of eight of final group games last season — underlining the sustained tension created by the new system.

Georgia Stanway, Bayern München midfielder, said: "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."

Chelsea beat Wolfsburg on Matchday 6 to secure an automatic quarter-final spotAFP via Getty Images

Growing the game beyond the pitch

The league phase’s sporting success has been matched by impressive audience growth. Cumulative live viewership has reached 13.5 million, a milestone that was only achieved during the final last season.

This equates to an average of 2.25 million viewers per matchweek, with 44 broadcast partners delivering live coverage across 207 territories.

Fans around the world have embraced the competition’s elevated quality, star players and increasingly unpredictable narrative.