2025/26 Women's Europa Cup: Häcken triumph in first edition

Häcken became the first Swedish team to lift a UEFA club competition trophy since 2004 by winning the 2025/26 UEFA Women's Europa Cup.

Felicia Schröder scored all four of Häcken's goals in a 4-2 aggregate victory across the two-legged final against Hammarby, including a hat-trick in the second leg at Gothenburg's Hisingen Arena.

Winners: Häcken
Runners-up: Hammarby
Semi-finalists: Eintracht Frankfurt, Sparta Praha

Top scorers:

8 Felicia Schröder (Häcken)
5 Michaela Khýrová (Sparta Praha)
4 Nicole Anyomi (Eintracht Frankfurt)
4 Telma Encarnação (Sporting CP)

Qualifying and round of 16

The new competition kicked off with the first qualifying round involving 22 teams, including 11 teams entering directly and the rest transferring over after finishing third in their UEFA Women's Champions League second qualifying round groups.

One team (Slovácko) entered directly into the second qualifying round, along with the 11 teams that finished second in the Women's Champions League second qualifying round mini-tournaments. They were joined by the nine clubs eliminated in the Women's Champions League third qualifying round and the 11 Europa Cup first qualifying round winners. The 32 teams competed in 16 two-legged knockout ties.

In the round of 16, Sparta Praha become the first team in UEFA women's club competition history to progress after losing a home leg by three goals or more, turning around a 3-0 first-leg deficit to beat Young Boys 4-0 in the second leg through a dramatic late Michaela Khýrová goal.

Quarter-finals

First legs

Sparta Praha 0-0 Austria Wien
Häcken 7-0 Breidablik
Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 Nordsjælland
Sporting CP 0-1 Hammarby

Second legs

Nordsjælland 2-3 Eintracht Frankurt (agg: 2-7)
Hammarby 0-1aet Sporting CP (agg: 1-1, 5-4 pens)
Breidablik 1-4 Häcken (agg: 1-11)
Austria Wien 1-3aet Sparta Praha (agg: 1-3)

Hammarby knocked out Sporting CP on penalties, after Sporting's Telma Encarnação sent the tie to extra time with a spectacular overhead kick. Sparta Praha also needed extra time to defeat Austria Wien, becoming the first Czech team to reach a UEFA women's club competition semi-final. Häcken and Eintracht Frankfurt both also progressed with convincing wins.

Semi-finals

First legs

Sparta Praha 2-3 Hammarby
Eintracht Frankfurt 0-3 Häcken

Second legs

Häcken 0-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (agg: 3-1)
Hammarby 2-0 Sparta Praha (agg: 5-2)

Häcken's first-leg advantage was enough to eliminate Eintracht Frankfurt, despite narrowly losing the second leg of their semi-final. Fellow Swedish team Hammarby extended their lead over Sparta Praha to triumph 5-2 across the two games.

Final

First leg

Hammarby 0-1 Häcken

Second leg

Häcken 3-2 Hammarby (agg 4-2)

Häcken edged a tight first leg 1-0 and built on their advantage at the start of the second leg through two early Schröder goals. Svea Rehnberg and Elin Sørum got Hammarby back into contention with goals either side of half-time, but Schröder struck again early in the second half to complete her hat-trick and wrap up victory for Häcken.