Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City are fighting for a place in the Women's Champions League next to Chelsea for next season. Here we look at the state of playing, the run-in and what the competition will look like in 2025/26 …
WSL race for top three – the current state of playing
There are still four games to play in the WSL, which will return this weekend, live on Sky Sports, after the international break and FA Cup semi-final luminaires.
Arsenal and Man Utd are right on 42 points – six points behind unbeaten leaders Chelsea – with the superior goal difference of the Gunners they see in second place.
But Marc Skinner's United Side has a seven -point lead over Man City, who are in fourth place after a difficult season.
What are the run-ins?
Arsenal has the most favorable run-in in his own country. They are confronted with two of the bottom three of the WSL – Leicester, live on Sky Sports on Tuesday, and Aston Villa – as well as Brighton in their upcoming luminaires.
And it can be a WSL showdown for the second and third day if they organize Man Utd in the Emirates on Saturday 10 May.
The Gunners also have a semi -final of the Champions League against Lyon to navigate between those matches – something that their rivals don't do.
The journey from Man Utd to Arsenal closes a difficult end to the season. They play each of the other top-four sides in their last games, with home games against Chelsea and Man City before their journey to Arsenal.
But the next one is another trip to London to face an in-shape West Ham, which pulled 2-2 with Chelsea in their last WSL outing. Seventeen of the 19 points of the Hammers also came home this season.
Man City also has a friendly run-in and will have to win every game if they want to catch man Utd. Three of their last four games are against teams that are currently in eighth place and lower – Everton, Leicester and Crystal Palace – as well as a Manchester Derby on 4 May.
What about Chelsea?
Chelsea has a gap of six points at the top of the WSL and are on track for a sixth consecutive title. First she would end directly to the Women's Champions League League phase of next season.
Mathematically, the blues cannot finish outside the top three. They are 13 points free from Man City in fourth place with 12 points available.
They are also in the semi -final of the Champions League of 2024/25, together with Arsenal, where they are confronted with Barcelona.
If both WSL side win the competition, they also automatically qualify for the phase of the following season, which means that Arsenal could completely bypass the qualifying process.
What does the Women's Champions League look like next season?
The men's Champions League has been transferred this season to a new 'competition phase' format. The Women's Champions League follows for the 2025/26 campaign.
The competition phase will be expanded to 18 teams – two more than currently competing in the group stage – format – in which each team plays six different opponents in three home and three -way races. The sides are arranged in one overall table.
The top four parties in the competition phase go directly in the quarterfinals. Clubs that end in fifth to 12th place will participate in a two-legged knock-out-phase play-off to secure their place in the last eight. The remaining teams – placed 13th to 18th – will leave the competition.
The Women's Champions League quartals and Semis then follow the regular two-legged knock-out format.
How does the qualification for WSL teams work?
The teams that end second and third go through qualifying rounds to reach and compete in the 'League path'.
The third placed side of the WSL will enter the process in the second qualifying round. That will be played as a one-off mini tournament, with the semi-final on 27 August-one month after the euro 2025-final-with the last and third place play-off on August 30.
The winner then continues to the third qualifying round, when the second placed side of the WSL will also enter the process. This will be a two-legged play-off against one opponent. The first stage will be played on September 11 and the second on September 18.
The five winning teams of the League Path will secure a place in the competition phase. There is also a 'Champions Path' for competition winners of associations on the seventh or lower ranked by UEFA's coefficient. Four teams of this qualifying path will also participate in the competition phase.
What about the European Cup of the Ladies?
From the 2025/26 season UEFA introduces a new European competition in women's football – the European Cup of the Ladies.
In contrast to the Women's Champions League, the competition becomes a straight two-legged knockout tournament that will be played in six rounds-two qualifying rounds for a round of 16, quarterfinals, semi-final and final.
Thirteen teams based on their competition finish in associations arranged as eighth or lower go directly to the first qualifying round.
They will be accompanied by the 11 teams that finish third in the second qualifying rounds of the Champions and League Path in the Women's Champions League.
The winning teams of these tires will then continue to the second qualifying round of the Ladies Europa Cup. They will be accompanied by the teams that finished second in the competition and Champions Path Second Qualification Rounds, and the losers of the third qualifying round matches – a total of 20 teams.
It means that a WSL team could participate in the inaugural competition if they fail to reach the competition phase of the Women's Champions League.
The winners of the European Cup of the Ladies are eligible for the third qualifying round of the Champions Pad for the Women's Champions League of 2026/27.
Women's Champions League 2025/26 Key Dates
All draw dates are for the time being and subject to change
Second qualifying round (One-Venue Mini-Tournament) Sign: June 16 Semi-Finales: 27 August/Third Play-Off: 30 August
Third qualifying rounddraw: September 1 First leg: September 11 Second leg: September 18
League PhaseraW: 19SmatchDay 1: 7 October/8matchDay 2: October 15/16matchDay 3: November 11/12matchDay 4: November 19/20SmatchDay 5: December 9/10 Metail day 6: December 17: December 17
Knock-out Phase Play-Offsdraw: December 19 First Been: February 11/12second Been: 18/19 February
Quarterfinalsdraw: December 19 First leg: March 24
Semi-finalsdraw: December 19 First leg: April 25/26 second leg: 2/3 May
Final in the Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo, Norway –
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