WSL: Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City in race for Women's Champions League spots - qualifying permutations and new format explained

Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City are battling it out for a spot in the Women's Champions League alongside Chelsea next season. Here we look at the state of play, the run-in and how the competition will look in 2025/26...

WSL race for top three - the current state of play

There are three rounds of games left to play in the WSL, with Sky Sports covering all the key moments and matches as the season heads for an exciting climax.

Arsenal are on 45 points - six behind unbeaten leaders Chelsea, who have a game in hand, and two ahead of third-placed Manchester United.

Marc Skinner's United have a six-point lead over Manchester City, who are in fourth place after a difficult season.

What are the run-ins like?

Domestically, Arsenal have a favourable run-in. They face Aston Villa, who are in the bottom three of the WSL, as well as Brighton in two of their three remaining fixtures.

It could be a WSL final-day showdown for second and third as they host Man Utd at the Emirates on Saturday May 10.

The Gunners could also qualify for the league phase of next season's Women's Champions League if they win the competition, having beaten Lyon in the semi-finals. They will face Barcelona in the final in Lisbon on May 24.

Man Utd's trip to Arsenal concludes a tricky end-of-season run. They play each of the other top-four sides in their final games, with home matches against Chelsea and Man City before their trip to Arsenal.

The pressure to take points from those games is increased following their goalless draw with West Ham.

Man City are the only team with two games left to play, and need six points and a lot of luck to make the top three. They beat Leicester on Sunday to keep themselves in with a mathematical shout of displacing Man Utd.

But they face a tough outing in their next WSL game when they face their local rivals in a Manchester derby on May 4.They end the season at home to already-relegated Crystal Palace.

What about Chelsea?

Chelsea have a six-point gap at the top of the WSL and are on course for a sixth successive title. Finishing first would send them straight into next season's Women's Champions League league phase.

Mathematically, the Blues cannot finish outside of the top three. They are 14 points clear of Manchester City in fourth with nine points still available, and have a vastly superior goal difference.

What will the Women's Champions League look like next season?

The men's Champions League changed to a new 'league phase' format this season. The Women's Champions League will follow for the 2025/26 campaign.

The league phase will be expanded to 18 teams - two more than currently compete in the group-stage format - with each team playing six different opponents in three home and three away games. The sides will be ranked in one overall table.

The top four sides in the league phase will go straight into the quarter-finals. Clubs finishing in fifth to 12th place will compete in a two-legged knockout-phase play-off to secure their spot in the last eight. The remaining teams - placed 13th to 18th - will exit the competition.

The Women's Champions League quarters and semis will then follow the regular two-legged knockout format.

How will qualification work for WSL teams?

The teams finishing second and third will go through qualification rounds to reach the league phase, competing in the 'league path'.

The WSL's third-placed side will enter the process in the second round of qualification. That will be played as a one-off mini tournament, with the semi-final on August 27 - a month after the Euro 2025 final - with the final and third-place play-off on August 30.

The winner will then move on to the third round of qualification, when the WSL's second-placed side will also enter the process. This will be a two-legged play-off against one opponent. The first leg will be played on September 11 and the second on September 18.

The five winning teams from the league path will secure a place in the league phase. There is also a 'champions path' for league winners from associations ranked seventh or lower by UEFA's coefficient. Four teams from this qualification path will also join the league phase.

What about the Women's Europa Cup?

From the 2025/26 season, UEFA will introduce a new European competition in women's football - the Women's Europa Cup.

Unlike the Women's Champions League, the competition will be a straight two-legged knockout tournament played over six rounds - two qualification rounds before a round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

Thirteen teams based on their league finish in associations ranked eighth or lower will go straight into the first qualification round.

They will be joined by the 11 teams who finish third in the champions and league path second qualification rounds in the Women's Champions League.

The winning teams from these ties will then move on to the Women's Europa Cup second qualification round. They will be joined by the teams who finished as runners-up in the league and champions path second qualification rounds, and the losers of the third qualification round matches - a total of 20 teams.

It means that a WSL team could compete in the inaugural competition should they fail to reach the Women's Champions League's league phase.

The Women's Europa Cup winners will qualify for the third qualification round of the champions path for the 2026/27 Women's Champions League.

Women's Champions League 2025/26 key dates

All draw dates are provisional and subject to change

Second qualifying round (one-venue mini-tournament)
Draw: June 16
Semi-finals: August 27
Final/third-place play-off: August 30

Third qualifying round
Draw: September 1
First leg: September 11
Second leg: September 18

League phase
Draw: September 19
Matchday 1: October 7/8
Matchday 2: October 15/16
Matchday 3: November 11/12
Matchday 4: November 19/20
Matchday 5: December 9/10
Matchday 6: December 17

Knockout phase play-offs
Draw: 19 December
First leg: February 11/12
Second leg: February 18/19

Quarter-finals
Draw: December 19
First leg: March 24/25
Second leg: April 1/2

Semi-finals
Draw: December 19
First leg: April 25/26
Second leg: May 2/3

Final at the Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway - To be confirmed

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