History was made this week as UEFA launched the Women’s Europa League, responding to the rapid growth of the game across Europe and the demand for more competitive fixtures involving the strongest sides from each league.
The inaugural matches in the Women’s Europa Cup qualifying round one took place with the following results:
Aris Limassol 0-5 Anderlecht
Vllaznia 2-0 Kolos Kovalivka
Ajax 2-0 Sturm
Partizani 0-5 Spartak Subotica
HB Køge 3-2 Farul Constanța
Nordsjælland 3-1 KuPS Kuopio
Rosenborg 3-0 PSV
Sarajevo 0-0 Fomget
GC Frauenfussball 2-0 BIIK-Shymkent
Inter 4-1 Hibernian
Glasgow City 3-0 Athlone Town
The winners from this stage will progress to face seeded clubs already placed in the competition, as well as sides eliminated from the Women’s Champions League qualifying round three.
In the Champions League qualifiers, Manchester United, the only English team involved at this stage, were beaten 1-0 away to SK Brann in Bergen.
Nine teams will advance from qualifying to the newly created league phase, joining those already guaranteed a place:
Holders: Arsenal
France: Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain
Germany: Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg
Spain: Barcelona
England: Chelsea
Portugal: Benfica
Italy: Juventus
The 2026 final will be staged at the Ullevi Stadium in Oslo, with UEFA also confirming that Warsaw will host the 2027 showpiece.