Overview of the UEFA Women's Champions League 2026/27 Qualification

The draw held yesterday has established the matchups for the first two qualifying rounds of the UEFA Women’s Champions League 2026/27.

Eintracht Frankfurt Faces AC Omonia Nicosia

Germany's Eintracht Frankfurt, entering as the third-placed team from the Bundesliga, will compete against AC Omonia Nicosia from Cyprus in the second qualifying round. This marks Omonia's inaugural appearance in the Champions League. Initially, Aris Limassol was set to qualify as the second-placed team from Cyprus, but the club was denied a license by UEFA, allowing Omonia to step in.

The Cyprus Football Association reported: "During the licensing process, it was determined that the women's team of Aris Limassol did not meet certain sporting criteria and therefore did not receive the corresponding license. Consequently, a penalty in the form of point deduction in the Cypriot championship for the 2026/2027 season will be imposed on Aris, along with the withdrawal of the right to participate in UEFA women's competitions for the 2026/2027 season."

The women's league in Cyprus, the Protathlima Gynaikon, is relatively small, consisting of only five teams, with Apollon Ladies being the dominant force. Notably, Eleni Markou, who played for Apollon for a year, has moved through various clubs before joining Eintracht Frankfurt. In contrast, Omonia remains relatively unknown, with little presence on the club's website regarding its women's team. Some players from Omonia are regulars in the Cyprus national team (League C), including playmaker Elena Aristodimou, who has played in five different countries, and goalkeeper Constantina Kouzali.

1st Qualifying Round

Semi-finals: Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Group 1

• AC PAOK (Greece) – Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem (Israel)
• Neftçi PFK (Azerbaijan) – ZFK Budućnost (Montenegro)

Group 2

• KÍ Klaksvík (Faroe Islands) – Ludogorets 1945 (Bulgaria)
• KFF Mitrovica (Kosovo) – Zimbru Chişinău (Moldova)

Group 3

• FC Pjunik (Armenia) – Wrexham AFC (Wales)
• Glentoran (Northern Ireland) – Riga FC (Latvia)

Group 4

• Czarni Sosnowiec (Poland) – WFC Nike Lusso (Georgia)
• Athlone Town (Republic of Ireland) – ZFK Skopje 2014 (North Macedonia)

Group 5

• FC Flora Tallinn (Estonia) – Mġarr United (Malta)
• Spartak Myjava (Slovakia) – Tallinn/Mġarr

(Group 5 features only three teams; Spartak Myjava (Slovakia) will play directly in the final against the winner of this match.)

Placement and Final Matches: Saturday, July 25, 2026

2nd Qualifying Round

Semi-finals: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

The second round is divided into the Champions Path (CP) for national champions and the League Path (LP) for clubs from leagues rated stronger by UEFA coefficients.

Champions Path

CP Group 1

• FK Austria Wien (Austria) – Hajduk Split (Croatia)
• NS Mura (Slovenia) – Farul Constanța (Romania)

CP Group 2

• SK Brann (Norway) – Winner of 1R Group 2 (KI/Mitrovica/Rasgrad/Zimbru)
• Ferencváros (Hungary) – Winner of 1R Group 1 (PAOK/Neftçi/Jerusalem/Budućnost)

CP Group 3

• Dinamo-BSUPC Minsk (Belarus) – Servette FC Chênois Féminin (Switzerland)
• Breiðablik (Iceland) – FK Aqtöbe (Kazakhstan)

CP Group 4

• SFK 2000 Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
• RFC Union (Luxembourg) – HJK Helsinki (Finland)

CP Group 5

• FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv (Ukraine) – Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey)
• Oud-Heverlee Leuven (Belgium) – TSC Bačka Topola (Serbia)

CP Group 6

• KS Vllaznia Shkodër (Albania) – Winner of 1R Group 5 (Flora/Myjava/Mġarr)
• Apollon LFC (Cyprus) – Winner of 1R Group 4 (Czarni/Athlone/Nike Lusso/Skopje)

CP Group 7

• FC Gintra (Lithuania) – Heart of Midlothian (Scotland)
• HB Køge (Denmark) – Winner of 1R Group 3 (Pjunik/Glentoran/Wrexham/Riga)

League Path

LP Group 1

• Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands) – Brøndby IF (Denmark)
• Slavia Praha (Czech Republic) – Rangers WFC (Scotland)

LP Group 2

• Juventus FC (Italy) – Unión Torreense (Portugal)
• Hammarby IF (Sweden) – KFF Apolonia (Albania)

LP Group 3

• Vålerenga (Norway) – Malmö FF (Sweden)
• Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) – AC Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus)

LP Group 4

• Sporting CP (Portugal) – SeaSters Odessa (Ukraine)
• SKN St. Pölten (Austria) – BSC Young Boys (Switzerland)

Placement and Final Matches: Saturday, August 8, 2026

Teams Already Qualified for the League Phase

The following teams will directly enter the Champions League league phase, which begins on September 22/23, 2026:

• FC Barcelona (defending champions)
• Arsenal
• Manchester City
• OL Lyon
• Paris FC
• FC Bayern Munich
• AS Roma
• Benfica Lisbon
• BK Häcken (Europa Cup winners)

Understanding the Qualification Process

The UEFA Women’s Champions League 2026/27 includes 18 spots in the league phase. Teams not directly qualified must navigate through up to three qualifying rounds.

The qualification format will again feature mini-tournaments, with the venues yet to be determined. Four teams will compete at a central location, starting with two semi-finals, followed by a final and a placement match. Only the group winners will advance to the third qualifying round, which will be played as home-and-away fixtures. Nine winners from this round will progress to the league phase of the Champions League.

Qualification is divided into two paths:

Champions Path (CP): For national champions from leagues rated weaker by UEFA.

League Path (LP): For runners-up and third-placed teams from stronger leagues, such as Eintracht Frankfurt from the Bundesliga. The League Path only consists of two qualifying rounds (Round 2 and Round 3) before entering the league phase.

What Happens to Eliminated Teams? Not all teams are out of European competition after elimination: The third-placed teams from the second qualifying round (both CP and LP) will enter the first round of the Europa Cup, while the runners-up will move to the second round. Teams eliminated in the third qualifying round will also enter the second round of the Europa Cup.

For Eintracht Frankfurt, a victory against Omonia Nicosia would lead to a final match against the winner of Vålerenga versus Malmö, and a further win would see them advance to the third qualifying round.

In August, potential opponents could include Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, or Inter Milan. VfL Wolfsburg will also enter the competition at this stage. The draw for the third qualifying round is expected on August 11, with the first legs scheduled for August 26 and the second legs on September 2.

Beitragsbild: IMAGO/Beautiful Sports