The Women's Europa Cup, What is it?
And, more importantly, what does it mean for the SWPL? A full rundown of the newest competition in European women's football.
On the 4th of December 2023 UEFA announced there would be a major change to the format of the UWCL, and the introduction of a brand new second tier European competition at the advent of the 2025/26 season.
Now that the format of this new competition is confirmed and we know the identity of the SWPL clubs that are headed into Europe next season, Hibernian and Glasgow City, we are here to explain how this new competition works and what it may mean for clubs in Scotland.
The Structure
To get the simple bit out of the way, the entire competition takes the form of two legged ties - home and away - with the winner progressing and the loser being knocked out. Games will be decided by the aggregate score across the two games, with extra time and penalties in the event of a draw.
The complicated bit… 44 clubs will compete in the Europa Cup with two routes of qualification. The first route grants direct entry for 13 teams into round one of the competition, these will be:
The runners up in leagues ranked 18-24 in the UEFA coefficient (currently Iceland, Serbia, Belarus, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, and Romania) or,
Clubs finishing third in leagues ranked 8-13 (currently Norway, Netherlands, Austria, Czechia, Ukraine, and Denmark).
In round one they will meet 11 sides who enter through the second route, having been given a second chance after losing out in UWCL qualifying - this is the route available to Scottish teams. These teams qualifying by either:
Finishing third in one of the seven UWCL qualifying Champions path mini-tournaments, or
Finishing third in one of the four UWCL qualifying League path mini-tournaments.
Those 24 teams are then matched up and the 12 winners progress to round two where another 20 teams arrive following the third round of UWCL qualifying. There are four groups of teams entering at this stage, they are:
Nine teams who didn’t qualify for the UWCL in the third round of qualifying.
Four losers from the Champions Path, and
Five from the League path.
11 runners-up in the second round mini-tournaments.
Seven from the Champions path, and
Four from the League path.
That makes a round two of 32 teams, they are again drawn against each other to play two legged ties with the winners making up the first round of the competition proper. The round of 16.
What Does This all Mean for the SWPL?
At present, the SWPL’s coefficient ranking means that the top two clubs enter UWCL qualifying, first place into the Champions path and second into the League path.
With a ranking of 16th overall, the greatest league in the world SWPL isn’t ranked high enough for third to get direct entry, nor low enough for second place to receive guaranteed entry to the Europa Cup (at the expense of one of our UWCL places).
The League Path mini-tournaments should be slightly less daunting with the new changes taking place. Nine clubs will qualify for the UWCL proper automatically, increased from four in the current format, this includes the runners up in France and Germany which has in turn pushed their third placed sides (and Spain’s third placed) out of the mini tournament stage and straight into Round Three.
Rangers mini-tournament group last season saw them play both Arsenal (3rd WSL) and Atletico Madrid (3rd Liga F). A task that looked insurmountable from the outset, and proved to be a step too far as they conceded nine without reply. A similar draw is still possible but has gone from highly likely to seeing a black cat while stepping on a crack under a ladder while smashing a mirror levels of bad luck.
What is up for Grabs?
With a number of teams from the top leagues around Europe dropping into this competition after failing to reach the UWCL, it is likely that winning the whole thing is a step too far. However, it is a competition we would expect SWPL clubs to have a chance to shine in as many of the teams will be coming from leagues of a similar level.
There are two tangible benefits of the competition for Scottish clubs, prize money and coefficient points. The prize money available is still to be confirmed as of the date this article was published, however, this is done in a UEFA circular letter prior to the start of the next season so should be available soon.
Association and club coefficient points are a very complicated, numbers heavy, game that we aren’t going to get into the full detail of here. Key to note is that the SWPL entrants into Europe earn points for both themselves, and the league as a whole.
Currently the SWPL is ranked 16th in the UEFA coefficient which means that we have two UWCL spots for our league, with both leading to the qualifying rounds. If we slip to 18th or lower only the champions would head to the UWCL qualifying rounds with the runners up going into the Europa Cup first round. If Scottish clubs were to have more successful European adventures than their counterparts in the leagues above, we could move up the rankings with the next category coming for leagues placed between 4-7. They enter three teams into the UWCL, with all three entering the second round of qualifying (the same round our two currently enter).
The club coefficient is also important, and complicated so this is again just a brief overview, in that it helps to decide seeding for the campaign. Currently, Glasgow City are our highest ranked club at 44th, with Celtic 57th, and Rangers 82nd. Higher coefficient points leads to a higher ranking, which in turn can lead to being in a higher pot and getting quote-unquote easier fixtures.
Then there are the intangible benefits, mostly on the impact it could have on the SWPL’s players.
It is a chance for young Scottish players to play European opponents more regularly. Gaining experience of other styles of play, different opposition threats, and high pressure situations. That will also give Melissa Andreatta a chance to assess how they stack up against talents from our European neighbours for her future squad selections.
With scouting in the women’s game still quite limited, it is also a chance for those young players to put themselves in the eyelines of top clubs around Europe. As we come into an era of increasing willingness for clubs to pay transfer fees, which are getting higher and higher themselves, this could represent a benefit for both player and club. More options for them to choose from for the next step in their career, while their club doesn’t face the prospect of losing them without remuneration and sees some return on the investment they have put in to develop them into the player they are.
That's a great read, finally feel like I am getting my head around the revamped European competitions now!