Article 19 Draw system – knockout phase - Women's Champions League

Regulations of the UEFA Women's Champions League

Content Type
Competition Regulations
Category
Clubs > Women's Champions League
ft:locale
en-GB
Edition
2025/26
Enforcement Date
27 June 2025
19.01

Once the league phase has been completed, 12 clubs enter the knockout phase in predetermined positions based on their ranking at the end of the league phase, as illustrated in Annex B.

19.02

The fixtures for the knockout phase play-offs are determined by means of a draw conducted in accordance with the following principles:

  1. The clubs are paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form two seeded pairs (clubs in positions 5 and 6, and 7 and 8) and two unseeded pairs (positions 9 and 10, and 11 and 12).

  2. The clubs in each seeded pair are drawn against the clubs in each unseeded pair, as illustrated in Annex B: clubs 5 or 6 against clubs 11 or 12, and clubs 7 or 8 against clubs 9 or 10.

  3. In principle, the seeded clubs play the return matches at home.

19.03

The fixtures for the quarter-finals are determined by means of a draw conducted in accordance with the following principles:

  1. The clubs are paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form two seeded pairs (clubs in positions 1 and 2, and 3 and 4).

  2. The clubs in each seeded pair are drawn into one of the two positions in each quarter-final, as illustrated in Annex B, against the winners of the knockout phase play-offs, whose positions are determined by the knockout phase play-off draw in accordance with Paragraph 19.02.

  3. In principle, the seeded clubs play the return leg at home.

19.04

The semi-final and final pairings are determined according to Annex B. Seeded teams, i.e. teams ranked 1 and 2 after the league phase, play the return leg of the semi-finals at home. If a seeded team is beaten in the quarter-finals, the team that eliminates them takes over their seeding position in the bracket path (i.e. the higher ranking for seeding purposes is not recalculated after each round).

19.05

In the final, the team on the silver side of the bracket (as shown in Annex B) is considered the nominal home team for administrative purposes.

19.06

The UEFA administration may determine alternative conditions for each draw in accordance with the principles set by the Women’s Football Committee and may adapt the conditions of the draw or directly assign positions to take into account any relevant constraints in light of decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee.