This article is about the UEFA Women's Champions League. For the men's UEFA Champions League, see UEFA Champions League.
| UEFA Women's Champions League | ||
| ||
| Founded | 2001 | |
| Region | Europe (UEFA) | |
| Number of teams | 16 (group stage) 72 (total) | |
| Tournament information | ||
| Current champions |  Barcelona(2nd title) | |
| Most successful team(s) |  Lyon(8 title) | |
 Current
| ||
| Website | Official website | |
The UEFA Women's Champions League is an international women's association football club competition for teams that play in UEFA nations. The competition was first played in 2001–02 under the name UEFA Women's Cup, and renamed the UEFA Women's Champions League for the 2009–10 edition. The most significant change was including national runners-up from the top eight ranked nations and playing the final as a one-off final in the same city as UEFA Champions League final, as opposed to the two-legged ties in previous years.
Lyon is the most successful club in the competition's history, winning the title seven times, including the last five tournaments.
Finals[]
The UEFA Women's Cup was an association football competition for European clubs. The competition was started in the 2001–02 season in response to the increased interest in women's football. It is sometimes called the Women's European Cup, given its status as the only UEFA club competition for women. Teams qualify by virtue of winning their top national competition, be it a league or cup, if there is no national league.
UEFA Women's Cup Finals[]
| Season | Winner | Aggr. | Runners-up | Leg results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 |  Frankfurt
|
2–0 |  Umeå
|
2–0, one legged tie played at Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany |
| 2002–03 | Umeå IK
|
7–1 |  Fortuna Hjørring
|
4–1, Gammliavallen, Umeå, Sweden 3–0, Hjørring Stadium, Hjørring, Denmark |
| 2003–04 | Umeå IK
|
8–0 | Frankfurt
|
3–0, Råsunda Stadium,Solna, Sweden 5–0, Frankfurter Volksbank Stadion, Frankfurt, Germany |
| 2004–05 | Turbine Potsdam
|
5–1 | Djurgården/Älvsjö
|
2–0, Stockholms Olympiastadion, Stockholm, Sweden 3–1, Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion, Potsdam, Germany |
| 2005–06 | Frankfurt
|
7–2 | 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam
|
4–0, Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion, Potsdam, Germany 3–2, Frankfurter Volksbank Stadion, Frankfurt, Germany |
| 2006–07 |  Arsenal
|
1–0 | Umeå IK
|
1–0, Gammliavallen, Umeå, Sweden 0–0, Meadow Park, Borehamwood, England |
| 2007–08 | Frankfurt
|
4–3 | Umeå IK
|
1–1, Gammliavallen, Umeå, Sweden 3–2, Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany |
| 2008–09 | Duisburg
|
7–1 |  Zvezda 2005 Perm
|
6–0, Central Stadium, Kazan, Russia 1–1, MSV Arena, Duisburg, Germany |
UEFA Women's Champions League Finals[]
| Season | Winner | Final result | Runners-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam
|
0–0 a.e.t. (7–6 pen.) | Lyon
|
Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, Getafe |
| 2010–11 | Lyon
|
2–0 | 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam
|
Craven Cottage, Fulham |
| 2011–12 | Lyon
|
2–0 | 1. FFC Frankfurt
|
Olympiastadion, Munich |
| 2012–13 | VfL Wolfsburg
|
1–0 | Lyon
|
Stamford Bridge, London |
| 2013–14 | VfL Wolfsburg
|
4–3 | Tyresö FF
|
Estádio do Restelo, Lisbon |
| 2014–15 | 1. FFC Frankfurt
|
2–1 | Paris SG
|
Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, Berlin |
| 2015–16 | Lyon
|
1–1 a.e.t. (4–3 pen.) | VfL Wolfsburg
|
Mapei Stadium, Reggio Emilia |
| 2016–17 | Lyon
|
0–0 | Paris Saint-Germain
|
 Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
|
| 2017–18 | Lyon
|
4–1
|
VfL Wolfsburg
|
 Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium, Kiev
|
| 2018–19 | Lyon
|
4–1 | Barcelona
|
 Groupama Arena, Budapest
|
| 2019–20 | Lyon
|
3–1 | VfL Wolfsburg
|
Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastián
|
| 2020–21 | Barcelona
|
4–0 | Chelsea
|
Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg
|
Upcoming finals[]
| Season | Winner | Final result | Runners-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | v |  Juventus Stadium, Turin
| ||
| 2022–23 | v |  Philips Stadion, Eindhoven
|
Format[]
UEFA Women's Cup[]
A preliminary round was played to reduce teams to 32, in the first season only two teams played a two-legged match, the following seasons were played as four team mini-tournaments which had the winner advance to the group stage. Teams were then divided into eight groups of four. The groups were played again as mini-tournaments at a single location over the course of five days. The group winners then advanced to the quarter-finals. The knock-out rounds were played as two-legged. That included the final which was only played as a single leg in 2002.
For the 2004–05 season the group stage was played in four groups with the top two teams advancing to the quarter-finals. That resulted in more qualifying groups.
Champions League[]
On 11 December 2008, UEFA announced that the competition would be reformatted and renamed to the UEFA Women's Champions League. As in the men's game, the new tournament aims to include runners-up of the top women's football leagues in Europe, and the final is to be played in a single match.
On 31 March 2008 UEFA confirmed that the eight top countries according to the UEFA league coefficient between 2003–04 and 2007–08 would be awarded two places in the new Women's Champions League. These leagues were:
- Bundesliga, Germany
- Damallsvenskan, Sweden
- Women's Premier League, England
- Division 1 Féminine, France
- 3F Ligaen, Denmark
- Top Division, Russia
- Toppserien, Norway
- Serie A, Italy
While seven of the above associations have held a top eight spot until today several associations have entered the top eight. Due to coefficient changes ahead of 2010–11, Iceland gained a place in the top eight, at the expense of Norway. In 2012–13, Norway regained its top-eight place at Iceland's expense. Then, for 2013–14, Austria replaced Norway in the top eight. The Czech Republic replaced Austria in the top eight for 2014–15. In the current edition the Czech Republic itself is replaced by Spain.
Also in 2012–13, the berth for England's champion passed from the Women's Premier League to the country's new top level, the WSL. The following year, after the merger of the Belgium and Netherlands top divisions into a single binational league. The berths for those countries passed to the top team from each country in the new league.
The title holder has the right to enter if they do not qualify through their domestic competition, and will start in the round of 32.
The competition is open to the champions of all 54 UEFA associations. However, not all associations have or have had a women's league. For instance Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Gibraltar have never participated.
Due to the varying participation, the number of teams playing the qualifying round and teams entering in the round of 32 change from year to year.
Below is shown the amount of teams starting in each round, given between 51 and 57 participants. The principles are inferred from the access list: Numbers are based on three principles:
- Groups of 4 teams shall contest the qualifying rounds.
- The group winners shall qualify for the main round.
- The smallest possible number of qualifying group runners-up shall qualify for the main round.
| Teams | Round of 32 | Qualifying | Groups | Adv. Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | 22 | 32 | 8 | 2 |
| 55 | 23 | 32 | 8 | 1 |
| 56 | 24 | 32 | 8 | 0 |
| 57 | 21 | 36 | 9 | 2 |
| 58 | 22 | 36 | 9 | 1 |
| 59 | 23 | 36 | 9 | 0 |
| 60 | 20 | 40 | 10 | 2 |
| 61 | 21 | 40 | 10 | 1 |
Prize money[]
Prize-money was awarded for a first time in 2010 when both finalists received money. In 2011 the payments were extended to losing semi- and quarter-finalists. The current prize-money structure is
- €250,000 winning team
- €200,000 losing finalist
- €50,000 losing semi-finalists
- €25,000 losing quarter-finalists
In the Champions League teams also receive 20,000 Euro for playing each round or the qualifying. There have been several complaints about the sum, which doesn't cover costs for some longer trips which include flights.
Records and statistics[]
Performances[]
Performance by nation[]
| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Winner | Runners-up | Semifinalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Germany
|
9 | 5 | 7 |
|
|
|
 France
|
3 | 3 | 6 |
|
||
 Sweden
|
2 | 5 | 4 |
|
| |
 England
|
1 | 0 | 6 |
|
| |
| Denmark
|
0 | 1 | 3 |
|
| |
 Russia
|
0 | 1 | 0 |
|
||
 Norway
|
0 | 0 | 2 |
| ||
 Finland
|
0 | 0 | 1 |
| ||
 Italy
|
0 | 0 | 1 |
|
Performance by team[]
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt |
4 | 2 | 2002, 2006, 2008, 2015 | 2004, 2012 |
| Lyon |
3 | 2 | 2011, 2012, 2016 | 2010, 2013 |
| Umeå |
2 | 3 | 2003, 2004 | 2002, 2007, 2008 |
| Turbine Potsdam |
2 | 2 | 2005, 2010 | 2006, 2011 |
| Wolfsburg |
2 | 1 | 2013, 2014 | 2016 |
| Arsenal |
1 | 0 | 2007 | |
| Duisburg |
1 | 0 | 2009 | |
| Fortuna Hjørring |
0 | 1 | 2003 | |
| Djurgården/Älvsjö |
0 | 1 | 2005 | |
| Zvezda Perm |
0 | 1 | 2009 | |
| Tyresö |
0 | 1 | 2014 | |
| PSG |
0 | 1 | 2015 |
Additionally several German players have won the Champions League more than two times. Viola Odebrecht and Conny Pohlers both won it four times, Josephine Henning, Alexandra Popp and Nadine Keßler have won it three times. Pohlers is the only won to win it with three different clubs (Potsdam 2005, Frankfurt 2008 and Wolfsburg 2013, 2014).
Top scorers[]
The top-scorer award is given to the player who scores the most goals in the entire competition, thus it includes the qualifying rounds. Iceland's Margrét Lára Vidarsdóttir has won the award three times. She together with Pohlers holds the record for most goals in a season as well.
| Season | Topscorer (Club) | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Ada Hegerberg (Olympique Lyonnais) | 13 |
| 2014–15 | Célia Šašić (Frankfurt) | 14 |
| 2013–14 | Milena Nikolić (ŽFK Spartak) | 11 |
| 2012–13 | Laura Rus (Apollon Limassol) | 11 |
| 2011–12 | Camille Abily (Olympique Lyonnais) Eugénie Le Sommer (Olympique Lyonnais) |
9 |
| 2010–11 | Inka Grings (FCR 2001 Duisburg) | 13 |
| 2009–10 | Vanessa Bürki (FC Bayern München) | 11 |
| 2008–09 | Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir (Valur Reykjavík) | 14 |
| 2007–08 | Vira Dyatel (Zhilstroy-1 Karkhiv) Patrizia Panico (ASD CF Bardolino Verona) Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir (Valur Reykjavík) |
9 |
| 2006–07 | Julie Fleeting (Arsenal LFC) | 9 |
| 2005–06 | Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir (Valur Reykjavík) | 11 |
| 2004–05 | Conny Pohlers (1. FFC Turbine Potsdam) | 14 |
| 2003–04 | Maria Gstöttner (SV Neulengbach) | 11 |
| 2002–03 | Hanna Ljungberg (Umeå IK) | 10 |
| 2001–02 | Gabriela Enache (FC Codru Anenii Noi) | 12 |
See also[]
- FIFA Women's Club World Cup
External links[]
| UEFA Women's Champions League |
| UEFA Women's Cup era, 2001–2009 |
| 2001–02 · 2002–03 · 2003–04 · 2004–05 · 2005–06 · 2006–07 · 2007–08 · 2008–09 |
| UEFA Women's Champions League era, 2009–present |
| 2009–10 · 2010–11 · 2011–12 · 2012–13 · 2013–14 · 2014–15 · 2015–16 · 2016–17 · 2017–18 · 2018–19 · 2019–20 · 2020–21 · 2021–22 · 2022–23 · 2023–24 · 2024–25 |
| UEFA Women's Cup era, 2001–2009 finals |
| 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 |
| UEFA Women's Champions League era, 2009–present finals |
| 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 |
| UEFA competitions |
| National teams |
| European Championship (U-21 · U-19) |
| Clubs |
| Champions League · Europa League · Conference League · Super Cup · UEFA Women's Champions League · Cup Winners' Cup (defunct) · Intertoto Cup (defunct) · Women's Champions League |
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