# 2026–27 UEFA Women's Europa Cup
The 2026–27 [UEFA Women's Europa Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-womens-europa-cup) is the second edition of UEFA's second-tier club competition for women's football, run as a straight knockout tournament played entirely over two legs, including the final. It follows the format of the inaugural 2025/26 event and is played in parallel with the [UEFA Women's Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-womens-champions-league).[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | Second edition of the competition, following the 2025/26 inaugural event[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/) |
| Format | Six knockout rounds, every tie including the final played home and away[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/) |
| Entry | 13 teams enter directly; 31 transfer from Women's Champions League qualifying[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/) |
| Direct entrants | Third-placed teams of associations ranked 8 to 13 and runners-up of associations ranked 18 to 24[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/) |
| Final | Two legs on 1 or 2 May and 8 or 9 May 2027, hosted at each finalist's stadium[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a6-20e1e6edd4e9-ef5b459bc219-1000--2027-women-s-europa-cup-final-all-you-need-to-know/) |
| Reward for the winner | Automatic place in the third qualifying round of the champions path of the 2027/28 Women's Champions League[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/) |
| Reigning champion | BK Häcken, winner of the inaugural 2025/26 edition[3](https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/02a6-20d5754e28b9-c23cf37e8c28-1000--a-new-era-peaks-in-oslo-uefa-women/) |
## Format and access
The competition consists of six rounds: the first and second qualifying rounds, the round of 16, the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, and a two-legged final. All matches are played under the IFAB Laws of the Game with a 15-minute half-time interval, as set out in [Article 13](https://www.edgepedia.org/article-13) of the competition regulations, which took effect on 29 July 2026.[4](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-Women-s-Europa-Cup-2026/27/Article-13-Competition-stages-Online?contentId=vDeT6WtNoRTGYIrLuJTO1A) • [5](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-Women-s-Europa-Cup-2026/27-Online)
**Direct entry.** Thirteen teams enter the competition without playing Champions League qualifying: the third-placed teams in the domestic leagues of the associations ranked 8 to 13 (Norway, Netherlands, Austria, Czechia, Ukraine, and Denmark) and the runners-up of the associations ranked 18 to 24 (Iceland, Serbia, Belarus, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, and Romania).[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/)
**A second chance from Champions League qualifying.** A feeding system from the Women's Champions League gives the Europa Cup 31 further entrants: the nine clubs eliminated in the Champions League third qualifying round, plus the runners-up and third-placed teams from the 11 second qualifying round tournaments.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/) UEFA publishes dynamic access lists tracking which sides from each national association enter, and in which round they start.[6](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/02a4-20777186ff3b-1ff509174b9b-1000--access-list-track-which-sides-will-play-in-the-2026-27-uefa-/)
## Schedule
The remaining rounds are scheduled as follows.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/)
- **Second qualifying round**: draw 4 September in Nyon (date subject to change); first leg 23 September, second leg 30 September.
- **Round of 16**: draw 2 October in Nyon (date subject to change), which decides the ties for the entire knockout bracket; first leg 28/29 October, second leg 10/11 November.
- **Quarter-finals**: first leg 3/4 February, second leg 10/11 February.
- **Semi-finals**: first leg 23/24 March, second leg 31 March/1 April.
- **Final**: first leg 1 or 2 May, second leg 8 or 9 May 2027.
The final is hosted by each of the two finalist teams across the two legs in May 2027, rather than at a single pre-selected venue.[2](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a6-20e1e6edd4e9-ef5b459bc219-1000--2027-women-s-europa-cup-final-all-you-need-to-know/)
## What the winner gains
The winners automatically qualify for the third qualifying round of the champions path of the 2027/28 Women's Champions League, leaving one round to negotiate for a place in the league phase.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/) If the 2026/27 Women's Champions League winner also qualifies for the 2027/28 league phase through its domestic championship, the vacancy created in the league phase is filled by the 2026/27 Europa Cup title-holder.[2](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a6-20e1e6edd4e9-ef5b459bc219-1000--2027-women-s-europa-cup-final-all-you-need-to-know/) This route already operated in the first edition: [BK Häcken](https://www.edgepedia.org/bk-hacken), winner of the inaugural 2025/26 Europa Cup, entered the 2026/27 Champions League league phase after Barcelona's champion's place was reallocated.[3](https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/02a6-20d5754e28b9-c23cf37e8c28-1000--a-new-era-peaks-in-oslo-uefa-women/) • [7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/uwcl-everything-you-need-to-know-as-the-womens-champions-league-kicks-off)
## Context in the 2025/26 reform
The Europa Cup was introduced alongside the reformed 18-team league phase Women's Champions League as part of UEFA's new women's club competition system from 2025/26, giving clubs beyond the Champions League entrants a chance to play European opposition.[8](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/029d-1ebf344b0b59-be32d22029f7-1000--new-format-for-women-s-champions-league-everything-you-ne/) The inaugural final was the first all-Swedish UEFA club competition final, with BK Häcken beating Hammarby for the first trophy.[3](https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/02a6-20d5754e28b9-c23cf37e8c28-1000--a-new-era-peaks-in-oslo-uefa-women/) In the 2026/27 edition, [Real Sociedad](https://www.edgepedia.org/real-sociedad) became the first Spanish team to participate in the competition, entering in its second year of history.[9](https://as.com/futbol/femenino/el-hearts-rival-de-la-real-f202609-n/)
## References
1. [2026/27 UEFA Women's Europa Cup: Dates, provisional access list, full guide, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a0-1f71c8182e2f-861a3721a8fc-1000--2026-27-uefa-women-s-europa-cup-dates-provisional-access-/)
2. [2027 Women's Europa Cup final: All you need to know, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02a6-20e1e6edd4e9-ef5b459bc219-1000--2027-women-s-europa-cup-final-all-you-need-to-know/)
3. [A new era peaks in Oslo: UEFA Women's Champions League and UEFA Women's Europa Cup reshape the landscape, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/02a6-20d5754e28b9-c23cf37e8c28-1000--a-new-era-peaks-in-oslo-uefa-women/)
4. [Article 13 Competition stages, Regulations of the UEFA Women's Europa Cup 2026/27, UEFA documents](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-Women-s-Europa-Cup-2026/27/Article-13-Competition-stages-Online?contentId=vDeT6WtNoRTGYIrLuJTO1A)
5. [Regulations of the UEFA Women's Europa Cup 2026/27, UEFA documents](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-Women-s-Europa-Cup-2026/27-Online)
6. [Access list: Track which sides will play in the 2026/27 UEFA women's club competitions, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/02a4-20777186ff3b-1ff509174b9b-1000--access-list-track-which-sides-will-play-in-the-2026-27-uefa-/)
7. [UWCL: Everything you need to know as the Women's Champions League kicks off, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/uwcl-everything-you-need-to-know-as-the-womens-champions-league-kicks-off)
8. [New format for Women's Champions League: Everything you need to know, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/029d-1ebf344b0b59-be32d22029f7-1000--new-format-for-women-s-champions-league-everything-you-ne/)
9. [El Hearts, rival de la Real, AS](https://as.com/futbol/femenino/el-hearts-rival-de-la-real-f202609-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Seasons and editions › Women's football seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license