The nine clubs that survived the Third Qualifying Round joined nine sides already guaranteed a place in the new 18-team League Phase.
The financial rewards for reaching that stage are significant. Each club is guaranteed at least US$580,000, with additional payments for wins and draws and further prize money based on final position. The eventual champion can earn a further US$1.2 million through the knockout phase.
That helps explain the intensity of qualifying, but the rounds also provide a fascinating look at the changing geography of the women’s game. Clubs from established leagues are increasingly recruiting internationally, while players from the United States, Canada, Africa, South America and elsewhere are finding opportunities at clubs that would once have been much harder to reach.
The Third Qualifying Round took place on August 25/26 and September 1/2, with nine ties deciding the remaining League Phase places.
Servette survive Sparta Prague test
Servette Chenois of Switzerland advanced past Sparta Prague 5-3 on aggregate after losing the first leg 3-2 in Czechia before winning 3-0 at home.
Polish international Magdalena Sobal was central to the turnaround, scoring once in the first leg and twice in the return, including a 92nd-minute goal that secured Servette's place in the League Phase for the first time since 2024-25.
Sobal is in her second season in Geneva and scored 12 goals in 21 Swiss league appearances last season.
Servette's roster reflected the club's international outlook, with 16 imports from seven countries, including six from France, three from Spain and two each from Italy and the Netherlands.
HB Køge also advanced, defeating PSV Eindhoven 2-1 on aggregate after winning 1-0 in the Netherlands before a 1-1 draw in Denmark.
Køge used 13 imports from seven countries, including five Americans and two players each from Poland and Japan.
PSV's squad included Ghanaian forward Princess Marfo, who joined on a three-year contract from FC Nordsjaelland. Marfo spent part of 2024 with Bay FC in the NWSL before returning to Denmark.
Her route into professional football began at the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, where she became its first female graduate in 2022.
Austria Wien provide one of qualifying's biggest shocks
Austria Wien produced one of the biggest surprises of the round by eliminating Brann of Norway 5-2 on aggregate.
Brann won the first game 2-1, but Wien responded with a 4-0 victory at home. Kosovo international Modesta Uka scored a hat-trick in the decisive second leg.
Uka, who is in her second season with the Austrian champions, has five goals in 12 internationals for Kosovo.
Brann had previously reached the Third Qualifying Round in 2025-26 before losing to Manchester United, then continued into the Women's Europa Cup.
The Norwegian club's international contingent included American forward Brenna Lovera, who is in her second season at Brann after two years with Glasgow City. She scored 28 goals in 49 league appearances in Scotland and has continued that form in Norway, with 13 goals in 13 regular-season matches in 2025 and 10 in 14 so far in 2026.
Scottish international Lauren Davidson is another former Glasgow City player in the Brann squad.
OH Leuven continue their remarkable European rise
OH Leuven have quickly become one of the most interesting emerging clubs in European women's football.
In their first European campaign last season, Leuven defeated Rosengård and Vorskla Poltava to reach the Champions League League Phase, then progressed to the knockout phase play-offs before Arsenal ended their run with a 7-1 aggregate victory.
This season they again reached the League Phase, eliminating Czarni Sosnowiec 6-2 on aggregate.
Their squad included 11 imports, with five from the Netherlands and two from France.
Hungarian youth international Dorina Julianna Sovany is one of the younger players in the group, while Surinamese forward Jada Conijenberg scored twice in the tournament's semifinal.
Conijenberg spent four seasons with Feyenoord before playing part of the 2025 Swedish season with IFK Norrköping.
PSG leave it late against Frankfurt
Paris Saint-Germain survived a major test against Eintracht Frankfurt, drawing 1-1 in Germany before winning the return 5-1 after extra time.
The second leg was still 1-1 after 90 minutes, but PSG scored four times in extra time.
French international Sakina Karchaoui scored twice, while DR Congo international Merveille Kanjinga and Nigerian international Rasheedat Ajibade also found the net.
Kanjinga and Ajibade are both in their second seasons with PSG.
Australian international Hayley Raso was sent off in the 66th minute after fouling Karchaoui, leaving Frankfurt with 10 players for the remainder of the game.
Raso has built an extensive European career, playing for Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Everton and Real Madrid as well as clubs in Australia and the NWSL.
Frankfurt's roster contained 13 imports from 10 countries, including Swedish defender Amanda Ilestedt.
Ilestedt has 75 Sweden caps and has won league titles in Sweden and Germany as well as the Champions League with Arsenal at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Australian defender Jamilla Rankin also joined Frankfurt this season after two years with Hoffenheim, while English youth international Vivienne Lia arrived after spending time on loan from Arsenal with Southampton, Nottingham Forest and Hammarby.
PSG themselves subsequently transferred French international defender Elisa de Almeida to Arsenal for a reported €600,000.
De Almeida had been with PSG since 2021 and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2023-24.
Juventus build around international experience
Juventus comfortably defeated St. Pölten 4-1 on aggregate, winning 3-0 in Austria before drawing 1-1 in Turin.
Portuguese international Tatiana Pinto scored twice in the first leg and again in the second.
The result also represented a strong start for new Juventus head coach Isaac Guerrero, who had only joined the club two months earlier after four years as an assistant to Mauricio Pochettino with the United States men's national team.
Guerrero said qualifying for the League Phase had been the club's main objective.
"The girls deserve this achievement," he said. "It was very important for the club, and they managed to qualify and proved they were worthy of this jersey once again."
One of the more interesting players in Juventus' international squad is American midfielder Abi Brighton.
Brighton played at Vanderbilt University and represented the United States at under-23 level before joining Juventus in January 2025. She won the domestic double in her first season and subsequently extended her contract through June 2028.
Her career is an example of how the European scouting network has expanded beyond the most heavily promoted American college players.
"I've always wanted to play overseas and never really thought I'd get an opportunity like playing for Juventus," Brighton said when she joined the club. "With the club's history, the style of play, it's all great and something I look for in a club."
Spanish midfielder Julia Bartel is another significant Juventus addition. She joined after two seasons under contract at Chelsea, having spent time on loan at Liverpool and Atlético Madrid.
Bartel previously came through Barcelona and won the 2022 U-20 World Cup with Spain.
Inter, Chelsea and Real Madrid complete the League Phase
Inter Milan eliminated VfL Wolfsburg in dramatic fashion, losing 2-0 in Germany before winning 3-1 in the return and then prevailing 5-4 on penalties.
Real Madrid defeated Ajax 4-1 on aggregate, while Chelsea were emphatic against Real Sociedad, winning 5-2 at home and 1-0 away.
Ajax's squad was particularly notable for its domestic composition, with almost the entire roster made up of Dutch players apart from one Belgian and one Swiss import.
The nine Third Qualifying Round losers — Sparta Prague, PSV Eindhoven, Brann, Czarni Sosnowiec, Eintracht Frankfurt, St. Pölten, Wolfsburg, Real Sociedad and Ajax — now move into the Women's Europa Cup.
That competition, which began last season, gives eliminated Champions League clubs another European route.
The second qualifying round shows the game's global reach
The Second Qualifying Round involved 44 teams across seven Champions Path and four League Path mini-tournaments.
Austria Wien were already showing their strength when they won their group after defeating Hajduk Split 3-2 and Farul Constanta 5-0.
Uka scored twice in the final, while Patricia Pfanner also contributed after joining Wien from First Vienna.
Farul's squad illustrated how players from less traditional football markets are finding opportunities in Europe. Kenya international goalkeeper Lilian Awuor has been with the Romanian club since 2024 after previously playing for Vihiga Queens and in France.
American defender Sydney Robertson arrived after playing at Longwood University.
Brann won another mini-tournament, defeating PAOK 3-2 in the final.
Icelandic international Diljá Yr Zomers scored twice, having also scored twice in the semifinal, while Finland international Nea Lehtola added the third.
Yr Zomers has played in Sweden, Belgium and Iceland, while Lehtola arrived from Brøndby after previous spells with Ilves and HJK.
Servette's route was equally convincing. They defeated Dinamo Minsk 3-0 and then host club Aktobe 4-0.
Aktobe had 11 imports from eight countries, including American defender Angelique Ikeda, who had played at SIU Edwardsville and subsequently worked as an assistant coach at Principia College.
The tournament also featured Breiðablik, whose squad was almost entirely Icelandic apart from Americans Taylor Kane and Katelyn Duong.
Duong's route is another reminder of the increasingly diverse pathways into European football. She played at Stanford and Minnesota, represented the United States at U-20 level, played in the USL W League and the Gainbridge Super League before joining Breiðablik.
PSV and Køge underline the importance of development
PSV won its second qualifying mini-tournament after defeating SFK 2000 Sarajevo and then HJK.
Dutch international Liz Rijsbergen scored all three goals in PSV's 3-1 final victory.
HJK's squad included three imports, including American midfielder Lacee Bethea.
Bethea played at Bowling Green before moving through the WPSL and Portugal, eventually joining HJK. She scored three goals in 14 league games during the current Finnish season.
Japanese forward Miho Kamogawa also joined HJK after spending time with JEF United Chiba and Växjö in Sweden.
HJK had previously used an entirely Finnish roster in its Champions League matches and the club remains one of the most established forces in the country, with 25 Finnish league championships.
OH Leuven also hosted a qualifying tournament, defeating TSC Bačka Topola before drawing 1-1 with Fenerbahçe and winning the final on penalties.
Fenerbahçe's international squad contained 11 imports from 10 countries.
Among them was New Zealand international Katie Bowen, who joined after three seasons with Inter Milan and previously spent seven seasons in the NWSL.
Jamaican defender Konya Plummer is another former NWSL player, having represented Orlando Pride before moving through Sweden and Mexico.
Cameroonian forward Marie Ngah joined Fenerbahçe after two seasons with Galatasaray, where she scored 41 goals in 23 matches. She had also led the scoring in Kazakhstan and Cameroon before finishing joint-top scorer at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Czarni Sosnowiec make their own history
Czarni Sosnowiec progressed from their qualifying tournament after defeating Apollon Ladies on penalties and then beating Spartak Myjava 4-2.
The final attracted just 36 spectators in Paphos, an extraordinary contrast with the major European stadiums and crowds that accompany the latter stages of the competition.
Polish youth international Patrycja Sarapato scored twice in the final.
Apollon, as usual, had a large international contingent, with 12 imports including six Americans.
Romanian international defender Maria Ficzay is in her second season with the Cypriot club after four years at Fortuna Hjørring in Denmark.
American goalkeeper Isabella Hara joined after winning an NCAA Division II national championship with Cal Poly Pomona in 2024.
The Cypriot side also included American midfielder Lainey Higgins, who scored 19 goals and provided 24 assists in 81 games at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
HB Køge continue to attract international talent
HB Køge won their mini-tournament after defeating Riga and Hearts of Midlothian.
Kenyan international Mwanalima Jereko equalised against Hearts before Danish international Mille Gijl Jensen scored the winner in the 91st minute.
Jereko previously played for the Kansas City Current before moving to Køge on loan and subsequently signing permanently.
Jensen herself has played in the NWSL with North Carolina Courage, as well as in England, Sweden and France.
Hearts were making their European debut after winning the Scottish title.
Their squad included Venezuelan international Mariana Speckmaier, who has previously played in England, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand and the NWSL.
Her career might have taken a very different path. She was due to join CSKA Moscow in early 2022, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine allowed players to cancel their contracts.
Ajax, Juventus and Frankfurt lead the League Path
Ajax won their League Path mini-tournament after defeating Brøndby and Rangers.
Brøndby's squad included American goalkeeper Jalen Tompkins, who is in her third season in Denmark after five years with Vålerenga, and defender Michaela Kovacs, who joined after playing for Birmingham City.
Slavia Prague's squad included American defender Isabella Briede, who spent three seasons with San Diego Wave and Houston Dash in the NWSL before moving to Prague.
Her teammate Sierra Ashby Pennock is another player whose route to Europe began in American college football. She played at Utah Valley and Brigham Young before signing with Slavia for her first professional season.
Juventus hosted the second League Path tournament and defeated Hammarby 3-1 after extra time.
Torreense of Portugal, who lost to Juventus in the semifinal, had 11 imports, including Australian defender Ella Tonkin and American forwards Maile Hayes and Jannie Lakip.
Hammarby, meanwhile, had nine imports from Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Iceland.
Eintracht Frankfurt hosted another group and defeated Malmö 2-0 in the final.
Malmö's squad contained an especially strong Australian presence, including Charli Grant, Courtney Nevin and Amy Sayer.
Grant joined after two seasons with Tottenham, while Nevin has represented Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers, Hammarby and Leicester City.
Sayer came through Stanford and Sydney FC before moving to Sweden and has five goals in 26 senior appearances for Australia.
Malmö's other international players included Serbia international Vesna Milivojevic, Iceland forward Hlín Eiríksdóttir and American Larkin Russell.
A broader European picture
The qualifying rounds ultimately produced a League Phase featuring clubs from 12 countries, with traditional powers joined by Austria Wien, HB Køge, OH Leuven, Inter and Servette.
For some clubs, qualification represents another step towards becoming established European sides. For others, simply reaching the qualifying rounds provides an opportunity to expose players to a much wider football market.
That is perhaps the most interesting feature of the competition at this stage.
The Champions League is no longer simply a collection of the biggest clubs from Europe's strongest leagues. The qualifying rounds provide a network connecting players from American universities, African academies, South American leagues, Scandinavian clubs and smaller European competitions.
For every established international such as Amanda Ilestedt, Katie Bowen or Ramona Bachmann, there are players such as Abi Brighton, Sydney Robertson, Angelique Ikeda, Lacee Bethea and Sierra Ashby Pennock taking less conventional routes into the professional game.
The 2026-27 League Phase now brings those pathways together with the elite clubs of Europe.
And for the nine teams that fell short in qualifying, the new Women's Europa Cup ensures that their European season is not necessarily over.
- Read the full version at Tim Grainey's Substack. His latest book is Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on Twitter: @TimGrainey