Is the new UWCL format easier for English teams?

Three English clubs will contest the quarter-finals of the revamped UEFA Women’s Champions League, prompting an obvious question: has the competition’s new league-and-play-off structure handed the Women’s Super League sides an easier path, or has it merely underlined their collective rise?

Manchester United, tournament debutants at this stage, sealed their last-eight berth with a 5-0 aggregate dismissal of Atlético Madrid on Thursday, while Arsenal cruised past Belgian newcomers OH Leuven 7-1 on aggregate after finishing fifth in the 18-team league phase. Chelsea, who ended the league phase in the top four, had already booked a direct ticket to the quarters and now face their domestic rivals Arsenal for a semi-final slot.

The reformatting of Europe’s premier club competition has replaced the traditional four-team round-robin groups with a single 18-club league in which every entrant plays six different opponents once. The top four advance straight to the quarter-finals; the bottom six are eliminated; the remaining eight enter a seeded two-legged play-off for the remaining spots.

United boss Marc Skinner, whose side overcame three qualifying rounds before negotiating a league schedule that included Wolfsburg, Juventus and record eight-time champions Lyon, rejected any suggestion of a soft landing. “For sure, it hasn’t felt easy,” he said. “It’s exposed us to different styles of play. The experiences have helped us grow quickly.”

Arsenal’s journey carried similar jeopardy. Renée Slegers’ team lost to both Lyon and Bayern Munich in the league phase, yet recovered to finish fifth before drawing Leuven – a side they had already beaten 3-0 in the autumn. A 4-0 away win in the first leg of the play-off effectively ended the tie, but Slegers was quick to caution against reading too much into the scoreboard. “We were very aware that Leuven had made it difficult for teams in Europe,” she stressed. “We played really well and were clinical.”

Chelsea, despite avoiding the play-offs, were hardly spared heavyweight skirmishes, facing both Barcelona and Wolfsburg in the league phase and now confronting Arsenal in a last-eight derby that guarantees at least one English semi-finalist.

Analysts note that the new structure appears to dilute early jeopardy for established names. Tim Stillman, writer for Arseblog, argued the format “protects bigger clubs against jeopardy”, adding: “If you slightly mess up the league phase, like Arsenal did, you go into the play-offs and you’ll most likely get a winnable tie.” Slegers countered that her club are “only one story” and that the true test will be how the system “works over time”.

What is beyond debate is the depth of England’s representation. Former Lionesses midfielder Fara Williams pointed to the broader trend: “We have a very strong league… when you invest, this is what can happen.” Indeed, while Manchester City have struggled in Europe in recent seasons, United’s breakthrough means the WSL now supplies three of the final eight, echoing the league’s growing financial muscle and tactical sophistication.

United, unbeaten in eight of their 12 European fixtures and boasting eight clean sheets, will meet Bayern Munich next. Chelsea and Arsenal must duel domestically for continental survival. Whichever side prevails, English football is assured of a semi-final presence, and the restructured pathway – whether kinder or merely fairer – has done little to dilute the sense that the WSL’s elite are now entrenched among Europe’s contenders rather than hopefuls.