Celtic FC Women are gearing up to kick off their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign with a match against KuPS, kicking off at 10 am Celtic Park time today.
The team has been preparing for Round One of this mini-tournament, with the format different from the men’s Champions League. The winner will secure a place in the final round of this stage.
Finnish opponents KuPS are not to be underestimated. They are currently second in their league and have claimed the league title for the past three seasons.
Fans looking to catch the action can tune in via TicketMarket, where the match is being streamed. It’s available for €5 per pay-per-view. Unfortunately, for those hoping to watch on Celtic TV, the match will not be broadcast either in Britain and Ireland or globally, which is a significant letdown for supporters of Celtic FC Women who follow the team’s European journey.
The Women’s Champions League Format
Here’s a breakdown of how teams qualify and compete:
- Access List Based on Coefficients:
- Top Six Associations: These countries, currently including France, Germany, Spain, England, Italy, and Sweden, each enter three teams into the competition due to their higher UEFA coefficients.
- Associations Ranked 7–16: These countries are granted two entries each.
- Remaining Associations: Each of these gets one entry.
- Qualification Rounds:
- The competition starts with two rounds of qualifications:
- First Round: This consists of mini-tournaments with 3 or 4 teams each, which operate on a single elimination basis.
- Second Round: Features two-legged matches split into two paths:
- Champions Path: Includes league champions from associations ranked 8-50. Seven teams from this path advance to the later stages.
- League Path: Comprises runners-up from the top 16 associations and third-placed teams from the top 6 associations, with five advancing.
- The competition starts with two rounds of qualifications:
- Group Stage:
- Four teams qualify directly for the group stage, including the defending UWCL champion and the champions from the top three associations based on UEFA coefficients.
- The group stage is organised into four groups of four teams. Each group plays a double round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the two-legged quarterfinals.
