UEFA Women’s Champions League: What you need to know!

In case you are not familiar with the UEFA Women’s Champions League, here are 6 facts you really should know!

1. The competition is only 16 “editions” old It really seems like the stellar European women’s football tournament has been around forever. Truth be told, the 2016/2017 is just the 16th edition. The tournament took place for the first time under the name “UEFA Women’s Cup” in 2001/2002 and got rebranded in 2009/2010 as UEFA Women’s Champions League. This is just another sign of the long path ahead of women’s football to gain the visibility it deserves. Still, the number of editions keeps growing… year by year!

2. The titleholder always enters the competition and there is not group stage There’s no UWCL without the current titleholder. In fact, according to the UEFA regulations the club who wins the tournament always has the right to enter the competition in the round of 32, even if the team doesn’t qualify through their domestic league. Plus, there is no group stage in the UWCL, which makes it different from the men’s UEFA champions league. Teams qualify for the tournament when they win their top national competition (which can be either a league or a cup) or when they finish second in the championships held in any of the 8 top nations in the UEFA ranking.

3. German teams have won the competition 9 times With a total of 9 titles, German teams have been the most successful in the history of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. FFC Frankfurt won the title 4 times (2002, 2006, 2008, 2103), while 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam (2005, 2010) and VfL Wolsfburg (2013, 2014) won twice each, and FCR 2001 Duisburg won once (2009). This is quite impressive considering the second spot of this interesting ranking is occupied by France with 3 trophies.

4. Margrét Lára Vidarsdóttir is UCWL’s topscorer This girl knows how to score goals. Valur Reykjavík’s Icelandic player Margrét Lára Vidarsdóttir won the prize as the top scorer of the competition for three times, a record UEFA Women’s Champions League: What you need to know 2 that remains unbeaten: in 2008/2009 (14 goals), 2007/2008 (9 goals) and 2005/2006 (11 goals). A total of 34 goals, not bad at all!

5. The original trophy remains in the keeping of UEFA at all times As you certainly didn’t know, the UWCL trophy received by the winning clubs is a full- size replica of the original trophy. The original trophy (60cm per 10kg) is made of sterling silver and always remains in the keeping of UEFA. It only leaves its home for the most important official events, such as the presentation ceremony and the big final.

6. Still a lot of work before you can call it “equality” 2010 was the first year when the teams received any sort of money prize. At the moment, the winner brings home around €250.000, the losing finalist €200.000, the losing semi-finalist €50.000 and the losing quarter-finalists €25.000. Furthermore, the teams receive €20.000 for playing each round. This seems a lot of money, but it actually barely covers the expenses of the clubs. In comparison, and without considering TV- rights and other money-making sources, men’s football team in the UEFA champions league earn around €15 million if they win, €10.5 million if they lose the final, €7 million for the semifinals, €6 million for the quarterfinals, and €12 million (guaranteed) in the group stages. Not quite “equal” yet, wouldn’t you agree? What’s the next step? To enjoy the thrilling experience of a UEFA Women’s Champions League match.

This is just a sample of the sites / organizations that empower the most beautiful competition in Europe!

Women’s Soccer Zone: coverage - previews and post-match discussions - of UEFA Women’s Champions League via their acclaimed / fan favorite women’s football podcast.

Women’s Soccer United: keeps updated schedule listings of live women’s football online broadcasts.

VAVEL: sports international newspaper that offers in-depth analysis on UEFA Women’s Champions League

mycujoo: one of the promoters of the competition. A football live stream platform where you can watch UEFA Women’s Champions League matches for free.

By Tomás Naranjo-Cluet.