The 2025/26 season of the ETTU Champions League Women is about to begin, and with it comes a significant step forward in the evolution of European club competitions. As part of its ongoing commitment to innovation and excellence, ETTU is introducing the Final 4 format to the Champions League Women for the first time, following the successful implementation of the concept in the Champions League Men two years ago.
This major development highlights ETTU’s dedication to enhancing visibility, competitiveness, and prestige in the women’s club competition landscape.
With the European Club Rankings determining the seedings stage is set for thrilling encounters, high-calibre performances, and fierce competition from the very first serve.
The full team rosters can be found here.
At the top of the seeding list is KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg (POL), a dominant force in recent years with four ETTU Champions League titles. With Olympic silver medallist and defensive star Ying HAN (ER 6) leading the squad, joined by Japan’s Satsuki ODO (WR 9) and Portugal’s veteran Fu YU (ER 12), they enter as title favourites. Last year, they lost their crown in the semifinals to the 2025 winners, Germany’s ttc berlin eastside. This year, they will try to regain their title with the reinforcement of ODO, who is a silver medallist at the 2025 World Championships in Doha and a two-time gold medallist at the 2024 Asian Games in Astana.
Last season’s finalists, Metz TT (FRA), who also finished as runners-up in 2023, are seeded No. 2, featuring France’s star Charlotte LUTZ (ER 16), Egypt’s Hana GODA (WR 24), Romania’s Adina DIACONU (ER 26), and Luxembourg’s Sarah De NUTTE (ER 42), bringing together an impressive multinational lineup.
Reigning champions, Germany’s ttc berlin eastside, return as serious contenders with a strong roster, including Japan’s Miyuu KIHARA (WR 20), a new reinforcement serving as a strong response to KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg’s addition of ODO. KIHARA clinched bronze in Doubles at the 2025 World Championships, as well as bronze in 2023 in Durban, and two silver medals in the Team World Championships in 2022 (Chengdu) and 2024 (Busan). Nina MITTELHAM (ER 9), Natalia BAJOR (ER 14), and Xiaona SHAN (ER 13) continue to anchor the team’s ambitions. Serbia’s Sabina SURJAN (ER 37), Mia GRIESEL (ER 53), and China’s Weishan LIU (WR 55) are also listed. ttc berlin eastside has clinched the Champions League Women title six times in the club’s history.
Seeded at position No. 4 is Etival ASRTT (FRA), spearheaded by Portugal’s Jieni SHAO (ER 9), Sweden’s Christina KÄLLBERG (ER 22), and Australia’s Liu YANGZI.
ETTU Champions League semifinalists Saint-Quentin TT are listed as the No. 5 seed, with Linda BERGSTRÖM (ER 11), Barbora VARADY (ER 41), and Camille LUTZ (ER 51) in the line-up.
Two-time ETTU Champions League winners, Linz AG Froschberg (AUT), feature Thai star Suthasini SAWETTABUT (WR 126), Dutch ace Britt EERLAND (ER 20), and Croatia’s Ivana MALOBABIC (ER 31).
Among the top eight are No. 7 seed ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari, with Tania PLAIAN (ER 111) and Elizabet ABRAAMIAN (WR 126), and No. 8 seed UCAM Cartagena T.M. (ESP), which includes Maria XIAO (ER 8), Tin-Tin HO (ER 49), and Daniela ORTEGA (WR 106)—all aiming for a deep run.
Seeded at position No. 12 is French club Saint Denis TT, with Prithika PAVADE (ER 7), Hana ARAPOVIC (ER 33), and China’s Siqi FAN (WR 33), one of the favourites despite their team seeding. The French club clinched the Europe Cup Women’s title last season, repeating their success from the 2020/21 season.
The action begins from 29 to 31 August 2025, with Stage 1 hosted in Novi Sad, Serbia, alongside the Men’s Champions League. You can see the Stage 1 draw here.
In the 2025/26 season, clubs seeded from positions 9 to 16 will compete in Stage 1, consisting of two groups of four teams. The group winner and runners-up will join the automatically qualified top eight seeds in Stage 2 in which there will be four groups made up of three clubs in each.
The winners and runners-up from each Stage 2 group will qualify for the quarterfinals, which will be played as home-and-away matches. The winning teams will then proceed to the Final 4.
