The 2026/27 ETTU Champions League Women is set to begin, bringing together Europe’s strongest clubs and many of the world’s top players for another season of elite club competition.
Last season marked a milestone in the history of the competition, with the introduction of the Final Four format for the very first time. It was KTS Enea Siarkopol TARNOBRZEG who lifted the trophy, and the Polish club now returns as the No. 1 seed with the goal of defending its European title.
The reigning champions once again boast an impressive line-up led by Ying HAN, Fu YU, Xiaoxin YANG and Zhuojia HE, with young talents Patrycja CZECH and Minyi TIAN adding further depth.
Among the strongest challengers is No. 2 seed Metz TT, featuring a balanced squad headed by Charlotte LUTZ, Izabela LUPULESKU, Hana GODA, Lea RAKOVAC and Sarah DE NUTTE.
Germany’s TTC Berlin eastside, seeded No. 3, once again presents a formidable team with Nina MITTELHAM, Natalia BAJOR, SHAN Xiaona and Sabina SURJAN, while No. 4 Etival ASRTT relies on the experience of SHAO Jieni, Christina KÄLLBERG and Liu YANGZI.
Spain is also strongly represented. No. 5 UCAM Cartagena TM features Maria XIAO, Anna HURSEY, HO Tin-Tin and Daniela ORTEGA, while No. 13 Son Cladera TTC Mallorca fields Katarzyna WEGRZYN, Adina DIACONU, Arina SLAUTINA and Paulina VEGA.
French hopes will also rest with No. 6 Saint-Quentin TT, led by Linda BERGSTRÖM, Barbora VARADY, ZHANG Mo and Camille LUTZ, while Austrian champions Linz AG Froschberg (No. 7) count on Tatiana KUKULKOVA, Lilou MASSART and Sara TOKIC.
Croatian champions STK Dr. Časl Zagreb, seeded No. 14, return with an ambitious squad featuring Margaryta PESOTSKA, Britt EERLAND, Japanese star Miu HIRANO, Tsai Yun-En and Kotomi OMODA.
The competition begins with Stage 1, featuring the clubs seeded from No. 7 to No. 14. The eight teams are divided into two groups of four, with each group played in a single round-robin format. Only the winner of each group advances to Stage 2, while the remaining teams continue in the Europe Cup.
The two Stage 1 group winners then join the six directly qualified clubs in Stage 2, creating one group of eight teams. The clubs play a single round-robin over seven rounds, with every team facing each of the other seven once.
The stakes are particularly high at this stage. After seven rounds, the clubs finishing first and second qualify directly for the Final Four. The teams ranked third to sixth move on to Stage 3, while the seventh- and eighth-placed clubs are eliminated from the competition.
Stage 3 provides the final route to the Final Four. The third-placed team from Stage 2 faces the sixth-placed team, while the fourth-placed club meets the fifth-placed side. Both play-offs are decided in a single match, with the third- and fourth-placed teams having the right to host. The two winners complete the Final Four line-up.
For the second consecutive season, the campaign will culminate in the Final Four, following the successful introduction of the format last season. The Stage 2 winner will face the winner of the 4th vs 5th play-off in one semi-final, while the Stage 2 runner-up will meet the winner of the 3rd vs 6th encounter in the other. The semi-finals and final are played as single matches to determine the 2026/27 ETTU Champions League Women winners.
