Stina Blackstenius’ late winner against Everton lifted Arsenal above Chelsea into second place in the Women’s Super League, setting up a decisive final day for European places.
Arsenal now need just a draw against Liverpool to secure second, sitting two points ahead of Chelsea, with a superior goal difference of 14.
With both sides already guaranteed European football next season, why does the order between second and third matter?
Path to the Champions League
From the 2025/26 season, the Women’s Champions League adopted a new “League Phase” format, replacing the group stage and mirroring the men’s competition.
The League Phase will include 18 teams, with qualification determined by domestic league performance and UEFA coefficients. England are currently top of the coefficient rankings, so the WSL is allocated three places. However, only the league champions – this season, Manchester City – qualify automatically for the League Phase. That leaves Arsenal and Chelsea heading into qualification.
The key difference: second vs third
While both second and third place enter the same qualification “league path”, their starting points are very different.
- Second place enters in the third qualifying round
- Third place enters in the second qualifying round
The earlier entry for third place creates a much tougher route.
Third place must first navigate a mini-tournament, winning a semi-final and final, just to reach the next stage.
Only then do they face a two-legged play-off against another European opponent - winning that, secures them Champions League football.
Second place skips that initial hurdle and goes straight into the final qualifying round.
Why it matters
There is no doubt that finishing second gives you a much easier route to the Champions League.
With qualification rounds taking place in August, teams face a baptism of fire, with their most important matches arriving before the domestic season has even begun.
We have seen WSL sides unpredictably knocked out in the preliminary qualification rounds on many occasions - Arsenal and Manchester United both fell in these rounds in 2023, beaten by Paris FC and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.
Although English sides have successfully navigated qualification in the past two seasons, with three WSL teams reaching the League Phase and beyond, the margin for error in these knockout qualifiers is slim.
Arsenal will be fighting hard to ensure they secure the vital result that will give them a second-placed finish.
