All 21 teams now know their fate after the groups were drawn by ex- England and Everton player, Toni Duggan, on BBC 5 Live this morning.
The northern section of the draw features two groups made up of four teams:
| Group A: | Group B: |
| Everton | Durham |
| Manchester City | Liverpool |
| Newcastle United | Sheffield United |
| Nottingham Forest | Sunderland |
The southern section of the draw were drawn into three groups, made up of one group of five and two groups of four:
| Group C | Group D | Group E |
| Brighton and Hove Albion | Crystal Palace | Aston Villa |
| Charlton Athletic | Ipswich Town | Birmingham City |
| Portsmouth | Leicester City | Bristol City |
| Southampton | London City Lionesses | Tottenham Hotspur |
| West Ham United |
What happens to Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United?
Arsenal and Chelsea will enter the competition in the quarter-final stage due to being involved in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
However, if Manchester United exit the early stages of the UWCL and also don’t qualify for the new Women’s Europa League tournament, they will also enter the group stages (in either Group A or B in the northern section) and another draw will then take place.
When do the group stages take place?
The three group stage game weekends are as follows:
•24/25 September 2025
•8/9 October 2025 (Group C matches only)
•18/19 October 2025
• 12/13 November 2025 (Group C matches only)
• 22/23 November 2025
How many teams go through from each group?
Only the top team from each group will progress to the quarter-finals (joined by Chelsea and Arsenal) and will be held across the weekend of December 20th-21st before the semi-finals at the end of January (21st and 22nd).
The final will be held across the weekend of March 15th and 16th 2026.
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