The 2025–26 European Aquatics Women's Euro Cup was the 27th edition of European Aquatics's secondary club competition for women's water polo clubs, and the 4th edition since being rebranded from the Trophy to the Euro Cup. The season began on 17 October 2025 and ended on 3 June 2026 with the Final.
The season witnessed a change in format for the third season in a row, while the slot allocation has changed, with only the fifth and sixth place teams allowed to play from the major leagues.
The winners of the European Aquatics Euro Cup automatically qualify for next season's Champions League (if they choose to enter) and also qualify for the 2026 Super Cup.
The defending champions were ZV De Zaan, but they will not defend their title after advancing to the Champions League group stage.
EPlus CN Catalunya won an all-Spanish final against Zodiac CNAB to secure the Euro Cup title for the first time.
Format Qualification round 12 teams will participate in the qualification round in October 2025. The sixth place teams from national leagues ranked 1–4 plus the third and fourth place teams from national leagues ranked 5–6 take part. Countries ranked 7–12 can have their champions participate. The teams are divided into three separate groups, held in centralised venues. After round robin play, the group winners plus the best runners-up progress to the group stage.
Group stage Twelve teams will play in the group stage which is held between November 2025 to February 2026. The third place teams of national leagues ranked 1–4 can enter this round alongside the four clubs who advanced from the qualification round and four clubs that drop down from the Champions League. The participants are distributed into four groups of three. After home and away double round robin play, the top two from each group qualifies to the knockout stage.
Knockout stage The 8 teams left go into the knockout stage. There will be a Quarter-finals, Semifinals and Final. Each tie is a home and away two legged affair where the aggregate winners advance.Competition regulations
Rankings The results were based on the results of the past four seasons.
Associations 1–4 can have two teams ranked 5th and 6th qualify. Associations 5–6 can have two teams ranked 3rd and 4th qualify. Associations 7–12 can have one team ranked 1st qualify. Apart from the distribution based on the rankings, countries could have additional teams participating in the Euro Cup, as noted below: – Additional teams dropping down from the Champions League
RankAssociationPointsTeamsNotes1 Spain146,06522 Greece127,3603 Hungary91,557.54 Italy80,282.55 Netherlands30,96516 France29,76007 Germany12,87008 Turkey11,29519 Croatia8,43010 Portugal6,9400
RankAssociationPointsTeamsNotes11 Serbia6,280112 Malta5,700013 Israel5,215114 Great Britain4,930015 Czech Republic1,83016 Slovakia1,71517 Romania1,61018 Sweden1,06019 Bulgaria770
Ranking facts Biggest riseTeam1 Turkey138 +52 Czech Republic1915 +43 Israel1613 +3 Biggest fallTeam1 Malta1012 –2 Slovakia14162 France67 –1 Portugal910 Sweden1718 Bulgaria1819 New entries Romania Leaving entries Russia
Teams Starting this season, only the teams finishing in fifth and sixth from national leagues ranked 1–4, the top two teams from national leagues ranked 5–6 and champions from countries ranked 7–12 are permitted to enter.
The teams who finish fifth in domestic leagues 1–4 go straight into the group stage, while everyone else plays the qualification round.
Unlike last season, in the event that a club decides not to enter, the next best ranked team is not allowed to take their place. However, this rule wasn't implemented all the time. Qualified teams The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round: CL: Champions League title holders EC: Euro Cup title holders 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,: League positions of the previous season CL: Transferred from the Champions League QR: Transferred from the Champions League qualification round
Entry roundTeamsGroup stage ANC Glyfada iRepair (CL QR) Lille UC (CL QR) Grand Nancy AC (CL QR) Pallanuoto Trieste (CL QR) EPlus CN Catalunya (6th) Ethnikos OFPF (5th) BVSC Manna ABC (5th) Antenore Plebiscito Padova (5th)Qualification round Zodiac CNAB (7th) Panionios GSS (6th) III. Kerületi TVE (6th) ASD Bogliasco 1951 (6th) Polar Bears (3rd) Galatasaray Zena (1st) ŽAVK Mladost (1st) VK Vojvodina (1st) Hapoel Yokneam (1st)
Name changes The following teams' names were changed during the season.
Round and draw dates Schedule Phase Round Draw date Round date Qualification round All rounds 28 July 2025 17–19 October 2025 Group stage Matchday 1 8 November 2025 Matchday 2 29 November 2025 Matchday 3 13 December 2025 Matchday 4 20 December 2025 Matchday 5 18 February 2026 Matchday 6 28 February 2026Quarterfinals First leg 2 March 2026 14 March 2026 Second leg 28 March 2026Semifinals First leg 11 April 2026 Second leg 16 May 2026Final First leg 27 May 2026 Second leg 3 June 2026
Qualification round
The group winners and best runners-up qualify for the group stage, while everyone else drops down to the Conference Cup qualifiers. The draw was on 28 July 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia. The seeding is based on the club rankings.
Group A 17–19 October 2025, Zagreb, Croatia.
Group B 17–19 October 2025, Ede, Netherlands.
Group C 17–19 October 2025, Vojvodina, Serbia.
Ranking of second-placed teams
Group stage
The draw took place on 28 July 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia. The top two advance to the Quarterfinals.
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 2 points for a penalty shootout win, 1 point for a penalty shootout loss, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:
Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goal difference in all group matches; Goals scored in all group matches.
Eight countries are being represented. Hapoel Yoknoam became the first Israeli team, male or female, to take part in the group stage of a club competition.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Knockout stage
Bracket
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Final
2025–26 European Aquatics Women's Euro Cup Champions EPlus CN CatalunyaFirst title
Notes
See also 2025–26 European Aquatics Champions League 2025–26 European Aquatics Euro Cup 2025–26 European Aquatics Conference Cup 2025–26 European Aquatics Challenger Cup 2025 European Aquatics Super Cup 2025–26 European Aquatics Women's Champions League 2025–26 European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup 2025–26 European Aquatics Women's Challenger Cup 2025 European Aquatics Women's Super Cup
References
External links
Official website Official statistics of the tournament