The league phase of the competition is being played between February and June, with the finals tournament taking place between October and December.

The results also determine the leagues for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 qualifying competition.

The competition will begin with the league stage, featuring the national teams split into three leagues (A, B, and C) according to the Women’s European Qualifiers overall phase rankings (based on the Women's Euro 2025 qualifying overall ranking, taking into consideration promotion/relegation at the conclusion of that competition).

[2] In addition, the competition features promotion and relegation, taking effect in Women's World Cup 2027 qualifying (which uses an identical league structure).

If the aggregate score is level, extra time will be played (the away goals rule will not apply).

[2] After the conclusion of all group matches, the overall league rankings are established as follows:[2] The UEFA Women's Nations League overall phase rankings are established after the conclusion of the promotion/relegation play-offs, and are used to determine the starting positions and seeding of the teams in Women's World Cup 2027 qualifying.

[4][5][6] Russia were suspended indefinitely from all UEFA and FIFA competitions on 28 February 2022 due to their country's invasion of Ukraine.

Due to excessive travel restrictions, Kazakhstan could not be drawn into a group containing more than one of Andorra, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, or Malta.