Football / Soccer / Calcio / Futebol / Fußball

It is, and it was an eye opener seeing so many of the teams you would expect to see both in the group stages and the later rounds being eliminated so early on.

It's a tricky one. The current format is not a million miles away from the old European Cup method, something a lot would argue would benefit the men's CL format. But, the women's game is, in comparative, still in its infancy. You'd want the bigger stars to be at the business end to bring more eyes. More eyes equals more profile. More profile equals more commercial opportunities. More commercial opportunities equals more money put into the game.

But, you also don't want to close shop, and have the same names reappear over and over again (much like the men's CL).

It's tricky, and I ain't smart enough (or informed enough, given it's only the last two seasons I've begun to watch the women's side to this sport) to offer anything better. But those qualifying rounds are brutal. You have to be on it at a very early stage of the season. Maybe that's an answer? Push these games back a month or two?