Women’s Champions League league phase begins with Barcelona reshaped and multiple challengers poised
Barcelona and a collection of challengers including OL Lyonnes, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City prepare as the Women’s Champions League league phase starts in Europe this week, with matches due to begin on Tuesday.
The holders have undergone significant summer change: Barcelona, winners of four titles in six years and six successive European finals, saw four players who started last season’s final leave the club, and "But, wait, you say that every year!" Aitana Bonmatí, the winner of the last three Ballons d’Or, is doubtful for Barcelona’s opener against Paris FC on Wednesday with injury, while Ewa Pajor remains the competition’s top scorer from last season and Patri Guijarro continues as captain.
OL Lyonnes hope to take advantage of Barcelona’s turnover after a transfer window described as comparatively good, signing Salma Paralluelo — who scored her first goal for the club during an 8-1 win over Le Havre — and Scotland midfielder Caroline Weir, who arrived after four years at Real Madrid. The club’s owner, Michele Kang, who also owns Washington Spirit and London City Lionesses, and head coach Jonatan Giráldez, who won the competition with Barcelona in 2023 and 2024, face the prospect of lifting the European Cup with a second team.
Bayern Munich are cited as potential contenders, while three English sides — Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City — are viewed as capable of mounting significant challenges given their squads and resources. Arsenal, winners in 2025 and in 2007 when the competition was known as the Women’s Cup, remain the only English club to have won major European silverware and bolstered summer depth with Georgia Stanway from Bayern and Ona Batlle from Barcelona.
Manchester City, the English domestic champions, reached the quarter-finals in 2025 but missed out last season and were absent from Europe in 2023-24; they failed to advance past qualifying in 2021-22 and 2022-23 when eliminated by Real Madrid, and were knocked out relatively early by Atlético Madrid in 2018-19 and 2019-20, leaving them without a semi-final place since 2017-18. City have retained the WSL’s top scorer Khadija Shaw and begin their campaign away to Bayern.
Chelsea, beaten by Barcelona in the 2021 final, remain intent on returning to the showpiece, which will be held at Poland’s national stadium in Warsaw in May. Real Madrid added Felicia Schröder from Häcken to their attacking options and open their campaign at home against Paris Saint-Germain. The competition also features surprises in qualification: Wolfsburg’s 14-year run ended when they lost to Inter on penalties, and Inter and Austria Wien make their debuts in the league phase; this is the first time three Serie A teams have reached this stage.
The 18-team league phase runs until 16 December; the top four teams will progress directly to the quarter-finals in March, while those ranked fifth to 12th will enter a knockout-phase playoff in February.