Arsenal to face Barcelona and Lyon in Women's Champions League group stage

The Women's Champions League draw held in Nyon on Friday has set up a demanding league phase for Arsenal, who will take on holders Barcelona and record winners Lyon. Chelsea also face a meaningful trip to Lyon, now led by former boss Sonia Bompastor, while Manchester City will meet last season's semi-finalists Bayern Munich.

• Arsenal will host Lyon, Benfica and HB Koge, and travel to Barcelona, Paris FC and Inter Milan.
• Chelsea will play PSG, Roma and Austria Wien at home, with away games at Lyon, Hacken and OH Leuven.
• Manchester City face PSG, Real Madrid and Austria Wien at home, and Bayern, Hacken and Inter away.
• Austria Wien make their league phase debut with trips to both City and Chelsea.
• The first matchday is scheduled for 22 and 23 September, with the league phase ending on 16 December.

Arsenal's demanding path with Barcelona and Lyon in the league phase

Renee Slegers' side face one of the toughest draws of the three English clubs. Arsenal, European champions in 2025, will share the league phase with current holders Barcelona and eight-time winners Lyon. Benfica, Paris FC, Inter Milan and Danish club HB Koge complete their schedule, with Koge having been beaten home and away by the Londoners back in 2021-22.

The meeting with Barcelona comes during a transitional period for the Spanish club. Over the summer they have lost several key figures including Alexia Putellas, Ona Batlle, Mapi Leon and Salma Paralluelo, opening up a rebuilding phase Arsenal will hope to exploit if that fixture falls early in the calendar.

Arsenal's unfinished business with Lyon

The Lyon tie carries extra weight for Arsenal. The French club ended their title defence at the semi-final stage last season, and the previous two campaigns also produced meetings between the sides in the last four. The league phase now brings them together again, with the Emirates Stadium hosting the home leg for Arsenal.

Chelsea and Bompastor's reunion with her former club

Chelsea approach the draw confident of progressing without major setbacks. They avoided Barcelona and Lyon at Stamford Bridge, but their travel schedule includes a trip to Lyon with deep personal meaning for Sonia Bompastor. The French coach, who made history with the Lyon club before moving to London, will return to her former home. Chelsea will also host Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon's historic domestic rivals, as well as Roma and league phase debutants Austria Wien.

Away from London, Chelsea complete their schedule with a trip to Sweden to face Hacken and a visit to Belgium to take on OH Leuven. The 2020-21 finalists are among the favourites to advance without trouble.

Manchester City avoid the big two but not the German test

Manchester City, champions of the Women's Super League last season, missed out on European football in the previous campaign and that absence placed them in pot three. Despite that, Andree Jeglertz's side avoided Barcelona and Lyon, the two teams everyone wanted to dodge, although their schedule includes tough visits such as Bayern Munich, semi-finalists in 2025-26.

At the Etihad Stadium, City will host PSG, Real Madrid and Austria Wien. Away from home, along with Munich, they will travel to Sweden to play Hacken and to Italy to face Inter. The full match schedule will be confirmed on Saturday 5 September once UEFA finalises the order of fixtures.

The new Champions League format and key dates

The Nyon draw brought together all 18 qualified clubs in three pots of six teams each. Every participant was paired with two opponents from each pot, split between one home match and one away. Arsenal and Chelsea entered from pot one, while Manchester City were placed in pot three. Barcelona and Bayern will replay their 2025-26 semi-final in Munich, and the German side will also travel to face PSG in another standout match.

The competition begins on 22 and 23 September, with the sixth and final matchday of the league phase scheduled for 16 December. The knockout play-offs take place in February 2027, the quarter-finals in March and the semi-finals in early May. The final in Warsaw is set for the last week of May.

Austria Wien's debut and the challenge for smaller clubs

Austria Wien are one of the most intriguing names in this league phase as they make their debut in the competition's top round. Their reward could hardly be more appealing: away trips to Manchester City and Chelsea, two of the strongest projects in English women's football. The Viennese side know they are major underdogs, but their qualification is already a milestone for Austrian football.

Arsenal will look to reclaim the European crown they won in 2025 after Lyon ended their title defence in last season's semi-finals.