Women's Champions League: Arsenal drawn with Barcelona

In Friday's Nyon draw, Arsenal were paired with Barcelona, Olympique Lyonnais, Benfica, Paris FC, HB Koge and Inter Milan for the league phase, spanning six matchdays from September 22 to December 16.

Barcelona, seeking a fifth European crown, drew what Mundo Deportivo described as a manageable group: they play Arsenal, Paris FC and Servette at home, and Bayern Munich, Roma and Koge away. No such fixture appears on the draw sheet, but they did avoid Manchester City and Inter Milan from the third pot. It is a repeat meeting with Arsenal, who beat Barcelona in the 2025 final through a Mariona Caldentey goal.

Real Madrid, the other Spanish side in the competition after eliminating Ajax, face a tougher run: matches against Bayern Munich, Roma and Manchester City away. UEFA rules kept Barcelona and Real Madrid apart in the league phase.

Elsewhere, Chelsea have been drawn against Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Lyonnais, Roma, BK Hacken, Austria Wien and OH Leuven. Manchester City, back in the competition for the first time since 2024/25 after winning the WSL, will play Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, BK Hacken, Austria Wien, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

The top four advance directly, while fifth to twelfth enter a play-off round. Last season Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais topped the table with 16 points from 18 each, avoiding each other until the Oslo final, which Barcelona won 4-0. The competition now moves toward a final at the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw on May 2025, with the full fixture list and kick-off dates due on Saturday.