Arsenal Draw Barcelona and Lyon in Women's Champions League Phase

Arsenal have been drawn against holders Barcelona and eight-time champions Lyon in the 2026-27 Women's Champions League league phase. BBC Sport reported the outcome of Friday's draw in Nyon, Switzerland, where the 18 participating clubs were divided into three pots of six and assigned two opponents from each pot, one at home and one away.

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Renee Slegers' Arsenal will host Lyon, Benfica and Danish club HB Koge. Their three away fixtures are against Barcelona, Paris FC and Inter Milan. Arsenal won the European title in 2025 but had their defence ended by Lyon in last season's semi-finals, making the home meeting with the French record winners a repeat of that tie.

Chelsea were also placed in pot one. They will welcome Paris St-Germain, Roma and league-phase newcomers Austria Wien to London, while their away schedule sends them to Lyon, Swedish side Hacken and Belgium's OH Leuven. The Lyon trip will reunite Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor with the club she previously managed. Chelsea's best Champions League finish remains their runner-up campaign in 2020-21.

Women's Super League champions Manchester City entered the draw in pot three after missing European competition last season. City will play Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid and Austria Wien at home. Their away opponents are Bayern Munich, Hacken and Inter Milan. BBC Sport noted that City avoided both Barcelona and Lyon, although their schedule includes Bayern, who reached last season's semi-finals.

Every club will play six league-phase matches, with no return fixture against the same opponent at this stage. The opening games are scheduled for September 22 and 23, and the sixth and final matchday will be held on December 16. UEFA is expected to confirm the precise fixture order and schedule on Saturday, September 5.

The knockout-phase play-offs are set for February 2027, followed by quarter-finals in March and semi-finals in early May. The final is scheduled to take place in Warsaw during the final week of May. Another notable league-phase fixture will send Barcelona to Bayern Munich in a rematch of their 2025-26 semi-final.