Women’s Champions League draw LIVE: Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal learn quarter-final opponents
Progress for Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City means there are three English clubs in the quarter-finals for the first time under the new format
Chelsea will face Manchester City in the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals, while Arsenal take on Real Madrid.
City will host the first leg against the Women’s Super League leaders before heading to London to face Sonia Bompastor’s side in the second leg, following the Women’s League Cup final between the teams on Saturday 15 March. The first leg will be played on 18/19 March, with the return leg a week later on 26/27 March. The teams are also scheduled to meet in the WSL on Sunday 23 March.
The winner of the all-English clash between Chelsea and Manchester City could face Barcelona in the semi-finals, with the holders taking on Wolfsburg in their quarter-final. Chelsea have been knocked out by Barcelona in each of the last two seasons, as well as in the 2021 final, with the Spanish side going on to lift the trophy on all three occasions.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will play Real Madrid on the other side of the draw. Should the Gunners return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2023, they will play either Bayern Munich or Lyon for a place in the Lisbon final on Saturday 24 May. There are three English teams through to the quarter-finals for the first time since the group stage format was introduced in 2021.
Follow updates from the Women’s Champions League draw in the live blog, below:
Women’s Champions League knockout dates
So when will the next ties be played? Below is a rundown of the dates for each of the next rounds.
Quarter-finals
First leg: 18/19 March
Second leg: 26/27 March
Semi-finals
First leg: 19/20 April
Second leg: 26/27 April
Final
Saturday 24 May (Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon)
Which teams can’t play each other in the quarter-finals?
Teams who participated in the same groups in the group stage cannot face each other in the next round – this is the only thing preventing teams from playing each other.
To that end, the teams who can’t face each other in the next round are as follows:
Group A: Lyon + Wolfsburg
Group B: Chelsea + Real Madrid
Group C: Arsenal + Bayern Munich
Group D: Barcelona + Manchester City
Who is in the draw?
Group winners (seeded): Lyon (FRA), Chelsea (ENG), Arsenal (ENG), Barcelona (ESP)
Runners-up (unseeded): Wolfsburg (GER), Real Madrid (ESP), Bayern Munich (GER), Manchester City (ENG)
How does the Women’s Champions League draw work?
The four group winners will be drawn against runners-up from a different group in the quarter-finals. The group winners will be seeded and will play at home in the second leg. The draw then repeats for the semi-final, where no teams are seeded. There is no country protection at any stage of the knockout draw.
When is the Women’s Champions League draw?
The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals takes place at 12pm UK time (GMT) on Friday 7 February. You can watch a live stream of the draw on the Uefa website or on DAZN.
Women's Champions League draw LIVE
The Women’s Champions League knockout stage draw takes place ahead of the quarter-finals, and for the first time since under the new format there will be three English teams in the hat.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City all progressed through the group stages and join the holders Barcelona, as well as Lyon, Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, in the draw.
Barcelona may be the favourites to retain their crown but Chelsea’s statement transfer window - where Sonia Bompastor’s side signed Keira Walsh and Naomi Girma - ensures the Blues have never looked stronger in their pursuit of a first European title.
Arsenal were the last English team to win the European Cup in 2007 and the Gunners also progressed as group winners under Renee Slegers, while City are through to their first Champions League quarter-final since 2021.
Teams from the same country can play each other in the quarter-finals, so there is a chance of an all-English clash as the path to the Lisbon final is set.
Women's Champions League draw LIVE
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the draw for the knockout stages of the Women’s Champions League.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City will all learn their opponents for the next round today, as well as their potential paths to the final in Lisbon.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments