The road to European glory is now beginning to take shape.
The Women's Champions League league phase draw is complete, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City now knowing their opponents for the 2026/27 campaign.
The Women's Champions League draw has now been made, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all discovering their opponents for the league phase. After looking at what the English sides could have faced ahead of the draw, we now know exactly what awaits them.
Arsenal will travel to reigning champions Barcelona, Chelsea will welcome Paris Saint-Germain before heading to Lyon, while Manchester City face a particularly challenging schedule featuring PSG, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Arsenal set for Barcelona reunion
Arsenal have been handed one of the headline fixtures of the entire draw.
The Gunners will travel to Barcelona, the reigning Women's Champions League holders, in what will be another chapter in a rivalry that has produced some of the competition's biggest recent moments.
Arsenal famously defeated Barcelona in the 2025 final to lift the trophy, before the Catalan giants reclaimed European glory in 2026.
They will also welcome Lyon to London, giving Arsenal another meeting with a club they faced in last season's semi-finals.
Their complete league-phase schedule is:
- Lyon (H)
- Barcelona (A)
- Benfica (H)
- Paris FC (A)
- HB Køge (H)
- Inter Milan (A)
The trips to Barcelona and Paris will undoubtedly provide the biggest tests, but Arsenal will be expected to take maximum advantage of their home fixtures against Lyon, Benfica and HB Køge.
Chelsea face PSG and Lyon
Chelsea have also been handed two major European tests.
The Blues will begin their campaign with Paris Saint-Germain at home before travelling to France to face Lyon.
They will then take on Roma, Häcken, Austria Wien and OH Leuven.
Chelsea's fixtures are:
- Paris Saint-Germain (H)
- Lyon (A)
- Roma (H)
- Häcken (A)
- Austria Wien (H)
- OH Leuven (A)
The trip to Lyon will be particularly interesting given the club's European pedigree, while the visit of PSG could provide one of the standout nights of the league phase.
Chelsea will be aiming to put themselves in the strongest possible position before the competition reaches the knockout rounds.
Manchester City face a European heavyweight test
City will host Paris Saint-Germain, travel to Bayern Munich and welcome Real Madrid.
Their other fixtures are against Häcken, Austria Wien and Inter Milan.
Their schedule reads:
- Paris Saint-Germain (H)
- Bayern Munich (A)
- Real Madrid (H)
- Häcken (A)
- Austria Wien (H)
- Inter Milan (A)
Three of their six opponents have plenty of experience at the highest level of European football, making City's league phase particularly intriguing.
The trip to Bayern could be a huge test, while Real Madrid's visit will provide another blockbuster night for supporters.
Having dominated domestically last season, City will now be looking to translate that success onto the European stage.
Some huge ties elsewhere in the draw
While the WSL clubs naturally take centre stage, the completed draw has produced some fascinating fixtures across Europe.
Barcelona will face Bayern Munich, setting up another meeting between two of the continent's biggest clubs.
The reigning champions will also travel to Arsenal, while their other opponents include Paris FC, Roma, Servette and HB Køge.
PSG have also been handed a challenging schedule, facing Bayern Munich and Chelsea, while Real Madrid will travel to face the French side.
The Spanish giants will also host PSG and face Bayern Munich, Juventus, Roma, Inter Milan and Manchester City across the league phase.
Another intriguing meeting sees Bayern Munich host Barcelona, while the German side will also face PSG and Real Madrid.
With so many European heavyweights drawn against one another, the league phase should provide plenty of high-profile games before the knockout rounds even begin.
Who has the toughest draw?
On paper, Manchester City arguably have the most difficult route of the three WSL representatives.
Their fixtures against PSG, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid mean they have three heavyweight opponents to navigate, while Arsenal's headline clashes are Barcelona and Lyon.
Chelsea's biggest tests are PSG and Lyon, although their remaining fixtures could provide opportunities to pick up valuable points.
But the new league-phase format means every game matters.
There are no traditional groups to hide in, with clubs needing to consistently perform across six matches to secure the best possible position.
How does the new league phase work?
The teams face two opponents from each of the three pots, creating a mixture of heavyweight encounters and games against less familiar opposition.
Once all six matches have been played, the top four teams qualify directly for the quarter-finals, while sides finishing fifth to 12th enter the knockout play-offs.
That makes the opening six games particularly important.
For Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, the objective will be to collect enough points to avoid an additional knockout hurdle and put themselves in a strong position for the latter stages.
Three WSL clubs, one European prize
The WSL will once again have a strong presence in Europe's premier women's club competition.
Arsenal arrive with recent Champions League success behind them, Chelsea continue to search for their first European title and Manchester City will be hoping their domestic dominance can translate into a deep European run.
And with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Lyon, PSG and Real Madrid all featuring heavily in the draw, there will be no shortage of blockbuster nights.
The fixtures are set. Now the race for European glory can begin.
