Arsenal to face Lyon as Women's Champions League expands to 18 teams

Holders Arsenal will host record eight-time winners Lyon in the league phase of the revamped Women's Champions League, as the competition expands to 18 teams this season. The expanded format replaces last season's 16-team group stage, with each club facing six opponents across four groups.

Arsenal claimed their second Champions League title by defeating Barcelona in last season's final, having previously lifted the trophy in 2007. They will also welcome Real Madrid and Twente, with trips to Bayern Munich, Benfica and Leuven. Debutants Manchester United, who came through four rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw, will host Lyon; Paris FC and Valerenga will visit United, while United will travel to Wolfsburg, Juventus and Atletico Madrid.


Chelsea will have the chance for revenge when they reunite with Barcelona, following an 8-2 aggregate loss to the Spanish side in last season's semi-finals. Paris FC and Roma will also head to Chelsea, with the Women’s Super League champions traveling to Wolfsburg, St Polten and Twente.

There are 18 teams in this season's expanded league-phase format—up from 16 across four groups in 2024-25—with each club facing six opponents. The top four automatically qualify for the quarter-finals and the eight teams ranked between fifth and 12th enter the knockout-phase playoff round.

Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway, will host the final, with the date window confirmed between 22-24 May 2026. Matchday one is set to take place on 7-8 October, with the final round of games all kicking off at the same time on 17 December. The order of the fixtures will be confirmed on Saturday.

Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, with interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed.