Arsenal have been handed a testing route through the Women's Champions League league phase after being paired with holders Barcelona and eight-time champions Lyon following Friday's draw in Nyon, Switzerland.
Renee Slegers' side, who lifted the trophy in 2025 before falling to Lyon in last season's semi-finals, will host Lyon, Benfica and Danish outfit HB Koge — opponents they beat home and away during the 2021-22 campaign. On the road, Arsenal must travel to Barcelona, Paris FC and Inter Milan as they attempt to reclaim the European crown they won two seasons ago.
Of the three English sides involved, Arsenal's draw is widely regarded as the most demanding, given the presence of both Barcelona and Lyon in their group of six opponents. The tie against Lyon carries extra significance, as the French club ended Arsenal's title defence in the semi-finals last term, making this a repeat of that fixture for the second year running. Meanwhile, Barcelona arrive in a period of transition following the summer departures of several key figures, including Alexia Putellas, Ona Batlle, Mapi Leon and Salma Paralluelo, offering Arsenal a potential opening if the Spanish giants take time to adjust.
Chelsea, beaten finalists back in 2020-21, were also drawn from pot one and will welcome Paris St-Germain, Roma and league phase newcomers Austria Wien to Stamford Bridge. Their away fixtures take them to Lyon, Swedish club Hacken and Belgium's OH Leuven. The trip to Lyon will be an emotional one for Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor, who will face her former club, having previously guided them to multiple European titles before moving to west London.
Manchester City, competing in Europe again after missing out last season, were placed in pot three and have been spared meetings with the two heavyweight sides, Barcelona and Lyon. Andree Jeglertz's team will instead host PSG, Real Madrid and Austria Wien at the Etihad, while facing away trips to Bayern Munich, Hacken and Inter Milan. Despite avoiding the tournament's traditional powerhouses, City still face a demanding set of fixtures given the quality of Bayern, PSG and Real Madrid.
Among the other notable pairings from the draw is a rematch between Barcelona and Bayern Munich, who met in last season's semi-final and will now face off again in Munich during the league phase. Bayern will also make the trip to Paris to face PSG in another heavyweight clash.
Austria Wien, appearing in the league phase for the first time, have been rewarded for their run through qualifying with fixtures against both Chelsea and Manchester City, positioning them as clear underdogs but with a chance to test themselves against established WSL sides.
UEFA is set to confirm the exact scheduling of each team's fixtures on Saturday, 5 September. The league phase begins with matchday one on 22 and 23 September, before concluding with the sixth and final round of matches on 16 December. The competition then moves into its knockout stages, with play-offs scheduled for February 2027, followed by the quarter-finals in March and semi-finals in early May. The final will be staged in Warsaw during the last week of May.
With Arsenal facing the tournament's traditional giants, Chelsea appearing confident of a smoother passage, and Manchester City navigating a competitive if less star-studded group, the 2026-27 Women's Champions League appears set for another compelling campaign among England's representatives.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.