Article body analysed
Arsenal beat Lyon 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League last season Holders Arsenal will host record eight-time winners Lyon in the league phase of the revamped Women's Champions League. Arsenal beat Barcelona in last season's final to win the Champions League for a second time, having previously lifted the trophy in 2007. The Gunners will also welcome Real Madrid and Twente, with trips to Bayern Munich, Benfica and Belgian club Leuven to come. Debutants Manchester United - who came through two rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw - can also prepare for a home meeting with Lyon, with Paris St-Germain and Norwegian side Valerenga also set to visit. Marc Skinner's side will travel to Wolfsburg, Juventus and Atletico Madrid. Chelsea will have the chance for revenge when they reunite with Barcelona, having lost 8-2 on aggregate in last season's semi-finals. Paris FC and Roma also head to Chelsea, with the Women's Super League champions travelling 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 teams. The top four automatically qualify for the quarter-finals and the eight teams ranked between fifth and 12th enter the knockout phase play-off round. Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway, will host the final with the date to be 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, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page World Athletics: GB's Hunt wins brilliant 200m silver - reaction Premier League ticket black market exposed Norris hits wall as Hamilton leads Ferrari 1-2 Your first look at the sparkly new season The best and worst foods to eat at sports grounds Preview Anthony Horowitz's ingenious new murder mystery Chuck Wepner: The real-life Rocky who floored Ali Unwatchable or irresistible? The manager purists love to hate Everyone upping game before semi-final - Botterman. Video Everyone upping game before semi-final - Botterman Premier League ticket black market exposed Star lock De Goede aims to kick Canada to 'next step' Ferguson on music, memory and dementia projects 'Slot-age time' - breaking down Liverpool's late success Rashford stars for Barcelona as they beat Newcastle Video Rashford stars for Barcelona as they beat Newcastle Haaland feats 'unheard of' - how striker broke another record Weekly sports quiz: Who won the T20 Blast mascot race? Eubank opens up on hospital visit and father reunion Is Rashford on road to redemption at Barcelona after sinking Newcastle? Cling film, fake tan and Block 16 - welcome to Red Roses' Hogwarts 'Underrated Salt on path to T20 greatness' Is Chiefs Kingdom crumbling after losing start? Mourinho back at Benfica 25 years on - revered but a risk? How a Brit is trying to crack 'hardest position in sport' Vegas nights with 'Rocky' Hatton's Mancunian army 'What a legend! ' Duplantis clears 6. 30m to break world record. Video'What a legend! ' Duplantis clears 6. 30m to break world record 'There is, and always will be, only one Ricky Hatton' Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.