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Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have learned their opponents for the league phase of this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League following Friday morning’s draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. City and Arsenal secured their places in the competition after finishing in the top two of last season’s Women’s Super League. Chelsea finished third and qualified for the league phase following a 6-2 aggregate win over Spanish side Real Sociedad. The competition sees 18 teams competing in a single league, similar to the men’s competition, with the top four sides qualifying for the quarter finals, while the teams finishing between fifth and 12th will advance to the knockout play-off round. The opening matchday takes place on 22nd – 23rd September, with fixtures confirmed on Saturday. Arsenal Face Final Rematch Arsenal will be looking to reclaim the trophy they won in 2025, when Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal of the game as they beat Barcelona in Lisbon. They will meet again in this season’s competition, with Rene Sleegers’ side travelling to Catalunya. Their other away games will see them head to France and Italy to face Paris FC and Inter Milan, with the latter making their debut in this season’s competition after beating German giants Wolfsburg on penalties in the third qualifying round. Paris FC are not the only French opposition Arsenal will face in the league phase, with eight time winners Lyon visiting the Emirates. They will also host two other domestic champions with Benfica and Denmark’s HB Koge making the trip to North London Chelsea Fixtures Five Bompastor A Reunion Chelsea will also be facing two French opponents as they will host Paris Saint-Germain as well as travelling to Lyonnes. They will be familiar opposition to Blues boss Sonia Bompastor, who had two spells as a player and one as a manager at Lyon. During her playing career she made 167 appearances between 2006-09 and 2010-13. She returned as manager in 2021, taking charge of 118 matches and winning six trophies including the Champions League in 2022. They will also welcome AS Roma and Austria Wien to Stamford Bridge as well as making trips to Sweden and Belgium to face BK Hacken and OH Leuven. City Handed Tough Task On European Return Manchester City have missed out on the competition in two of the last three seasons and were in Pot Three for this season’s draw, which has resulted in the Cityzens being handed some tough assignments this season. They will face a number of the same sides as their fellow English clubs, with away games against BK Hacken and Inter Milan with Paris Saint-Germain and Austria Wien visiting Manchester. Their other two games will see them host Real Madrid and travel to Germany to face Bayern Munich. City boss Andree Jeglertz’s coaching career dates back to 2003 and that experience will prove invaluable as his side will need to hit the ground running on the European return Head-To-Heads Could Shape Domestic Prospects One potential factor in each side’s prospects in the Women’s Super League could well be how they perform in the games directly after their Champions League fixtures – and this is where things get really interesting, with all three sides facing each other in such situations. The first few weeks of the season will certainly prove to be a test for Arsenal, with trips to Chelsea and Manchester City following directly on from the first two Champions League matchdays, on 27th September and 4th October respectively. Following Matchday four, Chelsea will be hosting Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on 14th November. The fact the Blues have home advantage in both head-to-head clashes could tip the balance in their favour, although it could also depend on how the league phase fixtures work out