MADRID (AP) — The quarterfinals of the Women’s Champions League begin this week with a Spanish showdown between Real Madrid and Barcelona and an all-London showdown between defending champions Arsenal and Chelsea.
The top eight also includes the latest chapter in the historic rivalry between women’s football powerhouses Lyon and Wolfsburg. Manchester United, making their first appearance in the quarter-finals, will face Bayern Munich.
Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea and Bayern Munich automatically qualified for the quarter-finals by finishing in the top four in the new league stage. The remaining four teams advanced to the playoffs for teams ranked 5th through 12th.
The winner of Madrid vs. Barcelona will face Man United or Bayern Munich, while Arsenal or Chelsea will face Wolfsburg or Lyon in the other semi-final.
The first leg of the semi-finals will be played in April, with the return match in May. The final will be held in Oslo on May 23rd.
spanish clasico
Three-time champions Barcelona, looking to reach the finals for a record sixth consecutive year, will face Madrid on Wednesday in a Clasico that has historically tilted Barcelona’s path in women’s football.
The Catalan club, who won the league stage, are aiming to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the eighth time in a row, but Madrid have never finished in the top four in European club competition.
Barcelona forward Caroline Graham-Hansen told UEFA: “I have a lot of very good memories of the Women’s Champions League. Those memories are a big motivation to try and make the league happen again, because it’s like an addiction.” “You want to feel that feeling as often as possible. And you only get the chance to win that trophy once a year. Like every player who plays for a big team in Europe, that’s what you want to achieve at the end of the season.”
The Spanish rivals met in the quarter-finals of the 2021-22 season, with Barcelona winning 8-3 on aggregate. The second leg was played at Barcelona’s Camp Nou Stadium in front of a then world record crowd of 91,553. The second leg against Madrid this season will be the first women’s match in the newly renovated stadium.
Madrid won against Barcelona for the first time in 2025. This year they lost to Barcelona 4-0 in the Spanish league, 2-0 in the Spanish Super Cup and 4-0 in the Copa de la Reina. The two sides are scheduled to meet again in the Spanish league this weekend in Madrid, between two Champions League quarter-final matches.
Madrid, who are playing their fifth European campaign, were seventh in the league stage.
london derby
Tuesday’s clash between Arsenal and Chelsea at Arsenal Stadium will be the first time in the history of the Women’s Champions League that two teams from the same city will face each other.
The title holders join Lyon in reaching the last eight for the 17th time, while Chelsea reach the quarter-finals for the seventh time as they aim for their first trophy in the competition.
Arsenal forward Beth Mead told UEFA: “We have two big games coming up against Chelsea, so only one English team will advance from that quarter-final, but we hope that’s a challenge we can step up to.”
Chelsea finished the league in 3rd place, level with Barcelona in terms of both points scored (20) and goals conceded (3).
Arsenal were in 5th place in the league and advanced to the play-offs with a comfortable 7-1 aggregate win over Leuven.
old rivalry
Wolfsburg and Lyon will write the latest chapter in their rivalry, starting on Tuesday at the Wolfsburg Arena.
The first leg will be the 12th time the two teams have met in the Women’s Champions League, tying the tie for the most played match between Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain. This record will be completely broken in the return match to France.
Wolfsburg won the first meeting – in the 2013 final in London, but Lyon have been the best in this rivalry since then. They have won three finals against German clubs in 2016, 2018 and 2020.
They also finished in the top eight in the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons, and won two games in the group stage last season. Lyon also won the league this season.
Eight-time champions Lyon finished the league in second place, while two-time champions Wolfsburg overtook Juventus in the play-offs in ninth place.
United debut game
Manchester United’s quarter-final debut will be at home against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, as they aim to reach the semi-finals for the third time.
The two clubs will face each other for the first time in the UEFA women’s club competition.
Lee Schuller joined Man United in January after scoring over 100 goals in five and a half years with Bayern Munich. United’s Julia Gigiotti Olme and Fridrina Rolfe are also former Bayern players.
In the league, Bayern finished in 4th place and Man United in 6th place.
Bayern’s only loss in the league was a 7-1 loss to Barcelona in the first round.
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