Women’s Champions League draw gives Barcelona a smoother route than Real Madrid

Barcelona have been handed a more favourable route through the Women’s Champions League league phase than Spanish rivals Real Madrid, who face meetings with Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

The holders will play Arsenal, Paris FC and Servette at home, while their away fixtures are against Bayern Munich, Roma and Danish club Køge.

Barcelona’s objective will be to finish in the top four and secure automatic qualification for the quarter-finals. Their home match against Arsenal appears to be the most demanding of the three fixtures at Estadi Johan Cruyff, with the English side having beaten Barcelona in the 2015 final.

The Catalan club will also travel to Bayern Munich, the side that eliminated them in last season’s semi-finals. However, Barcelona avoided Manchester City and Inter Milan from the third pot, with Servette and Køge instead included in their schedule.

The opening round of matches will take place on 22 and 23 September, with the league phase running through to the sixth and final round on 16 December. The full fixture schedule and kick-off times are due to be announced on Saturday.

Real Madrid, by contrast, face a significantly more difficult programme. They will host Paris Saint-Germain, Paris FC and Inter Milan at Valdebebas, before travelling to face Bayern Munich, Roma and Manchester City.

The draw creates a demanding test for Real Madrid in their bid to progress from the league phase, with three of Europe’s leading clubs among their opponents across the six rounds.

Barcelona will be seeking to maintain the European form that saw them finish top of the league phase last season. They collected 16 points from a possible 18 before going on to win the trophy, beating Lyon 4-0 in the final in Oslo.

The draw for the knockout rounds will be held on 18 December. The play-off matches are scheduled for 3, 4, 10 and 11 February, followed by the quarter-finals on 23 and 24 March and 31 March and 1 April.

The semi-final first and second legs will be played on 1 and 2 May and 8 and 9 May. The competition will conclude with the final at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, on 29 May 2027.