The top women’s soccer teams in Europe are ready to go toe-to-toe because the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) is back this week.
Starting this week, 18 teams will face off to lift the coveted trophy in the final on May 24, 2026 in Oslo at Ullevaal Stadion.
Since last season, the UWCL has expanded from 16 teams to 18. The competition has also evolved from being a group stage of four groups of four teams to an 18-team league format with each team still playing six matches (three home and three away).
Let’s dive into some of the biggest narratives and teams to watch as the 2025–26 UWCL gets underway.
Can Arsenal repeat?
Arsenal shocked many when they defeated Barcelona, 1-0, in last year’s final in Lisbon. It was Arsenal’s first European championship since 2007 and capped off an extraordinary end to their rollercoaster 2024–25 season. Now the question is: Can the Gunners repeat?
Last year’s Cinderella run that featured comeback wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals was led by manager Renée Slegers, who was initially an interim after Jonas Eidevall resigned in Oct. 2024.
Over the summer, Arsenal spent over $1 million to bring in Canadian Olivia Smith from Liverpool and she will add that extra bit of thrilling technique and bravery on the wing. The Gunners also retained England Women’s Euro 2025 hero Chloe Kelly, who was on loan from Manchester City for the back half of last season.
Arsenal are currently without England captain and club legend Leah Williamson due to injury. But the UWCL campaign is a long one, and performances in the first round won’t necessarily define their tournament.
After all, if the Gunners get on a streak, there could be no stopping them.
Is this the year Chelsea’s European curse ends?
Few teams strike fear into the hearts of fans in West London quite like Barcelona. And that’s because Chelsea’s last three campaigns have all ended in semifinal defeats to Barcelona.
The Blues have never won the UWCL in their history. The closest they have come was in 2021, when they lost to (you guessed it) Barcelona 4–0 in the final.
It is hard to think of a team with quite the depth of Chelsea from front to back. Sam Kerr is only just returning from a knee injury, and Chelsea have brushed off an injury to Mayra Ramírez by going out and spending over $1 million on USWNT star Alyssa Thompson.
Then, in the midfield, Sjoeke Nüsken and Erin Cuthbert have been fighting for places despite being two of the world’s most revered box-to-box players. All the while, young Japanese sensation Maika Hamano is blossoming into a world-class attacking presence.
Chelsea’s comprehensive domination within England since head coach Sonia Bompastor took over is mightily impressive: three trophies won and not a single WSL match lost. But is Chelsea’s tactical fluidity and style of play clinical enough to win on the continent?
The expectation will be a semifinal at the minimum, with a final or a first UWCL title the prediction of many. This is a team, which in its second-year under Bompastor, will need to go up another gear from an incredibly high starting point.
✨🇺🇸 Chelsea debut for Alyssa Thompson ✅#UWCL || @ChelseaFCW pic.twitter.com/xECJuKuCgM
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) September 15, 2025
Big-spending Lyon demand the spotlight
There’s never been a team quite like Lyon in the UWCL’s history. The total domination and eight titles by the French champions between 2010 and ’22 is likely to never be repeated.
Last year’s semifinal against Arsenal was a catastrophe. After winning the first leg 2–1 in North London, Lyon returned home only to be thrashed 4–1 by the eventual winners. It was a wild affair and one that prompted a big response.
Summer arrivals of superstars Ingrid Syrstad Engen, Ashley Lawrence and Jule Brand, alongside American wunderkind Lily Yohannes has pushed this group to new heights in terms of top-tier quality and depth.
Lyon also went out and acquired former Barcelona manager and three-time Champions League winner Jonatan Giráldez. Here was the man to get the most out of one the best rosters in Europe, if not the world.
In theory, there is nothing standing in the way of Lyon winning a ninth but themselves. The issue is that it could be too soon for this manager and group of players all to find the tactics, structure and relationships to click in time to lift the trophy in May.
Will Barcelona get back to their best?
The shocking loss at the hands of Arsenal in Lisbon ended Barcelona’s two-year stint as champions of Europe. Considering the Catalans also won the UWCL in 2020–21 and lost in the final to Lyon in 2021–22, there is no debate that they have been the best team in Europe over the last five years.
But the defeat to Arsenal certainly popped a bubble. Not only did it show that Barcelona are human but it suggested teams don’t have to go out and beat Barcelona at their own game. Instead, slowing them down and concentrating on a firm shape is enough. Once Barcelona runs out of ideas, that’s when they’re vulnerable.
Over the summer, Barcelona held onto to many of its most high-profile players but lost some key contributors down the roster. Swedish international Fridolina Rolfö left for Manchester United, Engen went to Lyon, while Spaniards Jana Fernández and Lucía Corrales both departed to London City Lionesses. All these moves were made with cost-cutting in mind.
If Barcelona are unable to access the same amount of depth then it weakens their ability to go out and win a fourth UWCL title. The UWCL is a long journey and one that rarely requires a tight first XI to do the job alone.
With the investment shown by the English clubs and Lyon, where Barcelona finds itself this year will be very very intriguing.
More Women’s Soccer on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Favorites, Storylines and Questions for the 2025–26 Women's Champions League Season.
