Arsenal will face reigning champions Barcelona in the league phase of the 2026/27 Women's Champions League. Renee Slegers' side will travel to face Barcelona, Paris FC and Inter Milan as they look to reclaim the European title they won in 2025.
The Barcelona assignment is accompanied by another significant fixture against Lyon. There is also a repeat of the past two semi-finals between Arsenal and Lyon, with the French giants having ended the Gunners' title defence last season. Together, the two games give Arsenal meetings with the reigning champions and the side that brought their previous European campaign to an end.
Arsenal's Champions League opponents by venue
Arsenal will host Lyon, Benfica and Danish side HB Koge, who they beat home and away in 2021-22. The Lyon game renews a recent knockout rivalry: Arsenal and Lyon contested the past two semi-finals, and Lyon ended Arsenal's title defence last season.
Renee Slegers' side will travel to face Barcelona, Paris FC and Inter Milan as they look to reclaim the European title they won in 2025. Barcelona's status as reigning champions makes that away meeting the headline assignment, while Paris FC and Inter Milan complete Arsenal's three away opponents.
The venue designations provide the clearest way to read Arsenal's draw: Lyon, Benfica and HB Koge are the home opponents, while Barcelona, Paris FC and Inter Milan are the away opponents. The list does not represent the chronological order in which those games will be played. Each team's match schedule will be confirmed by Uefa on Saturday, 5 September.
How the 18-team draw worked
All 18 clubs were placed into pots of six and drawn against two opponents, one home and one away, from each pot. Arsenal and Chelsea were in pot one, with Manchester City in pot three.
That format accounts for the balance across Arsenal's opponent list. From each pot, one opponent was allocated at home and another away. For Arsenal, the resulting draw includes Lyon at home and Barcelona away, placing two of their most notable opponents on different sides of the venue split.
How Chelsea and Manchester City compare
Chelsea, beaten finalists in 2020-21, will play Paris St-Germain, Roma and league phase debutants Austria Wien in London. Arsenal and Chelsea both entered from pot one, but their lists provide different points of emphasis: Arsenal's includes the reigning champions away and a repeat of the past two semi-finals against Lyon at home.
Andree Jeglertz's Manchester City side will play PSG, Real Madrid and Austria Wien at home, and Bayern Munich, Hacken and Inter Milan away. City were in pot three, while Arsenal and Chelsea were in pot one.
The three English draws can be compared without treating difficulty as an established ranking. Arsenal's route stands out because Barcelona are the reigning champions and Lyon ended the Gunners' title defence last season. Chelsea have three confirmed home opponents in Paris St-Germain, Roma and Austria Wien, while City's opponents are divided between three home assignments and three away assignments.
Key Women's Champions League dates
The first matchday of the league phase will be played on 22 and 23 September. Each team's match schedule will be confirmed by Uefa on Saturday, 5 September, so Arsenal's six opponents and their venue designations should not be presented as a chronological fixture list before that schedule is issued.
The knockout phase play-offs will be played in February 2027, followed by the quarter-finals in March and the semi-finals in early May. The final in Warsaw is scheduled for the final week of May.
For Arsenal, the draw establishes three home opponents and three away opponents. Lyon, Benfica and HB Koge will be hosted, while Slegers' side will visit Barcelona, Paris FC and Inter Milan. The competitive context is clearest around Barcelona and Lyon: Arsenal are looking to reclaim the title won in 2025, Barcelona are the reigning champions, and Lyon ended Arsenal's title defence last season.