Women's Champions League group stage draw: Lyon against Arsenal and Juventus
Monday, October 3, 2022
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The draw split the 16 contenders into four pools of four teams.
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UEFA Women's Champions League holders Lyon will tackle Arsenal and Juventus in the group stage, while Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid have all been placed in the same section after the draw was made in Nyon.
Reigning champions Lyon and fellow direct entrants Wolfsburg, Chelsea and Paris were joined in the draw by the 12 round 2 winners. The fixtures will take place between 19 October and 22 December and the top two sides in each group progress to the quarter-finals.
UEFA Women's Champions League groups
Group A: Chelsea (ENG), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), Real Madrid (ESP), Vllaznia (ALB)
Group B: Wolfsburg (GER), Slavia Praha (CZE), St. Pölten (AUT), Roma (ITA)
Group C: Lyon (FRA, holders), Arsenal (ENG), Juventus (ITA), Zürich (SUI)
Group D: Barcelona (ESP), Bayern München (GER), Rosengård (SWE), Benfica (POR)
- Lyon claimed their record eighth title last season, beating Juventus in the quarter-finals (having also knocked them out in the round of 32 a year earlier).
- The other past champions involved are Wolfsburg (2012/13 and 2013/14), Arsenal (2006/07) and last season's runners-up Barcelona (2020/21).
- Paris (who, like Wolfsburg, fell in the last four in 2021/22) and Chelsea are also past finalists.
- Arsenal, Bayern, Juventus and Madrid reached the quarter-finals last season.
- Benfica and Chelsea were also involved in the first group stage a year ago. Benfica held Bayern at home but lost 4-0 away.
- Paris beat Madrid home and away in the group stage last season.
- Albania, Austria and Czechia were not represented in the group stage last season; Denmark, Iceland and Ukraine have missed out this time after having teams involved in 2021/22.
- Vllaznia are the first Albanian team to reach the last 16 of this competition in any format (and the first Albanian club to get to the last 16 of any UEFA competition since KF Tirana in the 1989/90 men's European Cup).
- Bayern and Rosengård have previously made the semis; Slavia are three-time quarter-finalists.
- Roma are in their debut European campaign.
- Lyon beat Arsenal in the 2007/08 quarter-finals and 2010/11 semi-finals, and eliminated Zürich in the 2016/17 round of 16.
- OL, as hosts, also beat both Arsenal and Zürich in the 2008/09 second qualifying round. Arsenal overcame Zürich to also progress.
- Chelsea knocked out Paris in a dramatic 2018/19 quarter-final, winning 2-0 at home and then trailing 2-0 in France before Maren Mjelde's added-time winner.
- Wolfsburg defeated Slavia 6-1 on aggregate in the 2017/18 quarter-finals.
- Barcelona beat Bayern 1-0 home and away to reach their first final in 2018/19. They also defeated Rosengård in the 2016/17 quarter-finals.
- Bayern eliminated Rosengård in the 2020/21 quarter-finals, triumphing 4-0 over two legs.
UEFA Women's Champions League season calendar
Group stage
Matchday 1: 19/20 October
Matchday 2: 26/27 October
Matchday 3: 23/24 November
Matchday 4: 7/8 December
Matchday 5: 15/16 December
Matchday 6: 21/22 December
Quarter-final & semi-final draw
13:00 CET, 10 February, Nyon
Quarter-finals
First leg: 21/22 March
Second leg: 29/30 March
Semi-finals
First leg: 22/23 April
Second leg: 29/30 April
Final (PSV Stadion, Eindhoven)
3 or 4 June tbc
