Lyon lead record Women's Champions League entry
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
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Champions Olympique Lyonnais lead a record entry of 54 clubs for the 2011/12 edition with Albania and Latvia represented for the first time on the road to the 17 May final in Munich.
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Holders Olympique Lyonnais lead a record entry of 54 clubs from 46 nations for the 2011/12 UEFA Women's Champions League, with Albania and Latvia represented for the first time.
Lyon beat previous champions 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam 2-0 in London last month to claim France's first title and those two clubs are among 22 given a bye to the round of 32. Included in that number are the runners-up from the eight top-ranked nations, who previously began in the qualifying round.
The remaining 32 national champions will start at that stage, and on 23 June will be drawn into eight groups of four to be played as one-venue mini-tournaments from 11 to 16 August. Each of those sides has been ranked according to their coefficient, and one team from the four seeding positions will be placed in every group. Eight teams have also been designated as hosts and will be drawn from a separate pot, placed in their group according to their seeding position.
All eight group winners plus the two best runners-up will proceed to the draw for the round of 32 and 16 on 23 August, with the two-legged knockout phase beginning the following month. Teams entering for the first time seeded straight to the last 32 include Sweden's Göteborg FC, English team Bristol Academy WFC and French runners-up Paris Saint-Germain FC.
Sole three-time European champions 1. FFC Frankfurt return to the competition, making a total of four past winners in this season's competition, including Lyon, Potsdam and Arsenal LFC. The final will be in Munich on Thursday 17 May 2012.
Full entry list with coefficients
Bye to round of 32 (*national runners-up)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA, holders)
Arsenal LFC (ENG)
1. FFC Turbine Potsdam (GER)
1. FFC Frankfurt (GER)*
FC Rossiyanka (RUS)
Brøndby IF (DEN)
ASD Torres CF (ITA)
SV Neulengbach (AUT)
Fortuna Hjørring (DEN) *
AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
Valur Reykjavík (ISL)
WFC Malmö (SWE)
Göteborg FC (SWE)*
Paris Saint-Germain FC (FRA)*
FC Energiya Voronezh (RUS)*
Bristol Academy WFC (ENG)*
UPC Tavagnacco (ITA)*
R. Standard de Liège (BEL)
Stabæk Football (NOR)
CSHVSM (KAZ)
Thór/KA (ISL)*
FC Twente (NED)
Qualifying round (**hosts)
Seeding position 1
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid (ESP, Pot 5)
FC PAOK (GRE, 5)
RTP Unia Racibórz (POL, 5)
Legend Chernigov (UKR, 5)
FC NSA Sofia (BUL, 5)
SU 1 ° Dezembro (POR, 1)**
Glasgow City LFC (SCO, 5)
WFC SFK 2000 Sarajevo (BIH, 1)**
Seeding position 2
ŽNK Krka (SVN, 1)**
MTK Hungária FC (HUN, 4)
Gintra Universitetas (LTU, 4)
Apollon Limassol LFC (CYP, 1)**
FC Bobruchanka (BLR, 4)
KÍ Klaksvík (FRO, 4)
PK-35 Vantaa (FIN, 1)**
BSC Young Boys (SUI, 4)
Seeding position 3
ŽFK Spartak Jaffa (SRB, 1)**
ASA Tel-Aviv FC (ISR, 3)
ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK, 3)
Swansea City Ladies AFC (WAL, 3)
Olimpia Cluj-Napoca (ROU, 3)
WFC Osijek (CRO, 1)**
Peamount United (IRL, 3)
CS Galiador-SS 11 Chisinau MDA, 3)
Seeding position 4
Crusaders FC (NIR, 2)
Ataşehir Belediyespor (TUR, 2)
Pärnu FC (EST, 2)
ZFK Nase Taksi-SNT 2010 (MKD, 1)**
KS Ada (ALB, 2)
SK Liepājas Metalurgs (LVA, 2)
FC Progrès Niedercon (LUX, 2)
Mosta FC (MLT, 2)