Women's Champions League round 2 draw: Arsenal-Ajax, Real Sociedad-Bayern, Rangers-Benfica
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Article summary
The draw has set the ties which will be played on 20/21 and 28/29 September to decide the last 12 group stage slots.
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The UEFA Women's Champions League round 2 draw has set ties including Arsenal vs Ajax, Real Sociedad vs Bayern, Paris Saint-Germain vs Häcken and Rangers vs Benfica to decide the last 12 group slots.
Playing over two legs on 20/21 and 28/29 September, the winners will join holders Lyon and fellow direct entrants Barcelona, Chelsea and Wolfsburg in the group stage that starts in October.
Round 2 is split into two paths: the champions path (with 14 teams competing for seven group places) and the league path (with ten teams competing for five group spots). Both consist of two-legged ties.
The 15 teams progressing from round 1 have joined the clubs beginning at this stage, including 2006/07 winners Arsenal, two-time runners-up Paris Saint-Germain, former semi-finalists Bayern and debutants Real Sociedad.
Round 2 draw
League path
Arsenal (ENG) vs Ajax (NED)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) vs Häcken (SWE)
Real Sociedad (ESP) vs Bayern München (GER)
Rosenborg (NOR) vs Real Madrid (ESP)
Sparta Praha (CZE) vs Roma (ITA)
Champions path
Vorskla-Kharkiv-2 (UKR) vs Vllaznia (ALB)
SFK 2000 Sarajevo (BIH) vs Zürich (SUI)
Rangers (SCO) vs Benfica (POR)
KuPS Kuopio (FIN) vs St. Pölten (AUT)
Valur (ISL) vs Slavia Praha (CZE)
Brann (NOR) vs Rosengård (SWE)
HB Køge (DEN) vs Juventus (ITA)
- Arsenal were champions in 2007 and quarter-finalists last season.
- Paris Saint-Germain were runners-up in 2015 and 2017, and have reached the semi-finals for the last three seasons.
- Bayern are also past semi-finalists, and last season progressed to the quarter-finals.
- Juventus and Madrid both also reached the 2021/22 quarter-finals, having come through this round (as did Arsenal).
- Benfica, Häcken and HB Køge were all in last season's group stage.
- Rosengård reached the 2003/04 semis as Malmö.
- Häcken (as Göteborg), Sparta, Slavia and Valur are also past quarter-finalists.
- Ajax knocked out four-time champions Frankfurt in round 1.
- Sarajevo have become the first team to compete 20 seasons in a row; 20 entries is also a joint record.
- Debutants this seasons Brann (known until 2021 as Sandviken), KuPS, Rangers, Real Sociedad and Roma.
- Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Finland, Netherlands, Norway and Scotland were not represented in last season's inaugural group stage. No clubs from Albania or Bosnia and Herzegovina have reached the last 16 under any format.
- Zürich won 3-2 at Sarajevo in the 2008/09 second qualifying round.
Season calendar
Round 2
First leg: 20/21 September
Second leg: 28/29 September
Group stage draw
13:00 CET, 3 October, Nyon
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
Draw procedure
- The teams in each path were seeded into two pots, in accordance with the club coefficient rankings.
- Clubs from the same association could not be drawn against each other.
- The club drawn first in each tie plays the first leg at home.
Champions path
The 11 winners of the round 1 finals join the three teams entering at this stage (the champions of the associations ranked fifth to seventh: Rosengård, Slavia Praha and HB Køge). Seven teams will emerge from as many ties to enter the group stage.
The teams were split into two pots: seeded and unseeded. The seven teams with the highest coefficients were seeded.
One ball was taken from each bowl and placed in a large empty bowl, where they were shuffled. The first team drawn play their first match at home against the second team drawn.
The same procedure was carried out with the remaining balls to complete all the round 2 pairings.
League path
The four winners of the round 1 finals join the six teams entering at this stage: the runners-up of the European associations ranked first to sixth (Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern München, Arsenal, Real Sociedad, Häcken and Sparta Praha). Five teams will emerge from as many ties to enter the group stage.
The ten teams were split into two pots: seeded and unseeded. The five teams with the highest coefficients were seeded. The draw followed the same procedure as for the champions path. No team could meet a side from their own association.
Seeding pots
Champions path
Seeded
Slavia Praha (CZE)* coefficient 47.766
Rosengård (SWE)* 38.833
Juventus (ITA) 30.900
St. Pölten (AUT) 25.700
Zürich (SUI) 22.500
Vllaznia (ALB) 14.400
Benfica (POR) 13.600
Unseeded
SFK 2000 Sarajevo (BIH) 11.400
Vorskla-Kharkiv-2 (UKR) 10.200
HB Køge (DEN)* 9.550
Valur (ISL) 8.350
Brann (NOR) 4.500
Rangers (SCO) 4.400
KuPS Kuopio (FIN) 1.900
League path
Seeded
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)* 85.666
Bayern München (GER)* 84.133
Arsenal (ENG)* 39.200
Sparta Praha (CZE)* 34.766
Real Madrid (ESP) 26.233
Unseeded
Ajax (NED) 20.900
Häcken (SWE)* 20.833
Real Sociedad (ESP)* 13.233
Rosenborg (NOR) 6.500
Roma (ITA) 5.900
*Entering in round 2