Women’s Champions League holders Arsenal will take on OL Lyonnes and Bayern Munich in the league phase of this year’s competition, while Chelsea have been drawn against Barcelona and Wolfsburg.
The new format for the competition follows the same system as the men’s, albeit with fewer teams. Eighteen clubs were drawn to play six games each — three at home and three away — with two opponents drawn from each of the three six-team pots, which were ranked by UEFA club coefficient.
Aside from OL Lyonnes, Arsenal have been pitted against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Twente and OH Leuven. The north London side overcame Lyonnes and Madrid enroute to the title last season, as well as beating Bayern in the group stages.
Chelsea have been drawn at home against their arch-nemesis Barcelona, who have knocked the Women’s Super League (WSL) side out of the competition in the semifinal stage in each of the last three years. Sonia Bompastor’s side will also face Wolfsburg, Roma, St. Polten, Paris FC and Twente.
Besides Chelsea, Barça’s opponents include Benfica, Roma, OH Leuven, Paris FC and Bayern.
Manchester United secured their place in the main draw of the competiton for the first time in their history after beating Brann 3-0 in the second leg of their qualifier on Thursday. Their debut campaign sees them face a stiff fixture list that includes four league champions — OL Lyonnes, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Vålerenga — as well as Atlético Madrid and Wolfsburg.
The clash against PSG will see former England goalkeeper Mary Earps face off against her former side for the first time since her departure last year.
– Recap ESPN’s live blog for the draw
– Women’s Champions League: How the new format plays out
The league phase starts on Oct. 7-8 and will finish on Dec. 17.
The top four sides at the end of the overall league phase will advance straight through to the quarterfinals, while who finish between fifth and 12th will compete in a two-legged playoff to decide the final four teams to make the last eight.
When do the league phase games take place?
Matchday 1: Oct. 7-8
Matchday 2: Oct. 15-16
Matchday 3: Nov. 11-12
Matchday 4: Nov. 19-20
Matchday 5: Dec. 9-10
Matchday 6: Dec. 17