First home european match against Chelsea!

Find all the information regarding the 2026–2027 Women’s Champions League draw! The OL Lyonnes league phase was unveiled this Friday, September 4.

OL Lyonnes will kick off the 2026–2027 European season against their neighbors, Servette FCCF. The Lyonnes will travel to Switzerland on Wednesday, September 23 (6:45 p.m.). Their first home match will take place the following week, on Wednesday, September 20 (9:00 p.m.). Lyon will host Chelsea and its many former Lyon players. It’s a case of déjà vu for both teams, who haven’t faced each other since the heartbreaking 2022–2023 quarterfinal, which the English team won in a penalty shootout.

• Chelsea : The English club, the 2026 English league runner-up, will be Lyon’s first opponent at Groupama Stadium. It will be an opportunity to reunite with Sonia Bompastor and Camille Abily, club legends and former members of the OL coaching staff, as well as former Lyon players Ellie Carpenter, Lucie Bronze, Melvine Malard, and Kadeisha Buchanan.
• Arsenal : A two-time champion of the competition (2007, 2025) and having made some ambitious signings, one of the highlights of last year’s tournament will once again take place in the group stage. OL Lyonnes and Arsenal have already faced off five times over the past two seasons, including the epic 2026 Women’s Champions League semifinal.
• BK Häcken : The former club of our Swedish player Elma Junttila Nelhage qualified by winning the inaugural UEFA Women’s Europa Cup. BK Häcken defeated Hammarby in an all-Swedish final, earning a direct spot in the group stage of the 2026 Women’s Champions League.
• Juventus : The Turin team, which finished third in the most recent Italian league season, qualified by defeating St. Pölten. Their best European run to date remains the quarterfinals of the 2021–2022 season, when they were eliminated by Lyon in the second leg at Groupama Stadium.
• Inter Milan : The surprise team of this league phase—one not to be underestimated. To qualify, the Italian club defeated Wolfsburg, a legendary Women’s Champions League team, in a penalty shootout. Inter made its European debut last season, losing to Brann in the qualifying round.
• Servette FCCF : On the rise, the team went from the Swiss second division to the Women’s Champions League in just a few seasons. The club’s best European run to date was its participation in the group stage of the former UWCL format in 2021–2022.

The new UWCL format continues this season and will follow the same structure as last season.

Once again this year, the Lyon women’s team will face six different opponents in this single 18-team league and will aim to qualify for the competition’s knockout stage. Three of these matches will be played at home, while the other three will be played on the road.

The top four teams in this phase will advance directly to the quarterfinals. Notably, OL Lyon qualified directly by finishing in second place, tied on points with FC Barcelona. Clubs ranked 5th through 12th will have to play a two-leg playoff to try to reach the Top 8.