It is unthinkable that there could be a Women's Champions League season without Chelsea, but the Blues have work to do to book their place in the league phase. Last season, not only did their streak of six successive Women's Super League titles come to an end, but Sonia Bompastor's team actually finished third, below both Manchester City and Arsenal.
As a result, Chelsea must win a two-legged qualifier to reach the Champions League proper this season, but who will they face, and when will they discover their opponents?
When is the Champions League third qualifying round draw?
Chelsea enter the Women's Champions League in the third qualifying round, the final stage before the league phase.
The draw will take place at 11am (BST) on Tuesday 11 August at UEFA headquarters in Nyon. Those who would like to watch the draw can do so on UEFA's website.
Who could Chelsea face in the draw?
Nine ties will take place in the third qualifying round. Four are in the Champions Path, contested by domestic champions of leagues ranked seventh or lower in UEFA's Country Coefficient Ranking. All of these clubs came through mini tournaments last week to get this far.
This though is not of a concern to Chelsea, given that they are in the League Path, alongside other second or third place finishers from European leagues ranked from one to 17. Already, 12 clubs in this section have been eliminated, which leaves ten fighting it out for five spots, as documented.
Champions League third qualifying round League Path seeding
Seeded teams | Unseeded teams |
|---|---|
Chelsea | Eintracht Frankfurt |
VfL Wolfsburg | SKN St. Pölten |
Real Madrid | Ajax |
Paris Saint-Germain | Real Sociedad |
Juventus | Inter Milan |
Chelsea's high seeding, currently third in the UEFA ranking, behind only Barcelona and Lyon, means they will avoid other juggernauts, namely Wolfsburg, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and, to a less extent, Juventus. That though is not to say there aren't some potentially tricky opponents lying in wait.
The Blues faced St. Pölten in last season's league phase, hammering them 6-0 at the NV Arena, so will fancy their chances if a rematch comes to pass. Eintracht Frankfurt, unlucky not to be seeded, are probably the team to avoid. The Eagles are four-times Champions League winners, albeit their most-recent triumph came in 2015, but they were Europa Cup semi-finals just last season.
Despite this, they have amazingly never encountered Chelsea, while a clash with Real Sociedad or Internazionale Milano would also be a first. This is just the Nerazzurre's second-ever European campaign. Lastly, the Blues have met Ajax once before, prevailing 4-1 on aggregate in a Champions League quarter-final in March 2024, including a dominant 3-0 victory at the Johan Cruijff Arena.
Thus, Chelsea will be favourites whomever they face, but cannot take victory for granted.
What happens if Chelsea lost in Champions League qualifying?
The nine Champions League third qualifying winners will book their tickets to the Champions League league phase, joining the nine direct entrants: Barça Femení, OL Lyonnes, Paris FC, Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Roma, Benfica and BK Häcken.
For the nine losers, their European adventure is not over. They will drop into the newly-formed UEFA Women's Europa Cup, which held its inaugural edition just last season. No English club has ever featured in that tournament thus far, and Chelsea do not want to change that fact.
When does the Champions League third qualifying round take place?
The first legs take place on or around Wednesday 26 August, with the return fixture a week later on or around Wednesday 2 September. This is before Bompastor's team commence their league campaign against Aston Villa on 5 September.
Chelsea will play all their WSL home matches at Stamford Bridge this season, but it remains to be seen if this European clash will be there or at Kingsmeadow. It is determined randomly during the draw which club will host each leg.
Add us as a preferred source on Google