The 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League semifinals begin this weekend, as four powerhouse clubs familiar with the UWCL spotlight kick off their first matches of the two-leg round.
France's Olympique Lyonnais, Spain's Barcelona FC, and England's Arsenal and Chelsea will battle it out, with just two tickets to the winner-take-all May 24th final in Portugal on the line.
"The coolest thing about big tournaments and high-stake games is you might be expecting something, and you get something completely different," Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Lindsey Heaps told reporters this week. "That's when you see the best teams come out, and they're able to adjust."
Champions League semis pit WSL against European elite
Arguably topping the four-contender list are defending champs Barcelona, with the Spanish side hunting a fourth UWCL title in five years. First, however, they'll have to contend with a stacked Chelsea team hungry to lift a first-ever Champions League trophy — one that could clinch a historic quadruple.
Meanwhile, with both the men's and women's sides reaching this season's Champions League semifinals, Arsenal will square off against eight-time champions Lyon in a quest to claim their first UWCL title in over 18 years.
Both WSL titans are chasing history against their European opponents, with Arsenal still the only UK team to ever win Champions League.
The Gunners will kick off the round by hosting Lyon in their 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium.
"Playing at the Emirates, and the hunger and the belief that we have as a team at the moment, we're going to go and play our game to the best we can," said Arsenal manager Renée Slegers.
With an estimated 40,000 tickets sold for the pivotal clash, Emirates provides an environment even Arsenal's opponents look forward to competing in.
"You always want these kind of crowds and this kind of atmosphere," Heaps said of the Saturday matchup. "Even if it's against you, it's the best thing in the world."
How to watch the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League semifinals
The first-leg matchups of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League semifinals kicks off on Saturday, when Arsenal hosts Lyon at 7:30 AM ET.
Then on Sunday, Chelsea will travel to Barcelona to take on the reigning champs at 12 PM ET.
Both matches will air live on DAZN.
Chelsea FC kept their quadruple dreams alive this weekend, advancing to the 2025 FA Cup Final with Saturday’s 2-1 semifinal win over Liverpool in their quest to lift four major trophies in a single season.
With the 2025 League Cup already secured last month, the Blues will continue hunting a sixth straight WSL title when they dive back into league play next week.
The WSL leaders have yet to lose a league match this season. Chelsea currently holds a six-point lead over both London rival Arsenal and Manchester United at the top of the table, with just four matchdays separating the club from their second piece of 2024/25 hardware.
A first-ever UWCL title could clinch a Chelsea quadruple
If the Blues take home the 2025 FA Cup after their May 18th battle with Man U, they will need just one final championship to clinch the quadruple — the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League trophy.
First, however, Chelsea must book a spot in the UWCL's championship match on May 24th. To do so, first-year manager Sonia Bompastor’s squad must outlast Champions League powerhouse Barcelona in the tournament's two-leg semifinals, which kick off next weekend.
Should they go on to lock down the 2025 FA Cup, WSL, and UWCL titles, the Blues will become just the third team to ever win a quartet, joining the 2006/07 Arsenal squad and last season's dominant Barcelona roster.