Champions League newcomer Manchester United is on a roll, becoming the only 2025/26 league phase club to post two straight clean sheets while tallying six points through the first two UWCL matches.
USWNT goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce played Manchester United hero in the 1-0 Champions League shutout against Atlético Madrid on Thursday, notching five saves as both teams became shorthanded due to offsetting red cards.
"Phallon and her experiences in England have really taken her game up a notch," US national team boss Emma Hayes told reporters after dropping this month's USWNT roster earlier this week. "I really noticed she's playing like a player that has gone through the various levels."
Elsewhere on Thursday, reigning Champions League winners Arsenal shook off their 2025/26 opening loss to OL Lyonnes by claiming a 2-0 win over Portuguese side Benfica, with goals from Alessia Russo and Beth Mead sealing the deal for the Gunners.
Only five teams finished the European competition's opening pair of league-phase matches with all six points, with three-time title-winning titan Barcelona topping the UWCL table with a +10 goal differential.
Champions League play will continue next month, with the 18 contenders returning to the 2025/26 UWCL pitch for their third league-phase clashes on November 11th and 12th.
Two rising US stars made their European marks this week, as both OL Lyonnes midfielder Lily Yohannes and Chelsea FC forward Alyssa Thompson registered their first-ever UWCL goals in the second week of 2025/26 Champions League play on Wednesday — mere hours after earning call-ups to October's USWNT roster.
First, Yohannes launched a 57-yard screamer in the 51st minute of the French club's 3-0 win over Austrian side St. Pölten, with the 18-year-old helping lift Lyonnes over the competition after spotting the keeper out of her goal.
Later on Wednesday afternoon, recent WSL addition Thompson piled onto the Blues' eventual 4-0 thrashing of Paris FC, firing in her debut Champions League goal off a low cross from England mainstay Kiera Walsh.
"She brings a lot of speed up front," Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said of Thompson. "She also is a player who is really comfortable on the ball."
How to watch 2025/26 Champions League action on Thursday
The second matchday of the 2025/26 UWCL league phase continues on Thursday, as WSL side Manchester United — anchored by USWNT goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce — faces Spanish club Atlético Madrid at 12:45 PM ET before reigning champion Arsenal looks to bounce back from their Champions League opening loss by defeating Portugal's Benfica at 3 PM ET.
All 2025/26 Champions League matches will air live on Paramount+.
The 2025/26 UEFA Women's Champions League action returns on Wednesday, kicking off another week of league-phase play as WSL titans Chelsea search for their first UWCL win of the season.
The Blues settled for a disappointing 1-1 draw with FC Twente last week, despite outshooting the Dutch club 20-9 while holding 65% of possession.
"When I analyze the games, I think we are creating a lot, which is the most important thing," said Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor. "But the most difficult thing in football is to score goals. We need to stay confident and keep trying."
"Sometimes, when you're able to be clinical, you kill the opposition’s hope a bit sooner," Bompastor continued, hoping to supercharge the Blues' offense ahead of their Wednesday afternoon clash with French side Paris FC.
Other UWCL heavy hitters will also feature on Wednesday's pitch, as Barcelona, Wolfsburg and OL Lyonnes all look to continue their winning ways after major victories in last week's opening slate.
The rest of the 18-club league phase will conclude the second matchday on Thursday, when fellow WSL powerhouses Manchester United and defending Champions League winners Arsenal return to the UWCL pitch.
How to watch Chelsea vs. Paris FC in Champions League play
Chelsea will host Paris FC in London for their second league phase match at 3 PM ET on Wednesday.
All 2025/26 Champions League matches will air live on Paramount+.
OL Lyonnes scored some UEFA Champions League revenge on Tuesday, upending reigning UWCL champs Arsenal 2-1 in the powerhouse pair's 2025/26 league phase opener in London.
In a rematch of last season's Champions League semifinal, Haiti international Melchie Dumornay sealed the OL Lyonnes result with a first-half brace for the French titans, quickly countering Arsenal forward Alessia Russo's seventh-minute strike.
"Errors happen from time to time, but if they happen too often, of course, there's something there," noted Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers, referencing the defensive mistakes that led to both OL Lyonnes goals. "Sometimes it's intangible or hard to put your finger on because it's a mixture of things."
"We won't get too high [or] too low in this situation," the Gunners manager continued, adding "the team went through hard times last year as well, and then we ended the season on a high with an amazing achievement in the Champions League."
OL Lyonnes weren't the only opening-day league phase victors, as Juventus took down Benfica 2-1 while 2024/25 runners-up Barcelona demolished Bundesliga side Bayern Munich 7-1 behind a pair of braces from attackers Ewa Pajor and Clàudia Pina.
Unlike previous iterations, the 2025/26 Champions League format does not include first-round rematches, with each team facing six different opponents before advancing to the knockouts.
How to watch 2025/26 Champions League games
UWCL league phase opening matches conclude with five games on Wednesday, with WSL winners Chelsea FC kicking off the action against Dutch side FC Twente at 12:45 PM ET.
All 2025/26 Champions League matches will air live on Paramount+.
The 2025/26 UEFA Women's Champions League begins anew this week, as the European club competition kicks off its first-ever league phase with a blockbuster lineup.
Italian powerhouse Juventus sets the stage against Portugal's Benfica early Tuesday afternoon, before reigning champs Arsenal start their title defense against eight-time winners OL Lyonnes while 2023/24 champs Barcelona face Bundesliga standout Bayern Munich.
"Winning last year hasn't changed that mindset one bit," Arsenal and USWNT defender Emily Fox said this week. "We know that any team on their day is dangerous and, especially with the new format this season, it's not going to be easy."
The debut format Fox refers to replaces the previous group-stage setup, with the new league phase seeing all 18 clubs playing six matches each — three at home and three away — against six different opponents.
While the league phase will eliminate the bottom six teams, the top four finishers will automatically qualify for next spring's quarterfinal round.
As for the 5th- through 12th-place clubs, they must battle in a two-legged knockout playoff round next February in order to punch their quarterfinal tickets.
How to watch the 2025/26 Champions League matches
The league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League campaign opens on Tuesday when Juventus takes on Benfica at 12:45 PM ET.
Arsenal vs. OL Lyonnes and Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich will then snag the spotlight at 3 PM ET.
All UWCL matches will air live on Paramount+.