The reigning UWCL winner couldn’t be silenced on Sunday, as Arsenal topped OL Lyonnes 2-1 to take the lead in the two-leg Champions League semifinals.
Forward Jule Brand opened the scoring for the French champions. Later, a clumsy defensive breakdown gifted the Gunners an own goal, before forward Olivia Smith scored the second-half game-winner at the Emirates.
“The first half was quite even. We gave away a cheap goal,” captain Leah Williamson said. “But what you saw second-half was a team on a mission, fueled by the crowd.”
Lyon isn’t the only side hunting a second-leg spark, as three-time UWCL winner Barcelona settled for Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich.
The German champions battled for a result after goal-scorer Franziska Kett was dealt a red card in the 79th minute. However, the Spanish side ultimately could not capitalize on Bayern’s loss.
“I think in general we defended our goal pretty well,” Bayern captain Glódís Viggósdóttir told UEFA.
“We followed the game plan, we closed the spaces that we wanted to close and then we wanted to get them on the counter, and obviously it’s a fantastic goal from start to finish. I’m just incredibly proud of how we handled every single situation today.”
“We’re heading back to Barcelona with a draw that feels like too little, given the chances we had,” said Barcelona manager Pere Romeu.
How to Watch Arsenal in the UWCL Champions League Semifinals
The UWCL semifinals finish up this weekend, as Arsenal visits OL Lyonnes on Saturday at 9 AM ET. Afterwards, Barcelona hosts Bayern on Sunday at 10:30 AM ET. Both matches air live on Paramount+.
The Champions League final kicks off on May 23rd in Oslo, Norway.
USWNT stars take center stage this weekend, as the UEFA Women's Champions League semifinals kick off with UWCL clashes featuring US talent on both sides.
OL Lyonnes advanced behind dominant US midfield trio Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes, and Korbin Shrader, who powered the French club past Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals. They now face reigning UWCL champion Arsenal — and USWNT defender Emily Fox — on Sunday.
"We know Arsenal are a top side," Yohannes said. "But we're not really thinking about the opponent — we're focused on ourselves and we know that if we put in our top performance, we can beat anyone."
Sunday's UWCL semifinals matchup repeats October's Champions League league-phase opener. That's when OL Lyonnes topped the Gunners 2-1 in London, while both teams eventually advanced to the quarterfinals.
Bayern Munich hosts Barcelona on Saturday, hunting its first-ever Champions League final berth after winning a fourth straight Frauen-Bundesliga title. Barcelona previously routed Bayern 7-1 in the league phase, entering the UWCL semifinals in dominant form with just one loss this season.
The Spanish club is seeking a sixth consecutive final appearance. Barcelona will hope for superstar Aitana Bonmati’s healthy return, as the midfielder continues her injury recovery.
Second-leg matches take place in May, with the final set for Oslo on May 23.
Where to Watch UWCL Champions League Semifinals
The UWCL semifinals kick off with Bayern Munich vs. FC Barcelona on Saturday at 12:15 PM ET. Afterwards, Arsenal faces OL Lyonnes on Sunday at 10:30 AM ET. Both Champions League matches air live on Paramount+.
With the 18-team UWCL league phase now done and dusted, the 12 clubs still standing discovered their paths to the Final in the 2025/26 Champions League knockouts draw on Thursday.
While the top four clubs — No. 1 Barcelona, No. 2 OL Lyonnes, No. 3 Chelsea FC, and No. 4 Bayern Munich — punched their way into March's quarterfinals behind elite league-phase performances, the remaining eight teams must battle in February's playoffs in order to advance.
Thursday's draw has reigning champs No. 5 Arsenal facing Belgian side No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven in the playoffs, but the Gunners then face a difficult road in the UWCL knockouts, staring down a potential quarterfinal clash with WSL rivals Chelsea as eight-time UWCL winners OL Lyonnes looms on the same side of the semifinal bracket.
Elsewhere, No. 7 Real Madrid have an opportunity to make UWCL history should they win their playoff tie against No. 10 Paris FC, setting up the tournament's first-ever El Clásico with a possible quarterfinal match against perennial winners Barcelona.
How to watch the 2025/26 Champions League Playoffs
The first-leg of the 2025/26 UWCL playoffs kick off with No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven hosting No. 5 Arsenal at 12:45 PM ET on February 11th, with No. 7 Real Madrid visiting No. 10 Paris FC at 3 PM ET.
The following day, No. 8 Juventus will take on hosts No. 9 Wolfsburg at 12:45 PM ET before No. 11
Atlético de Madrid faces the visiting No. 6 Manchester United at 3 PM ET.
All 2025/26 Champions League matches will stream live on Paramount+.
The UWCL's first-ever league phase wraps on Wednesday, when all 18 2025/26 Champions League clubs will square off in a simultaneous afternoon kick-off finale.
Top finishers No. 1 Barcelona and No. 2 OL Lyonnes already secured automatic spots in the quarterfinals, with similarly unbeaten No. 3 Chelsea looking to claim their spot with a result on Wednesday.
The fourth guaranteed pathway will be tougher fight, however, as just three points separate No. 4 Juventus and No. 11 Atletico Madrid on the Champions League table.
While the top four teams will advance directly into the March quarterfinals, clubs finishing fifth through 12th will instead move on to the European competition's first-ever knockout playoffs in February to determine the final quartet of quarterfinalists.
No. 4 Bayern Munich, No. 5 Real Madrid, No. 6 Juventus, No. 7 Wolfsburg, No. 8 Arsenal, No. 9 Manchester United, and No. 10 Paris FC have all netted enough points to at least make the playoffs, leave three teams — Atlético de Madrid, No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven, and No. 13 Vålerenga — battling the final two spots.
Amid Wednesday's high-stakes matchups, Wolfsburg will look to break into the upper ranks against Chelsea, Juventus will try to hold off Manchester United, and 2024/25 champs Arsenal will shoot for a result against Oud-Heverlee Leuven.
How to watch Wednesday's 2025/26 Champions League action
Wednesday's final UWCL league-phase matches will be cutthroat battles for tournament seeding.
The action kicks off at 3 PM ET, with live coverage on Paramount+.
With just one league-phase matchday left, a trio of unbeaten clubs — Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, and Chelsea — stand alone atop the 2025/26 Champions League table, leading the 18-team pack after all three squads notched midweek wins.
No. 1 Barcelona and No. 2 OL Lyonnes each have 13 points, with the Spanish contenders earning the edge over their French counterparts with a +15 goal differential.
Meanwhile, Chelsea sits in third with 11 points following a 6-0 drubbing of No. 17 AS Roma on Wednesday, though the Blues will need a result against No. 7 Wolfsburg next week to secure a spot in March's quarterfinals with a top-four finish.
Though the byes into the quarterfinals are still up for grabs, with just one matchday left before the knockouts, several of Europe's biggest teams have qualified for February's playoffs.
Wolfsburg alongside No. 10 Paris FC, No. 9 Manchester United, No. 8 Arsenal, No. 6 Juventus, No. 5 Real Madrid, and No. 4 Bayern Munich have already racked up enough points to advance out of the league phase.
Three clubs — No. 13 Vålerenga, No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven, and No. 11 Atlético de Madrid — are fighting for the two remaining playoff tickets, with December 17th's simultaneous kickoff set to determine the winners.
How to watch the final 2025/26 Champions League league-phase matches
Determining both the first four UWCL quarterfinalists and the eight teams entering the playoffs, the final league-phase matchday will see all 18 clubs kicking off at 3 PM ET next Wednesday.
All 2025/26 Champions League matches will stream live on Paramount+.
The inaugural North American iteration of World Sevens Football (W7F) kicks off in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, when eight standout clubs will battle for three days for the the largest share of the 7v7 competition's $5 million prize pool.
All eight clubs boast championship backgrounds, including the reigning NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City Current, 2023 NWSL Shield-winners San Diego Wave, Liga MX Femenil Apertura winner Tigres UANL, current Northern Super League Shield-winner AFC Toronto, and more.
This weekend's edition is the second-ever W7F tournament, after the new venture launched with a Europe-centric competition in Portugal last May, crowning Bayern Munich as its debut champions.
In W7F, the 11v11 clubs instead field seven players per side on a pitch half the size of a regulation field, with matches comprised of two 15-minute halves along with smaller goals, no offside rule, and rolling substitutions throughout the games.
All eight clubs will compete in the group stage on Friday and Saturday, with the top four teams advancing to Sunday's knockout rounds.
How to watch this weekend's W7F tournament
The North American debut of W7F kicks off when the NWSL's Kansas City Current faces Brazilian powerhouse Clube de Regatas do Flamengo at 5 PM ET on Friday.
All games, including Sunday's 4:30 PM ET championship match, will air live on HBO Max as well we either TNT or truTV.
Sweden veteran defender Magda Eriksson is hanging up her international boots to focus on her health, with the 32-year-old officially announcing her retirement from her national team on Sunday.
Eriksson will continue competing at the domestic level for her German club, Bayern Munich.
The longtime captain sat out the most recent international window due to a head injury, watching as world No. 3 Sweden fell to No. 1 Spain in the two-leg 2025 Nations League semifinals.
"It's by far the toughest decision I've ever made," Eriksson said in her social media announcement. "But I'm listening to my body and mind instead of my heart."
"I've landed in the fact that unfortunately it's a decision that has to be made."
After an 11-year career with the Swedish senior national team, Eriksson retires as a two-time Olympic silver medalist, earning those podium finishes in Rio in 2016 and at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games.
Often leading Sweden through major tournaments where early domination dissolved into a third-place finish, Eriksson also helped her team eke onto the World Cup podium in both 2019 and 2023.
"It is heavy news," said Sweden head coach Tony Gustavsson after Eriksson announced her international retirement, calling her "one of our most important players for a long time."
"[Magda's] professionalism, courage, and heart have left a strong mark on the national team," he added.
Reigning UEFA Women's Champions League winners Arsenal suffered a setback on Wednesday, falling 3-2 to German side Bayern Munich after a second-half collapse led to three unanswered goals.
The Gunners are now 1-2 in league phase play, landing them in 11th place with three opening-round matches remaining.
"It's not good enough. We don't want to concede three goals in one half in the Champions League," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said postgame. "It's everything. It's keeping the ball, making better decisions on the ball in their half to keep the ball there for longer, because it was very transitional."
A bright spot for Arsenal came via an opening goal from USWNT defender Emily Fox — one of a few US-centric Champions League boosts this week.
USWNT forward Catarina Macario notched a brace in Chelsea FC's 6-0 drubbing of St. Pölten on Tuesday, a match that also handed USWNT defender Naomi Girma her 2025/26 Champions League debut with the Blues.
Tuesday's clash also saw Chelsea captain Sam Kerr find the back of the net twice, as the Australia standout made her first start in 692 days.
Now halfway through league-phase play, only Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, and Manchester United remain perfect with a trio of wins, with Champions League matches resuming on November 19th.
As the 2025/26 European club season shifts into full gear, a spike in ACL injuries is shedding new light on the increasingly dense women's soccer calendar.
Germany and Bayern Munich star Lena Oberdorf ruptured her right ACL during her club's Bundesliga match on Sunday, just weeks after the 23-year-old midfielder returned to play from rehabbing the same injury — in the same right knee.
"To now face a second such setback is incredibly hard," said Bayern Munich director of women's football Bianca Rech. "We are fully by Lena's side, will support her as best we can in her recovery and be there for her in every way."
Oberdorf is far from alone, with over 20 ACL injuries impacting multiple women's soccer leagues across the world in just the last three months.
Arsenal goalkeeper and Austrian international Manuela Zinsberger went down with an ACL tear during the Gunners' 2025/26 Champions League match last week, joining standouts like midfielder Sarah Zadrizil (Bayern Munich/Austria), striker Sophie Román Haug (Liverpool/Norway), forward Liana Joseph (OL Lyonnes/France), and midfielder Maite Oroz (Tottenham/Spain) on the injury's mounting hit list.
ACL injuries have long plagued the women's game, with FIFPRO recently developing the Project ACL research initiative to investigate and alleviate the issue.
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+.