When the draw for the Women’s Champions League group stage takes place on Friday, there is the prospect that England will provide three teams for the first time in the competition’s history.
Chelsea are guaranteed a place, thanks to being Women’s Super League (WSL) champions. Barring the unthinkable Manchester City will be joining them, having won their first leg in their final qualifier against Paris FC 5-0 away last week. The final team who could make the group phase are Arsenal, who are 1-0 down against Swedish side BK Hacken. Despite Hacken getting to the quarter-finals last season, Arsenal should have the quality to overturn that deficit at home tonight (Thursday).
Three teams from one nation in the group stage of the Women’s Champions League is no mean feat, it having happened only twice since the current format was instituted in 2021-22: Germany had three sides (Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim) in that first year, and France had three (Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain and Paris) last season.
Why is it so tough to achieve? Because UEFA splits qualifying into a ‘champions path’ and a ‘league path’. The runners-up and third-placed teams in the WSL have to go via the latter route, where they can be drawn against other top teams from leading countries such as Spain and France. For example, City were knocked out by the odd goal during qualifying by Real Madrid in both 2021-22 and 2022-23. Manchester United — the WSL’s second-best team in 2022-23 — lost over two legs last season to eventual semi-finalists Paris Saint-Germain.
“It’s a shame when you see decent clubs being knocked out of the competition (during qualifying),” said City manager Gareth Taylor at the WSL media day before last weekend’s start of the domestic season. “You have to earn your right to get there but the margins are so tight between winning the WSL and going straight in and coming second, like we did, and having to qualify.”
Chelsea, Arsenal and City are ranked third, seventh and 11th respectively by UEFA’s club coefficient, which is based on both past performance and a national association ranking. On paper, they are all easily within the top 16 sides in Europe and all three see themselves as being good enough to be in the Champions League, but qualifying for the 16-team group phase has not proved that simple.
“I see us as a Champions League team,” Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall said at the press conference before their second leg against Hacken. “We need to be in the group stage, and that is our ambition. If we don’t qualify, I see that as a failure.”
The WSL has long prided itself on being one of the most competitive and high-quality leagues in Europe but an inability to show that in the only continental cup competition has been disappointing.
Arsenal are the only English team to have won the tournament, and that was in 2007. Since then, Chelsea finishing as runners-up in 2020-21 is the closest any other WSL team has come. No country has had more losing semi-finalists, with English teams going out at that stage on 12 occasions — Arsenal six times, Chelsea three, Manchester City twice and Birmingham City once.
Chelsea were beaten by Barcelona in the final three years ago (David Lidstrom/Getty Images)
“Right now, the English league is the best in the world so we need to have more clubs in the Champions League,” said City defender Laia Aleixandri, speaking at a press conference before their second leg against Paris tonight. “If we have more English teams in the group stage, it reflects the good work we are doing here in the league. It’s not just showing the levels in the league but taking that one step more and doing it in the Champions League.”
Chelsea’s new head coach Sonia Bompastor has spoken about how much she wants Arsenal and City to join her team in the group stage.
“Last year, I was really happy to have three French clubs in the Champions League,” Bompastor, who was Lyon coach at the time, said at the WSL media day. “We were the only country to have that. I hope this year will be the same for England, because this is what we want for the country and the women’s game. I am wishing Arsenal and City good luck because I really think it’s important for them to qualify.”
“I would echo Sonia’s remarks,” said City’s Taylor, speaking at a press conference before their game against Paris. “It’s super-important to have as many teams as possible in the Champions League from England. I’ve looked at the Champions League over the past couple of seasons and I’ve been frustrated by not being there. The team was good enough to be there. I’ll be solely focused on us but the first thing I do after the game will probably be to check the Arsenal result.”
Bompastor has pointed to other issues that have hindered English teams, such as the scheduling of WSL games in relation to Champions League matches, something other national associations have helped their sides with. The fact Arsenal and City played each other in their WSL opener on Sunday in between their two qualifying legs was hardly helpful when it came to maximising their chances of making the group stage.
The reality around English performance in the Champions League is twofold. Clubs have to win the fixtures that they are expected to win based on the talent at their disposal, but the league also has a role to play in supporting them.
Three teams reaching the group stage will not solve question marks around English performances in the Champions League overnight, but it would be a step in the right direction.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
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