Women's Champions League title holder Barcelona reunited with Benfica, Rosengard in group draw
Spain's Alexia Putellas, front, and Switzerland's Smilla Vallotto fight for the ball during the women's Nations League group D soccer match between Spain and Switzerland at the Nuevo Arcangel stadium in Cordoba, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. Credit: AP/Jose Breton
NYON, Switzerland — Defending champion Barcelona will face Benfica, Rosengard and Eintracht Frankfurt in the group stage of the Women’s Champions League.
Barcelona beat both Benfica and Rosengard in the group stage last year.
The 16-team draw, which was made Friday, also reunited Chelsea and Real Madrid in a group for the second straight year. They will be joined by Paris and Hacken.
Paris advanced through two qualifying rounds to reach the group stage. The unheralded French team beat Wolfsburg, which lost to Barcelona in last year's final, and Arsenal, which reached the semifinals last season.
Also, Paris Saint-Germain was grouped with Bayern Munich, Roma and Ajax, and eight-time champion Lyon will play Slavia Prague, Brann and St. Polten.
Lyon forward Ada Hegerberg, the first ever women's Ballon d'Or winner in 2018, could face her sister Andrine, who plays for Brann.
The group stage is scheduled to start on Nov. 14 and finish on Jan. 31. Two teams advance from each group to the quarterfinals.
Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert celebrates scoring their side's second goal against West Ham United's Honoka Hayashi during the Barclays Women's Super League soccer match at Kingsmeadow in London, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Credit: AP/Zac Goodwin
The final is scheduled for May 25 in Bilbao, Spain.
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