Women’s Champions League holders Arsenal will take on OL Lyonnes and Bayern Munich in the league phase of this year’s competition, while Chelsea have been drawn against Barcelona and Wolfsburg.
The new format for the competition follows the same system as the men’s, albeit with fewer teams. 18 clubs were drawn to play six games each — three at home and three away — with two opponents drawn from each of the three six-team pots, which were ranked by UEFA club coefficient.
Arsenal and Chelsea’s games from Pot 1 will be against giants from France, Germany and Spain — with Barcelona to travel to face Chelsea looking to avenge their defeat in last year’s final to Arsenal.
– Recap ESPN’s live blog for the draw
– Women’s Champions League: How the new format plays out
The league phase starts on October 7-8 and will finish on Dec. 17.
The top four sides at the end of the overall league phase will advance straight through to the quarterfinals, while who finish between fifth and 12th will compete in a two-legged playoff to decide the final four teams to make the last eight.
When do the league phase games take place?