We have been drawn against AFC Ajax in the round 2 qualifiers of the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Ajax were last in Women's Champions League action in 2020/21, where they were knocked out by Bayern Munich in the Round of 32. Their best result in the competition so far came in 2018/19, when they reached the Round of 16. This marks the first time we have met the Dutch side in all competitions.
In last season's UWCL, we made it to the quarter-final stage after finishing second in our group behind eventual finalists, Barcelona. We held Wolfsburg to a 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium, with Lotte Wubben-Moy scoring a dramatic equaliser in the 89th minute. Unfortunately, in the away leg, we fell 2-0 to the German champions.
Our path to the group stage
This year's round 2 qualifiers consist of two legs, home and away. Our first leg against AFC Ajax will take place at home on September 20/21, before we head to the Netherlands for the second leg on September 28/29.
Alongside our clash with Ajax, 22 other teams will battle it out to progress further in the competition. These knockout matches will decide which 12 teams will join automatic qualifiers Lyon, Barcelona, Wolfsburg, and Chelsea in the group stage of the tournament in October.
The draw in full
Champions Path
- Tie 1: Vorskla-Kharkiv 2 v KFF Vllaznia
- Tie 2: SFK 2000 Sarajevo v FC Zurich
- Tie 3: Rangers FC v Benfica SL
- Tie 4: KuPS Kuopio v SK St. Polten
- Tie 5: Valur v SK Slavia Praha
- Tie 6: SK Brann v FC Rosengard
- Tie 7: HB Koge v Juventus
League Path
- Tie 1: Arsenal v AFC Ajax
- Tie 2: PSG v BK Hacken
- Tie 3: Real Sociedad v Bayern Munich
- Tie 4: Rosenborg BK v Real Madrid
- Tie 5: AC Sparta Praha v A.S. Roma
The rest of the tournament
Should we win our two legs against Ajax to progress to the UWCL group stage, our matches will commence in October. The matchday dates are as follows:
Group stage
Matchday 1: October 19/20
Matchday 2: October 26/27
Matchday 3: November 23/24
Matchday 4: December 7/8
Matchday 5: December 15/16
Matchday 6: December 21/22
Quarter-final & semi-final draw
12pm UK time, January 20
Quarter-finals
First leg: March 21/22
Second leg: March 29/30
Semi-finals
First leg: April 22/23
Second leg: April 29/30
Final (Philips Stadion, PSV Eindhoven)
June 3/4 TBC
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