Di league phase of di 2026/27 UEFA Women’s Champions League don reach week two. Nine games dey happen across Wednesday 30 September and Thursday 1 October. Matchday 2 preview show say Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor dey return to OL Lyonnes, and some teams wan build on better starts.
Di 18 teams dey compete for six league phase matchdays. Top four go straight to quarter-finals. Teams wey finish fifth to 12th go enter February knockout phase play-offs.
One big match na OL Lyonnes vs Chelsea. Di two sides dey regularly reach later stages. Chelsea squad get former Women’s Champions League winners with OL Lyonnes: Lucy Bronze, Kadeisha Buchanan, Ellie Carpenter and Melvine Malard. Chelsea management team of Sonia Bompastor and Camille Abily had strong links with di French club as players and coaches. Ashley Lawrence and injured Johanna Rytting Kaneryd recently move the other direction. Dem never meet since 2022/23 quarter-finals, when Chelsea win 1-0 away and beat OLL on penalties for Stamford Bridge second leg.
Chelsea wan build on narrow opening win over Austria Wien, thanks to Wieke Kaptein early stunner. Chelsea dey hope injury problems don ease before dem visit OLL. OLL sit top of league phase table after 8-0 win at Servette, with Marie-Antoinette Katoto hitting hat-trick. OLL and Chelsea don dey ever-present for group stage/league phase, but Austria Wien and Inter dey make debut for competition proper. Their Matchday 1 performances full of promise.
Austria Wien loss 1-0 to Chelsea but hit post and take game to hosts for long spells. Inter beat Häcken 1-0 with early goal by Haley Bugeja, Malta first-ever Women’s Champions League group stage/league phase player. Austria Wien, UEFA Women’s Europa Cup quarter-finalists last season, qualify with Modesta Uka-inspired 4-0 defeat of Brann at Vienna Franz-Horr-Stadion. Dem now welcome Inter. Uka tell UEFA say their fans dey good and push them hard. Maybe they no go try 100% but 200%.
Inter beat former winners Wolfsburg on penalties to reach league phase. Alongside young talent like Bugeja, dem get experienced internationals like Lina Magull, Olivia Schough and Elisa Bartoli.
Titleholders Barcelona wan build on five-goal winning start away to Roma. Matchday 1 surprise package Benfica host Bayern, side wey Manchester City hold despite Bayern lead 2-0. Austria Wien welcome Inter after both debutants impress. Paris Saint-Germain take on OH Leuven side wey hold them to draw last year. Man City and Arsenal wan avenge recent qualifying eliminations by Real Madrid and Paris FC respectively. Women’s Europa Cup holders Häcken face Juventus after both suffer opening losses. HB Køge Women and Servette face off in mutual search for first-ever point at this stage.
Fixtures: Wednesday 30 September: Roma vs Barcelona 18:45, Häcken vs Juventus 18:45, Paris FC vs Arsenal 18:45, OL Lyonnes vs Chelsea 21:00, Benfica vs Bayern München 21:00. Thursday 1 October: Austria Wien vs Inter 18:45, HB Køge Women vs Servette 18:45, Manchester City vs Real Madrid 21:00, Paris Saint-Germain vs OH Leuven 21:00. All kick-off times CET.
At 16, Swedish forward help Häcken reach 2023/24 Women’s Champions League quarter-finals. But this year, now aged 19, Schröder outstanding performances lead to Women’s Young Talent of the Year nomination at 2026 Ballon d’Or. She be star of first UEFA Women’s Europa Cup, getting all four of Häcken goals across two legs of final. After Madrid win race for her signature over summer, Schröder start life at new club in prolific style, scoring in all six appearances so far including both legs of qualifier with Ajax and again in 1-1 Matchday 1 draw with Paris SG, plus two late goals wey earn Sunday 5-3 Liga F win at Real Sociedad, taking her tally to eight. Her arrival na statement of Madrid intent, and while Schröder get chances to score more against French side, her link-up with Linda Caicedo and others go dey menacing even for Thursday hosts Man City.
Vingum, then teenager, was HB Køge Women back-up goalkeeper when dem last play Women’s Champions League football in 2021/22 group stage. That season, Danish side concede 22 goals in six losses. But five years on, dem prove tricky opponents for 2024/25 champions Arsenal to break down on opening night of 2026/27 league phase. Vingum, now 21 and long-established regular starter and Danish international, was sensational and only beaten by Mariona Caldentey added-time penalty in 1-0 loss. Last season, Vingum bounce back from injury to aid Swans to domestic double and sign new long-term contract to emphasise her status as one of Europe most promising young goalkeepers.
