Man City to play holders Barca, Arsenal and Chelsea handed tough draws in UWCL group stage

Manchester City will face Champions League holders Barcelona in their first group-stage appearance in the competition after the draw was made on Friday.

City, who were knocked out in first-round qualifying in the 2022-23 season by Real Madrid, will also face SKN St Polten of Austria and Swedish side Hammarby.

Women’s Super League champions Chelsea, who finished as runners-up in the 2020-21 edition, have been handed a tough draw to reach the knockout stages.

Sonia Bompastor’s side will face Celtic, who have reached this stage of the competition for the first time in their history, along with Real Madrid and FC Twente.

Meanwhile, Arsenal, who sealed their spot in the group stage with an emphatic 4-1 aggregate win over Hacken, have also been dealt a difficult group.

The Gunners will compete against German champions Bayern Munich, Italian giants Juventus and Norwegian side Valerenga in Group C.

Lyon, who have won the competition a record eight times, have been placed in Group A alongside Wolfsburg, Roma and Galatasaray.

The 2024/25 groups are set #UWCL || #UWCLdraw pic.twitter.com/RTvwPwHIfF

— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) September 27, 2024

Group A

Lyon, Wolfsburg, Roma and Galatasaray.

Group B

Chelsea, Real Madrid, Twente and Celtic.

Group C

Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Juventus and Valerenga.

Group D

Barcelona, Manchester City, SKN St. Polten and Hammarby.