Barça Leads Champions League Draw Without Real Madrid

The quarter-final draw for the Women’s Champions League is set, with the sixth and final matchday in Groups A and B proving unnecessary, already decided last week. Reigning European champions Barcelona, along with Olympique Lyon, Chelsea, and PSG, will be in the top-seed pot, avoiding each other until the semifinals. The draw, scheduled for February 6 (13:00 CET) at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, will determine their opponents, featuring Brann from Norway, Häcken from Sweden, and Ajax. Benfica, second in the group won by Barça, completes the second-seed pot but cannot face the Catalan team as they were previous opponents.

Bayern, following a dramatic 2-2 draw against PSG, is eliminated, leaving this edition without German clubs. Wolfsburg did not advance past the preliminary round against Paris FC, and Eintracht Frankfurt was surpassed in Group A by Barça and Benfica.

The first-leg matches of the quarter-finals are scheduled for March 19 and 20, with the return legs on March 27 and 28. The draw on Tuesday will also determine the path to the San Mamés final on May 25, including the semi-final matchups on the weekends of April 20-21 and April 27-28.

Barcelona aims to host the quarter-final and potential semi-final matches at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The penultimate round will take place on the weekends of April 20-21 and April 27-28.

The blue and red club, champions in 2021 and 2023, and runners-up in 2019 and 2022, has reached the quarter-finals for nine consecutive seasons. In this edition, they boast a perfect record with five victories across League, Copa de la Reina, and the Spanish Supercup.