The Women’s Champions League returns tonight – here are 4 reasons to tune in

If this summer’s Euros proved anything (beyond the fact that you should always trust that Sarina Wiegman has got things under control), it’s that women’s football has never been more competitive or exciting. From England and Spain’s final showdown to Italy and France’s incredible performances throughout the tournament, there was an endless supply of talent on display.

The Women’s Super League (WSL) is home to some of this amazing talent, as fans will have seen over the last five weeks since the action kicked off. But if you want to see the best of the best like in the Euros, then the UEFA Women’s Champions League – which kicks off tonight on 7 October – is where it’s at.

The competition, which pits the best clubs in Europe against each other, is one of the most prestigious competitions in club football. Teams qualify for the competition by coming top of their domestic league or fighting through qualifying rounds to get a spot in the main event, leaving the best teams and players left to fight it out for the chance to call themselves Champions of Europe. 

And tonight (7 October), the main stage of the 2025/26 Women’s Champions League will begin, with clubs including Arsenal, Barcelona, Lyon and Real Madrid coming head-to-head. Not sure whether to get involved? Here are five reasons why you should tune in – and how to do so.  

If you’ve never watched the Women’s Champions League before, you don’t need to worry about not understanding the format; this year, the way teams play against each other and qualify for the tournament’s knock-out stages has changed, meaning that fans new and old are in the same boat.

The good news is that the competition’s new league structure – which brings it in line with the men’s competition – sees more clubs come face-to-face with new competition.

Whereas before teams would be drawn against each other in various rounds and play each team twice in a home and away leg, now teams will play six matches against six different opponents (three at home and three away) in the first round. They’ll score points like they would in a normal tournament (three for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss), and the top four teams after the six matches will qualify for the quarter finals automatically. The next eight teams will compete in playoffs for the remaining four places before the knockout games begin. 

“What makes the new format in the Women’s Champions League so special is that it puts so many teams against each other in the early stages,” Alex Scott, one of the presenters leading Disney+’s coverage of the Champions League this season, tells Stylist. “I’m looking forward to covering one of the first games – Arsenal taking on Lyon – but when you look at Chelsea taking on Barcelona so early on? There are so many games to pick from.”

What’s so exciting about this new format is that we’ll see more big clubs coming head-to-head than ever before – this week alone we’ll see Arsenal play Lyon and Barcelona play Bayern Munich. It also means the less experienced teams will get the chance to test themselves against Champions League winners and give their players airtime on one of football’s biggest stages. 

Against the odds, last season saw Arsenal go all the way to win the Women’s Champions League for the second time in their history. They are the only English club to ever win the Women’s Champions League – let alone win it twice – and the Gunners will certainly be fighting to take home the trophy again this season. It’ll be exciting to see how they fare in the new league format. 

Loved getting to know the stars of Europe during the Euros? The Women’s Champions League gives you the chance to see them on your screen again. While we’re lucky to have many of the games’ biggest players playing here in the WSL (the majority of the Lionesses play here, for example), there are still plenty of incredible players playing for clubs around Europe.

Three WSL clubs will be taking part in the league stage of the Women’s Champions League – Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Manchester United is home to players like Ella Toone and Jess Park; Arsenal boasts players including Leah Williamson, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly, and Chelsea have the likes of Hannah Hampton and Lucy Bronze.  

Lionesses fans should also keep their eye out for England midfielder Georgia Stanway firing shots from outside the box for German club Bayern Munich, while World Cup final hero Mary Earps can be seen between the sticks for French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Euros player of the tournament Aitana Bonmatí also plays for Barcelona alongside Spanish teammates Alexia Putellas, Clàudia Pina and Salma Paralluelo. 

Before Arsenal claimed the Champions League title at the final in Lisbon last year, it had been 10 years since a team that wasn’t Barcelona or Lyon had won the competition.

But with new teams entering the tournament for the first time – and Arsenal showing that both Lyon and Barcelona aren’t undefeatable – this year’s competition really is anyone’s game.

Chelsea, who have now won the WSL six times in a row and nine overall, are yet to get their hands on the trophy, but Arsenal will want to go back-to-back with another win. And that’s not forgetting the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Wolfsburg.

The final will take place in Oslo, Norway in May, and it really is all to play for. We can’t wait for the action to get started.

Every game of the UEFA Women’s Champions League 2025/26 is available to watch live on Disney+ as part of existing subscriptions. BBC Sport will also be showing seven live matches – including the final – starting with Manchester United vs Paris Saint-Germain on 12 November.

The first games, which kick off tonight (7 October) include Juventus vs Benfica (5:45pm), Arsenal vs Lyon (8pm), Paris FC vs Oud-Heverlee Leuven (8pm) and Barcelona vs Bayern Munich (8pm). 

Image: Getty