Following the rigmarole of two qualifying rounds, the 16 teams in the Women's Champions League group stage have been decided, and history will be made for English clubs in the continent's premier competition.
While Chelsea Women earned a direct ticket into the group stage as the Women's Super League champions, Arsenal Women and Manchester City Women made it through the qualifying rounds to join the Blues in the elite 16.
Arsenal thrashed BK Hacken 4-1 on aggregate on Thursday evening to sail into the group stage, while Man City thumped Paris FC 8-0 over two legs, and the 2024-25 Women's Champions League will feature three WSL clubs for the very first time.
The trio will be among the hopefuls trying to dethrone reigning champions Barcelona, as all roads lead to the final at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on May 25.
Here, Sports Mole runs down everything you need to know about the Women's Champions League group-stage draw.
When is the Women's Champions League group-stage draw?
The 2024-25 Women's Champions League group-stage draw ceremony will be held at 12pm UK time on Friday, September 27, from UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
How can I watch the Women's Champions League group-stage draw?
The draw ceremony will be streamed live on the UEFA website for free, and former Germany midfielder Fatmire Alushi - a 2007 World Cup winner - will be helping with the process as a special guest.
Women's Champions League group-stage draw pots
© Imago
The four direct entrants - Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea and Bayern Munich - were entered into pot one for the draw, while the remaining 12 teams were seeded based on their UEFA coefficient.
Pot 1: Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea, Bayern Munich
Pot 2: Arsenal, Wolfsburg, Real Madrid, Man City
Pot 3: Juventus, St Polten, Roma, FC Twente
Pot 4: Valerenga, Celtic, Hammarby, Galatasaray
Can Arsenal/Man City play Chelsea in the group stage?
Teams from the same UEFA association cannot be drawn into the same group, so Chelsea cannot take on Arsenal or Man City in the first round, although Sonia Bompastor's side could still find themselves in a challenging section with Real Madrid and Juventus.
Meanwhile, Arsenal and Man City are both at risk of drawing Barcelona or last year's runners-up Lyon in the group stage, where the top two teams from the four sections will go straight through to the quarter-finals.
2024-25 Women's Champions League schedule
Group Stage MD1: 8–9 October 2024
Group Stage MD2: 16–17 October 2024
Group Stage MD3: 12–13 November 2024
Group Stage MD4: 20–21 November 2024
Group Stage MD5: 11–12 December 2024
Group Stage MD6: 17–18 December 2024
Quarter-Finals First Legs: 18–19 March 2025
Quarter-Finals Second Legs: 26–27 March 2025
Semi-Finals First Legs: 19–20 April 2025
Semi-Finals Second Legs: 26–27 April 2025
Final: May 25, 2025
Ben Knapton
