Europe's biggest club competition is back, and the journey to the final in Warsaw, Poland starts now. The 2026-27 UEFA Women's Champions League returns on Tuesday with the league phase kicking off.
Eighteen teams, six games, and one table to sort the clubs ahead of knockout rounds. Among the clubs are reigning champions FC Barcelona, whose title defense will look different without Alexia Putellas, with debutants Inter Milan and Austria Wien joining the fray for the first time to offer a mix of contenders and ambitious hopefuls.
Fans can watch all the action across CBS Sports platforms. Paramount+ will live stream all 183 matches each season, the most matches ever made available in the competition's newly expanded format. CBS Sports Network will additionally air one match per matchweek, with select fixtures also broadcast on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
15 Americans will be taking the European stage this #UWCL season 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VAIHRJz5ef
— W Golazo (@WGolazo) September 21, 2026
This is the second season under the expanded single-league format that replaced the former group stage that split clubs into four-team groups. All 18 teams will compete in one table, and each will play six matches, two against opponents from three seeding pots, with three home games and three away fixtures. The UWCL draw produced some intriguing matchups, including some heavyweight head-to-heads with Arsenal meeting Barcelona and OL Lyonnes in later league phase games.
The top four teams in the table after the six games will go on to the quarterfinal rounds, while teams in fifth place through 12th place will compete in the knockout playoff round for the remaining quarterfinal spots.
Here's who we think are the contenders, the underdogs, and the long shots and more:
Schedule
All times U.S./Eastern
Tuesday, Sept. 22 🇪🇺 UWCL: Bayern Munich vs. Man City, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network 🇪🇺 UWCL: Inter vs. Hacken, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network 🇪🇺 UWCL: Arsenal vs. HB Koge, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network 🇪🇺 UWCL: Juventus vs. Benfica, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+ 🇪🇺 UWCL: Real Madrid vs. PSG, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
Wednesday, Sept. 23 🇪🇺 UWCL: OH Leuven vs. Roma, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+ 🇪🇺 UWCL: Servette vs. OL Lyonnes, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network 🇪🇺 UWCL: Barcelona vs. Paris FC, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network 🇪🇺 UWCL: Chelsea vs. Austria Wien, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network
The UWCL contenders
It's no secret that reigning champions FC Barcelona are the new-era favorites. The club has dominated the tournament with seven title-game appearances, six in a row, and has lifted the trophy four times. They will navigate their UWCL campaign without Alexia Putellas, who departed the club to London City Lionesses after 14 seasons in Spain, but will have healthy Aitana Bonmatí ready to kick-start their UWCL season.
Pere Romeu's side are mostly intact, even without Putellas and forward Salma Paralluelo and are built around their technicality in the middle of the pitch and a possession-based style that has defined them during their dominant run. It won't be easy getting back to the final with plenty of other clubs competing for the big prize.
OL Lyonnes fell short in the final last season against Barcelona, and are eager to reclaim the title that once defined them as UWCL royalty. They've added Paralluello, the former Barcelona striker, and have Ballon d'Or nominee Melchie Dumornay as a threat on goal. Not that they need more motivation, but being runners-up twice in the last three seasons will be a big factor.
England also has plenty of representation to have a shot at the title. Chelsea has often been on the outside looking in since their runners-up finish in 2021, and they'll need to manage a sea of change in several areas on the pitch with the departures of Sam Kerr, Guro Reiten, Catatira Macario, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, and Niamh Charles among the losses.
Arsenal were just reigning champions of Europe two seasons ago, and have also said farewell to some key veterans in Katie McCabe and Beth Mead. They welcomed Georgia Stanway into the mix and Spanish defender Ona Batlle. They will host OL Lyonnes in November after home games against Benfica and HB Koge. The Gunners will also have a test when they play away against Barcelona.
Manchester City will compete in the league phase for the first time. As Barclays WSL champions, the squad completes the English trio of teams in UWCL competition. While it's their first experience in the new format, it's easy to see why they would be considered among the tournament's top clubs.
They're led in attack by reigning WSL Golden Boot winner Bunny Shaw and have several Lionesses on the roster, including Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, and they added Beth Mead in the offseason.
The newcomers
It's the first-ever UWCL appearance for Austria Wien and Inter Milan, and everyone loves a debut storyline.
Austria Wien punched their ticket in historic fashion by overturning a first-leg deficit against Brann thanks to a hat trick by Modesta Uka. In the domestic league, they ended St. Polten's run of 10 consecutive titles and earned a domestic double to bring the first major trophies to their current era.
Inter Milan's arrival is equally dramatic. The Nerazzurri qualified with a thrilling comeback during a third qualifying round fixture against Wolfsburg that went to penalties to determine a spot in the Champions League. A highly charged moment for the club to build on in their first tournament appearance.
They'll lean on Belgian international Tessa Wullaert, but will also have former Brown University standout Brittany Raphino to be a threat in front of goal as they begin their UWCL journey.
The long shots
Back in the tournament after some brief absences are HB Koge and Servette FC. In the long shots category, they'll be joined by Roma, Benfica, OH Leuven, and yes, even Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG have truly fallen from Champions League grace, especially after bombing out of last year's league phase as the 17th-place team on an 18-team table. They're back after managing a third-place domestic finish and a qualification victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
HB Koge are fresh off a Danish league and cup double with proven firepower in veteran forward Nadia Nadim. She gives the Danish side an attacking focal point after topping the league scoring charts.
Servette are back in the competition after a four-year absence, following a domestic double of their own in Switzerland. They will have to figure things out without striker Therese Simonsson, who is with RB Leipzig now, but Magdalena Sobal will be a key player in attack.
OH Leuven, last year's debutant darlings, are back for a second consecutive league phase. They reached the knockout play-offs last season, but showed the gap in skill when they were eliminated by Arsenal. They will try to build on the experience with Kadhiya de Ceuster boosting the front line.
Roma are back in the league phase as Italian champions. Their direct berth to another league phase comes after completing their second domestic double in the last three seasons. They crashed out in 14th place last season, and they'll need to find the goal now that they've lost Evelyne Viens and Emilie Haavi.
Benfica are no strangers to the competition, but they are also too familiar with getting eliminated. They're back again after finishing first in Portugal's domestic league, and three new forwards added to the roster with Dutch international Froya Dorsin, Chinese international Ziqin Shao, and Nigerian international Flourish Sabastine mean they have fire power.
The underdogs
Despite a respectable run last year, Bayern Munich will be the likely underdogs once more in a pool that includes Real Madrid, BK Hacken, Juventus, and Paris FC. The Frauen-Bundesliga side are the only German team in the competition this season, and though they lost Georgia Stanway to Arsenal, they'll lean on veteran Danish international Pernille Harder as they retool the squad.
Real Madrid are back in the competition but have to contend with the reality they've lost more than they've gained in the offseason. Former captain and goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez is with Arsenal now, along with top scorer Caroline Weir. The club has essentially handed the franchise over to Linda Caicedo to lead the rebuild.
Juventus are back and will have to contend without longtime captain Cristiana Girelli and now Barbara Bonansea after they were loaned out to NWSL franchises. They'll hope a good draw against the likes of Benfica, Austria Wien, and OH Leuven will aid them.
Back for a sixth UWCL appearance are reigning Women's Europa Cup winners BK Hacken. Sweden's only team in the tournament, led by former player-turned-manager Elena Sadiku. They also have Nigerian international Joy Omew up front to shake up the attack.
Paris FC has officially become the second-best team in France, behind OL Lyonnes. They've often punched above their weight in the tournament, but hope new acquisition Evelyne Viens can generate some chaos alongside Clara Matéo.
What's next
The 2026-27 UWCL league phase begins on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and closes out matchday one on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Matchday two will kick off on Sept. 30.
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