UWCL draw: Chelsea face Real Madrid; Barcelona in hard group

Chelsea, 2021 finalists, will face Real Madrid in the group stage of the Women’s Champions League.

Swedish club BK Hacken and French team Paris FC are the other two teams drawn in the same group as Emma Hayes’ team.

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Paris has progressed through two qualifying rounds to reach the group stage. The little-known French team beat Wolfsburg, who lost to Barcelona in last year’s final, and Arsenal, who reached the semi-finals last season.

Defending champions Barcelona will face Benfica, Rosengard and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Women’s Champions League group stage.

Barcelona beat Benfica and Rosengard at the same stage last year.

Paris Saint-Germain was grouped with Bayern Munich, Roma and Ajax, and eight-time champions Lyon will face Slavia Prague, Brann and St. Polten.

Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg, the very first winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or in 2018, could face her sister Andrine, who plays at Brann.

The group stage is scheduled to begin on November 14 and end on January 31. Two teams from each group qualify for the quarter-finals.

The final is scheduled for May 25 in Bilbao, Spain.

Women’s Champions League group stage draw

group A: Barcelona, ​​FC Rosengard, Benfica, Eintracht Frankfurt

Group B: Lyon, Slavia Prague, St Polten, SK Brann

Group C: Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Roma, Ajax

Group D: Chelsea, Real Madrid, BK Hacken, Paris FC