UEFA Women's Champions League: Meet the quarter-finalists

The road to the UEFA Women's Champions League final at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon on 24 May is set after the last-eight ties were drawn as well as the potential semis. 

We introduce the contenders.

• Holders Barcelona are joined by fellow former champions Arsenal, Lyon and Wolfsburg.
• Chelsea are former runners-up, while Bayern and Man City are past semi-finalists. Real Madrid have made the last eight once before.
• Arsenal and Lyon are in the quarter-finals for a joint-record 16th time.
• Barcelona and Lyon are the only two teams to have got through the group stage in all four seasons under this format, while Man City have done so for the first time.
• England is the first nation to have three teams in the quarter-finals in the same season.

Real Madrid vs Arsenal

• No previous meetings in UEFA competition

Real Madrid (ESP)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2023/24): 8
How they qualified: Spanish runners-up; W5-2agg vs Sporting CP (W2-1a, W3-1h)
Group stage: Group B runners-up (L2-3 a vs Chelsea, W4-0 h vs Celtic, W7-0 h vs Twente, W3-2 a vs Twente, W3-0 a vs Celtic, L1-2 h vs Chelsea)
Group stage top scorers: Signe Bruun (5)

Last season: Group stage
Domestic honours: Best league finish – 2nd place x 3
Previous European best: Quarter-finals (2021/22)

Quarter-final record: W0 L1

Previous quarter-finals
2021/22: L3-8agg vs Barcelona (L1-3 h, L2-5 a)

• Madrid were contesting their fourth group stage campaign, having got through qualifying each time (the only team to do so).

Arsenal (ENG)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2023/24): 7
How they qualified: Third place, England; W6-0h vs Rangers, W1-0h vs Rosenborg, W4-1agg vs Häcken (L0-1a, W4-0h)
Group stage: Group C winners (L2-5 a vs Bayern, W4-1 h vs Vålerenga, W4-0 a vs Juventus, W1-0 h vs Juventus, W3-1 a vs Vålerenga, W3-2 h vs Bayern)
Group stage top scorer: Mariona Caldentey, Alessia Russo (4)

Last season: Round 1 final
Domestic honours: 15 x League champions, 14 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Winners (2006/07)

Quarter-final record: W7 L8

Previous quarter-finals
2022/23: W2-1agg vs Bayern (L0-1 a, W2-0 h)
2021/22: L1-3agg vs Wolfsburg (D1-1 h, L0-2 a)
2019/20: L1-2 vs Paris Saint-Germain (n, San Sebastián)
2013/14: L0-3agg vs Birmingham City (L0-1 a, L0-2 h)
2012/13: W4-1agg vs Torres (W3-1 h, W1-0 a)
2011/12: W3-2agg vs Göteborg [now Häcken] (W3-1 h, L0-1 a)
2010/11: W3-3agg away goals vs Linköping (D1-1 h, D2-2 a)
2009/10: L1-4agg vs Duisburg (L1-2 a, L0-2 h)
2008/09: L3-8agg vs Umeå (W3-2 h, L0-6 a)
2007/08: L2-3agg vs Lyon (D0-0 a, L2-3 h)
2006/07: W9-1agg vs Breidablik (W5-0 a, W4-1 h)
2005/06: L2-4agg vs Frankfurt (D1-1 h, L1-3 a)
2004/05: W4-3agg vs Torres (L0-2 a, W4-1 h)
2002/03: W3-1agg vs CSK VV Samara (W2-0 a, D1-1 h)
2001/02: L2-3agg vs Toulouse (D1-1 h, L1-2aet a)

• The Gunners reached the quarter-finals in all their 15 previous (non-consecutive) entries before their round 1 final penalty shoot-out loss to Paris FC last season, and this time around as the only survivors from the opening stage of qualifying. Having taken over a interim head coach after Matchday 2, Renée Slegers was confirmed in the job permanently on 17 January.

Manchester City vs Chelsea

• This is the competition's second all-English tie after Birmingham City beat Arsenal in the 2013/14 quarter-finals; these clubs are regular domestic rivals and indeed will also meet on 15 March in the English Women's League Cup final in Derby and on 23 March in Manchester in the Women's Super League.

Manchester City (ENG)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2023/24): 9
How they qualified: English runners-up; W8-0agg vs Paris FC (W5-0a, W3-0h)
Group stage: Group D runners-up (W2-0 h vs Barcelona, W3-2 a vs St. Pölten, W2-0 h vs Hammarby, W2-1 a vs Hammarby, W2-0 h vs St. Pölten, L0-3 a vs Barcelona)
Group stage top scorer: Khadija Shaw (3)

Last season: Not in competition
Domestic honours: 1 x League champions, 3 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Semi-finals (2016/17, 2017/18)

Quarter-final record: W2 L1

Previous quarter-finals
2020/21: L2-4agg vs Barcelona (L0-3 a played in Monza, W2-1 h)
2017/18: W7-3agg vs Linköping (W2-0 h, W5-3 a)
2016/17: W2-0agg vs Fortuna Hjørring (W1-0 a, W1-0 h)

• City made their group stage debut this season, having lost to Real Madrid in 2021/22 and 2022/23 qualifying.

Chelsea (ENG)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2023/24): 6
How they qualified: English champions
Group stage: Group B winners (W3-2 h vs Real Madrid, W3-1 a vs Twente, W2-1 a vs Celtic, W3-0 h vs Celtic, W6-1 h vs Twente, W2-1 a vs Real Madrid)
Group stage top scorer: Catarina Macario (3)

Last season: Semi-finals
Domestic honours: 7 x League champions, 5 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Runners-up (2020/21)

Quarter-final record: W5 L0

Previous quarter-finals
2023/24: W4-1agg vs Ajax (W3-0 a, D1-1 h)
2022/23: W2-2agg, 4-3pens vs Lyon (W1-0 a, L1-2aet a)
2020/21: W5-1agg vs Wolfsburg (W2-1 h, W3-0 a, both legs in Budapest)
2018/19: W3-2agg vs Paris Saint-Germain (W2-0 h, L1-2 a)
2017/18: W5-1agg vs Montpellier (W2-0 a, W3-1 h)

• Long-serving manager Emma Hayes left in the summer to be replaced by Lyon's Sonia Bompastor, the only person to have won this competition as player and coach.

Wolfsburg (GER) vs Barcelona (ESP)

• Among these side's previous meetings was Barcelona coming back from two down at half-time to win the 2023 final, and the first leg of their semi the year before, watched by a world record 91,648 crowd at Camp Nou.

Previous meetings
2022/23 final: Barcelona 3-2 Wolfsburg (Eindhoven)
2021/22 semi-finals: Barcelona 5-1 Wolfsburg / Wolfsburg 2-0 Barcelona (Barcelona win 5-3agg)
2019/20 semi-finals: Wolfsburg 1-0 Barcelona (San Sebastián)
2013/14 quarter-finals: Wolfsburg 3-0 Barcelona /Barcelona 0-2 Wolfsburg (Wolfsburg win 5-0 agg)

Wolfsburg (GER)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2023/24): 4
How they qualified: German runners-up; W12-0agg vs Fiorentina (W7-0a, 5-0h)
Group stage: Group A runners-up (L0-1 a vs Roma, L0-2 h vs Lyon, W6-0 a vs Galatasaray, W5-0 h vs Galatasaray, W6-1 h vs Roma, L0-1 a vs Lyon)
Group stage top scorers: Sveindís Jónsdóttir, Alex Popp (4)

Last season: Round 2
Domestic honours: 7 x League champions, 11 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Winners (2012/13, 2013/14)

Quarter-final record: W8 L2

Previous quarter-finals
2022/23: W2-1agg vs Paris Saint-Germain (W1-0 a. D1-1 h)
2021/22: W3-1agg vs Arsenal (D1-1 a, W2-0 h)
2020/21: L1-5agg vs Wolfsburg (L1-2 a, L0-3 h, both legs in Budapest)
2019/20: W9-1 vs Glasgow City (n, San Sebastián)
2018/19: L3-6agg vs Lyon (L1-2 a, L2-4 h)
2017/18: W6-1agg vs Slavia Praha (W5-0 h, D1-1 a)
2016/17: L1-2agg vs Lyon (L0-2 h, W1-0 a)
2015/16: W6-0agg vs Brescia (W3-0 h, W3-0 a)
2014/15: W4-4agg, away goals vs Rosengård (D1-1 h, D3-3 a)
2013/14: W5-0agg vs Barcelona (W3-0 h, W2-0 a)
2012/13: W4-1agg vs Rossiyanka (W2-1 h, W2-0 a)

• Wolfsburg had reached a record 11 consecutive quarter-finals before last season's round 2 exit to Paris FC. Jónsdóttir's four goals in the win at Roma that took them through equalled the record for a group stage game.

Barcelona (ESP, holders)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2023/24): 1
How they qualified: Holders, Spanish champions
Group stage: Group D winners (L0-2 a vs Man City, W9-0 h vs Hammarby, W7-0 h vs St. Pölten, W4-1 a vs St. Pölten, W3-0 a vs Hammarby, W3-0 h vs Man City)
Group stage top scorer: Clàudia Pina (5)

Last season: Winners
Domestic honours: 9 x League champions, 10 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Winners (2020/21, 2022/23, 2023/24)

Quarter-final record: W7 L3

Previous quarter-finals
2023/24: W5-1agg vs Brann (W2-1 a, W3-1 h)
2022/23: W6-1agg vs Roma (W1-0 a, W5-1 h)
2021/22: W8-3agg vs Real Madrid (W3-1 a, W5-2 h)
2020/21: W4-2agg vs Manchester City (W3-0 h played in Monza, L1-2 a)
2019/20: W1-0 vs Atlético (n, Bilbao)
2018/19: W4-0agg vs LSK Kvinner (W3-0 h, W1-0 a)
2017/18: L1-3agg vs Lyon (L1-2 a, L0-1 h)
2016/17: W3-0agg vs Rosengård (W1-0 a, W2-0 h)
2015/16: L0-1agg vs Paris Saint-Germain (D0-0 h, L0-1 a)
2013/14: L0-5agg vs Wolfsburg (L0-3 h, L0-2 a)

• Barça, the only team to top their group in all four seasons under this format, are aiming to become the second club after Lyon to win three titles in a row, and also to equal OL's record of reaching five straight finals (between 2016 and 2020).

Bayern München vs Lyon

• These sides met in the 2020 quarter-finals, a one-off tie in Bilbao due to COVID. In both previous seasons Lyon have taken on Bayern, they have gone on to lift the trophy.

Previous meetings
2021/22 group stage: Lyon 2-1 Bayern, Bayern 1-0 Lyon
2019/20 quarter-finals: Lyon 2-1 Bayern (Bilbao)

Bayern München (GER)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2023/24): 5
How they qualified: German champions
Group stage: Group C runners-up (W5-2 h vs Arsenal, W2-0 a vs Juventus, W3-0 h vs Vålerenga, D1-1 a vs Vålerenga, W 4-0 h vs Juventus, L2-3 a vs Arsenal)
Group stage top scorer: Pernille Harder (6)

Last season: Group stage
Domestic honours: 6 x League champions, 1 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Semi-finals (2018/19, 2020/21)

Quarter-final record: W2 L4

Previous quarter-finals
2022/23: L1-2agg vs Arsenal (W1-0 h, L0-2 a)
2021/22: L3-4agg vs Paris Saint-Germain (L1-2 a, D2-2aet h)
2020/21: L3-5agg vs Chelsea (W2-1 h, L1-4 a)
2019/20: L1-2 vs Lyon (n, Bilbao)

• Bayern exited in the group stage last season after conceding a late Paris Saint-Germain equaliser on Matchday 6.

Lyon (FRA)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2023/24): 2
How they qualified: French champions
Group stage: Group A winners (W3-0 h vs Galatasaray, W2-0 a vs Wolfsburg, W3-0 a vs Roma, W4-1 h vs Roma, W6-0 a vs Galatasaray, W1-0 h vs Wolfsburg)
Group stage top scorer: Kadidiatou Diani (4)

Last season: Runners-up
Domestic honours: 17 x League champions, 10 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Winners (2010/11, 2011/12, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2021/22)

Quarter-final record: W13 L2

Previous quarter-finals
2023/24: W6-3agg vs Benfica (W2-1 a, W4-1 h)
2022/23: L2-2agg, 3-4pens vs Chelsea (L0-1 h, W2-1aet a)
2021/22: W4-3agg vs Juventus (L1-2 a, W3-1 h)
2020/21: L2-2agg away goals vs Paris Saint-Germain (W1-0 a, L1-2 h)
2019/20: W2-1 vs Bayern (n, Bilbao)
2018/19: W6-3agg vs Wolfsburg (W2-1 h, W4-2 a)
2017/18: W3-1agg vs Barcelona (W2-1 h, W1-0 a)
2016/17: W2-1agg vs Wolfsburg (W2-0 a, L0-1 h)
2015/16: W9-1agg vs Slavia Praha (W9-1 h, D0-0 a)
2012/13: W8-0agg vs Rosengård (W5-0 h, W3-0 a)
2011/12: W8-0agg vs Brøndby (W4-0 h, W4-0 a)
2010/11: W1-0agg vs Zvezda-2005 (D0-0 a, W1-0 h)
2009/10: W3-1agg vs Torres (W3-0 h, L0-1 a)
2008/09: W9-1agg vs Bardolino Verona (W5-0 a, W4-1 h)
2007/08: W3-2agg vs Arsenal (D0-0 h, W3-2 a)

• Lyon have reached an unmatched 11 finals in winning their record eight titles, and last season added one of the few competition marks they didn't previously hold, equalling Arsenal's tally of quarter-final appearances (which both have now increased from 15 to 16).

Cup winners refers only to main FA national cup in each country.

Women's Champions League dates: Road to Lisbon

Quarter-finals
First leg: 18/19 March
Second leg: 26/27 March

Semi-finals
First leg: 19/20 April
Second leg: 26/27 April

Final (Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon)
24 May

Where is the 2025 UEFA Women's Champions League final being played?

Getty Images

Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon will stage the 2025 UEFA Women's Champions League final on Saturday 24 May.

The home of Sporting CP opened in 2003 ahead of UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal, replacing another stadium of the same name. It hosted a semi-final of that tournament, among other games, and was the venue for the UEFA Cup decider the following year.

The 2025 final will be the second Women's Champions League showpiece to be held in Lisbon after 2014, when Estádio do Restelo staged Wolfsburg's 4-3 win against Tyresö.