Women's Champions League Draw: Barcelona favourites to retain crown

The 2023-24 UEFA Women's Champions League knockout stage kicks off next month, and the quarterfinals have just been set for what’s likely to become a record-breaking tournament. 

Seven of the eight quarterfinalists are from different countries, proving the growth of the women’s game, while the tournament's viewership and attendance continue to skyrocket.

While Barcelona are the current title holders and the favourites to retain their crown, Lyon are hot on the Spanish giants’ tail.

Read on for everything you need to know about the next round of the UWCL, including how the knockout stage works, Canadian players to watch and which matchups could be the most dramatic.

How the knockout stage works

The quarterfinals and semifinals take place over two legs, with the group winners at home in the second leg. 

Matches that are tied after 180 minutes will go to extra time, irrespective of the amount of goals each team has scored home and away. If extra time cannot determine a winner, a penalty shootout will take place.

Quarterfinal and semifinal matchups

The UWCL knockout draw, which took place Tuesday at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, was made by former England striker Jodie Taylor and UEFA Managing Director of Women’s Football Nadine Kessler. 

Tuesday’s draw featured the eight teams that finished in the top two of their groups from the group stage. The four group winners (Barcelona, Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea) were seeded and drawn to face the four runners-up (Benfica, SK Brann, AFC Ajax and Häcken). According to UEFA procedure, no team will be allowed to face a side they played in the group stage during the quarterfinals.

The quarters will take place on March 19-20 and 27-28. Brann will play Barcelona, Benfica will take on Lyon, Ajax clash with Chelsea and Häcken match with PSG.

The teams were further paired to decide the potential semifinal ties for administrative reasons. The semis are scheduled for April 20-21 (first leg) and 27-28 (second leg). The first semifinal will feature Bran/Barca vs Ajax/Chelsea, and the second semifinal will showcase the winners of Benfica/Lyon vs Häcken/PSG.

Matches at-a-glance

Brann vs. Barcelona 

These two clubs have not previously met in a UEFA competition. Brann are the first Norwegian side to reach the group stage in only their second European campaign. Despite being the lowest-ranked coefficient, they showed resilience in the group stage with wins over St. Pölten, Slavia Praha and a dramatic tie against Lyon in December.

Barcelona will be a tough opponent for Brann. The Spanish club are the only team to have topped their group in all three tournaments since the new format began in 2021-22. Last season, Jonatan Giráldez’s side reclaimed the title after a thrilling comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2. 

On paper, Barcelona are the clear winners. With the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Golden Ball and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, Spanish soccer veteran Alexia Putellas and breakout youngster Salma Paralluelo, their star power alone should be more than enough to send them to the semifinals. When they’re on their game, Barcelona’s free-flowing passing and quick counter attacks make them unstoppable. However, they still needed a 96th-minute equalizer against Benfica in the group stage to keep their unbeaten record. Brann’s key to the game will be attempting to capitalize on the pressure sitting on Barcelona’s shoulders.

Benfica vs Lyon

These two teams met in the 2021-22 group stage, where Lyon won both legs 5-0. The French champions got through this season’s group stage with two games to spare despite letting go of a two-goal lead in their 2-2 draw with Brann. Lyon now match Arsenal’s tally of making it to 15 UWCL quarterfinals. Their opponents Benfica have been breaking records of their own, too. No Portuguese team has reached the last 16 in any format of the competition until 2021-22; Benfica have now done so three seasons in a row.

However, Filipa Patão’s squad will have it tough against Lyon, who are prolific goal-scorers and Barcelona’s title threats. Kadidiatou Diani and Ada Hegerberg each recorded five goals in the group stage, and Hegerberg, the competition’s top all-time goal scorer, has been in incredible form this season.

Moreover, in December Canadian defender Vanessa Gilles extended her stay with Lyon for the second time, with the 27-year-old’s aerial presence and confidence on the backline impressing the French club. That said, fellow Canadian Marie-Yasmine Alidou has been unstoppable for Benfica, scoring eight goals in nine matches.

Ajax vs. Chelsea

Ajax are the first Dutch side to reach the UWCL group stage and are only the second Dutch quarterfinalist since Saestum in 2006-07. Despite not being favourites in the group stage, they recorded impressive wins over PSG, Roma and Bayern Munich to earn their place in the quarterfinals. Their opponents, Chelsea, are no strangers to this stage of the tournament after bowing out in the semifinals last season to Barcelona. These two teams have never met in a UEFA competition, and their debutant clash is lining up to be interesting.

This will be Chelsea’s eighth and final European campaign under Emma Hayes, so the English giants will be looking to make their longstanding manager proud. However, losing star striker Sam Kerr to injury could prove problematic for the Blues, who rely on the Australian to score goals. Look to Lionesses youngster Lauren James to pick up the slack alongside newly signed forward Mayra Ramírez, while Canadians Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence guard the backline.

For their opponents, keep your eyes on Lily Yohannes, the youngest player to ever start a UWCL group stage game. Against PSG, the 16-year-old neatly threaded the ball into the net in Ajax’s massive win over the French side. Overall, while Chelsea might have the edge, out of any quarterfinal matchup this one could be the tightest.

Häcken vs. PSG

Häcken and PSG met in round two of the competition last season, with Paris winning 2-1 and 2-0. PSG are no strangers to the UWCL, reaching the quarterfinals nine times in 10 seasons. Alternatively, Häcken are newer to this round of the tournament and the first Swedish side to make it to this stage of the competition.

Only days before the group stage started, Häcken narrowly missed out on the Swedish title after Hammarby won on goal difference. As such, Mak Lind’s side will have something to prove. PSG also had a taste of defeat recently, having lost twice in the group stage before recovering to win their group thanks to Marie-Antionette Katoto’s ability to find the net.

In Häcken’s UWCL road so far, Ottawa native Clarissa Larisey has scored one goal in five games and could get the start later in March due to her quick touches and incredible acceleration.

However, PSG could have the edge over Häcken as outside the UWCL, they’ve been in excellent form sitting in second place in Division 1 Féminine behind Lyon. But, soccer can be unpredictable and anything is possible at this stage of the tournament.