Story perspectives

Chelsea Women Draw Real Sociedad in Third Qualifiers

8/11/2026

Summary

Chelsea vs Real

Chelsea Women will face Real Sociedad in the Women's Champions League third qualifying round, with legs on 26 August at Stamford Bridge and 2 September in San Sebastián.
Chelsea qualified after finishing third in the Women's Super League, while Real Sociedad also finished third in Spain’s Liga F, 21 points behind Barcelona.
League-phase clubs earn €505,000 plus bonuses, while losers drop to the Women’s Europa Cup second qualifying round.

Summary

UEFA Draws

The third-qualifying-round draw for the UEFA Women’s Champions League takes place at 11 am BST on 11 August in Nyon, Switzerland and will be streamed on UEFA.com and the Champions League app.
Eighteen clubs, Chelsea, Wolfsburg and Juventus, will be drawn into nine ties split into a Champions Path and a League Path, with no same-association match-ups.
Losers drop to the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup second-qualifying-round, preserving a chance for European competition.

History

Historical Context

UEFA launched the Women’s Cup in 2001, rebranding it as the Women’s Champions League for 2009-10 and adding runners-up from the top eight leagues. The 2009 final saw Turbine Potsdam beat Lyon with a €500,000 prize pool. In 2024 Chelsea faced Real Sociedad in the third-qualifying round, now offering €505,000 per team and a path to the new Women’s Europa Cup.

1 of 3

Chelsea vs Real

Chelsea Women will face Real Sociedad in the Women's Champions League third qualifying round, with legs on 26 August at Stamford Bridge and 2 September in San Sebastián.
Chelsea qualified after finishing third in the Women's Super League, while Real Sociedad also finished third in Spain’s Liga F, 21 points behind Barcelona.
League-phase clubs earn €505,000 plus bonuses, while losers drop to the Women’s Europa Cup second qualifying round.

1 / 3