Story perspectives

Barcelona tops UWCL power rankings ahead of 2026-27 season

By Drooid · Sep 22, 2026, 10:19 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Barcelona Enters Champions

Barcelona enters 2026-27 UEFA Women’s Champions League as defending champion and tops power rankings with six first-place votes.
Barcelona loses Alexia Putellas, Mapi León, Ona Batlle and Salma Paralluelo, but signs Brazilian winger Kerolin.
The league phase begins Sept 22, 2026, with 18 teams playing six matches each through Dec 16.
The final will be held at Warsaw’s Stadion Narodowy in May 2027.

Summary

Arsenal Hosts UWCL

Disney+ will exclusively stream all 75 Arsenal UWCL live matches.
Arsenal will host its UWCL group-stage games at Meadow Park in Borehamwood.
Ballard Capital, owned by Angie and Chris Long, holds the majority stake in HB Køge.
The U.S. investment brought American players to Køge, including former Arsenal goalkeeper Kaylene Marckese.
Arsenal’s Pot 1 draw matches them with Lyon at home and Barcelona away.

History

Historical Context

UEFA launched its first women’s club competition in August 2001, the 2001-02 UEFA Women’s Cup, which 1. FFC Frankfurt won 2–0 over Umeå IK. The tournament arrived as UEFA was expanding women’s football after establishing a national-team championship in 1984 and a period of German dominance in the 1990s. Its modest start set the stage for the 2026-27 UWCL, the competition’s latest edition.

1 of 3

Barcelona Enters Champions

Barcelona enters 2026-27 UEFA Women’s Champions League as defending champion and tops power rankings with six first-place votes.
Barcelona loses Alexia Putellas, Mapi León, Ona Batlle and Salma Paralluelo, but signs Brazilian winger Kerolin.
The league phase begins Sept 22, 2026, with 18 teams playing six matches each through Dec 16.
The final will be held at Warsaw’s Stadion Narodowy in May 2027.

1 / 3