The 2026 UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout play-offs produced eye-catching results in the first legs: heavy away wins for Arsenal and Manchester United, while Real Madrid edged Paris FC and the tie between Juventus and VfL Wolfsburg stayed finely poised after a draw. Those opening results leave several heavyweights on the brink and set up tense second legs next week.
With the seeded quarter-final spots already occupied by the automatic qualifiers — Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea and Bayern München — the play-offs will decide which four challengers join them.
The winners on aggregate will move on to the two-legged quarter-finals and, ultimately, a single-match final at Ullevaal Stadion on 23 May 2026.
Arsenal is the winner of the 2026 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and is looking for the 2nd title in the 2026 Women’s Schedule.
The Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo will host the final. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used from the League Phase onwards. Arsenal (2nd title) is the defending champion, and this time the squad has almost qualified for the semifinal stage.
2026 UEFA Women’s Champions League Knockout Play‑offs: Format Explained
First-leg headlines: Arsenal (4–0), Manchester United (3–0), Real Madrid (3–2 win away), Juventus 2–2 Wolfsburg.
Second legs: Scheduled for 18–19 February 2026 — seeded teams host the return ties.
Path forward: Aggregate winners from the play-offs join the four automatic quarter-final seeds; quarter-finals are two legs (24–25 March & 1–2 April); semis follow in late April; and the final is a one-off on 23 May in Oslo.
What Are the Knockout Play‑offs?
From 2026 UEFA Women’s Champions League will use a single 18‑team league phase instead of four-team groups. Each club plays six games (three home, three away) against six different opponents in one big table.
- 1st–4th place: Go directly to the quarter‑finals (seeded).
- 5th–12th place: Enter the knockout play‑offs (home‑and‑away).
- 13th–18th place: Eliminated.
The knockout play‑offs decide the final four quarter‑final places: winners of the four ties join Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea and Bayern München, who qualified automatically from the league phase.
- Draw date: 18 December 2025 (House of European Football, Nyon).
- First legs: 11–12 February 2026.
- Second legs: 18–19 February 2026.
Teams ranked 5–8 in the league phase are seeded and play the second leg at home against teams ranked 9–12.
Teams in the 2026 Knockout Play‑offs
According to UEFA’s draw and fixtures, the eight clubs involved are:
- Seeded (league positions 5–8):
- Arsenal
- Manchester United
- Real Madrid
- Juventus
- Unseeded (league positions 9–12):
- Wolfsburg
- Paris FC
- Atlético de Madrid
- OH Leuven
These eight clubs are fighting for four places in the quarter‑finals.
Knockout Play‑off Fixtures & Schedule
First‑Leg Results (11–12 February 2026)
Played at the unseeded teams’ home grounds:
- OH Leuven 0–4 Arsenal
- Paris FC 2–3 Real Madrid
- Wolfsburg 2–2 Juventus
- Atlético de Madrid 0–3 Manchester United
Arsenal and Manchester United put themselves in very strong positions with big away wins, while Real Madrid edged Paris FC and Juventus–Wolfsburg remains finely balanced.
Second‑Leg Fixtures (18–19 February 2026)
Second legs are at the seeded teams’ stadiums:
- Wednesday 18 February 2026
- Real Madrid 2–0 Paris FC
- Arsenal 3–1 OH Leuven
- Thursday 19 February 2026
- Juventus 0–2 Wolfsburg
- Manchester United 2–0 Atlético Madrid
Winners on aggregate across the two legs advance to the quarter‑finals.
What Happens Next? Path to the Final
Starting from the quarter-finals, all matchups are played over two legs, home and away, leading up to a single-match final in Oslo.
Quarter‑finals:
- Seeded: Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea, Bayern München.
- Unseeded: 4 winners from the knockout play‑offs.
- First legs: 24–25 March 2026
- Second legs: 1–2 April 2026
- Manchester United vs Bayern Munich – 25 Mar (1st Leg) | 1 Apr (2nd Leg)
- Real Madrid vs Barcelona – 25 Mar (1st Leg) | 2 Apr (2nd Leg)
- Arsenal vs Chelsea – 24 Mar (1st Leg) | 1 Apr (2nd Leg)
- VfL Wolfsburg vs Lyon – 24 Mar (1st Leg) | 2 Apr (2nd Leg)
Semi-finals
- First legs: 25–26 April 2026
- Second legs: 2–3 May 2026
- Winner QF1 vs Winner QF2 – 25–26 Apr (1st Leg) | 2–3 May (2nd Leg)
- Winner QF3 vs Winner QF4 – 25–26 Apr (1st Leg) | 2–3 May (2nd Leg)
2026 UEFA Women’s Champions League final
- Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 – 23 May 2026, 18:00 – Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo
