UEFA Women's Champions League: All You Need to Know About the Knockout Stage | OneFootball

While the NWSL is currently in its offseason, women’s soccer in Europe is about to enter the business end of the campaign.

The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the continent's primary competition where the top clubs across its nations battle it out for the biggest prize. Among the previous winners is American businesswoman Michele Kang’s Lyon, global powerhouse Barcelona and German giants Wolfsburg.

This season’s edition of the competition began last summer with the qualifying rounds followed by the group stage over the fall months. Four groups of four teams battled it out for the final eight spots in the competition and those have now been decided.

Here, Sports Illustrated have put together all you need to know about the knockout stage, who has qualified and when all the key dates are.

When is the draw?

The draw for the rest of the competition will take place in Nyon, Switzerland on February 7, with the full procedure still to be confirmed by UEFA. The quarter-final and semi-final ties will both be played over two legs.

Who has qualified?

English club Arsenal came top of their group / IMAGO/Nina Farooqi

Eight teams have qualified for the knockout rounds of the competition which was determined by where teams placed in the group stage. The top two in each of the four groups progressed, while those who finished third or fourth were eliminated.

In group A, eight-time winners Lyon finished top and will be in the draw. German giants Wolfsburg, who last reached the final in 2023, have also qualified.

Chelsea were the winners of Group B having won each of their six games. Real Madrid finished second behind the English club with four victories.

The second Women’s Super League (WSL) club to qualify was Arsenal as they topped Group C after winning their final game against Bayern Munich. The German club finished two points behind and also progressed into the knockout rounds.

Finally, current holders Barcelona qualified top of Group D, despite finishing level on 15 points with Manchester City, who will also be in the draw for the next rounds. The Spanish club’s superior goal difference placed them at the top of the table.

When are the knockout stages?

French club Lyon have won the Champions League a historic eight times / IMAGO/ANP

As mentioned, the quarter-final and semi-final ties will be played over two legs in March and April. The first leg of the quarter-finals are set to be contested on the 18 and 19 of March, followed by the second leg on the 26 and 27 of March.

Those that progress to the semi-finals will play the first leg on the 19 and 20 April, which will be closely followed by the second on the 26 and 27 April with a place in the final up for grabs.

When and where  is the final?

This year's tournament final will be played in Lisbon / IMAGO/NurPhoto

This year’s UEFA Women’s Champions League final will take place on Saturday, May 24 at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal. This will be the second Women’s Champions League final to take place in the country with the last staged in Lisbon back in 2014 when Wolfsburg beat Swedish side Tyreso 4-3.

The Jose Alvalade stadium has a capacity of 50,000 and is the home of Portuguese side Sporting CP. The stadium is named after the club’s founder and first club member in the early twentieth century.