How to Get into Watching the Women’s Champions League in 2023
The UEFA Women’s Champions League is a tournament held in Europe that includes the top club teams from various leagues and countries across Europe. The 2022-23 UWCL tournament is currently underway. The final is scheduled for June 3, 2023, at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
The tournament begins with a total of 71 teams participating in the beginning rounds of the tournament. Once 16 teams are remaining, the teams are split into four groups of four.
The top two teams from each group then move on to the quarterfinal rounds, with matches determined by a draw. Each group winner is drawn against a different group runner-up, and the matchups will be played with two legs, allowing each team to play both home and away.
For the 2022-23 UEFA WCL tournament, the quarterfinal and semifinal draw is set to be held on February 10, 2023, with the next set of matches to be held on March 21 and 22. The eight teams that have advanced to the quarterfinals are:
- Chelsea (Group A winner)
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Wolfsburg (Group B winner)
- Roma
- Arsenal (Group C winner)
- Olympique Lyon
- FC Barcelona (Group D winner)
- Bayern Munich
Fans can watch Women’s Champions League matches on DAZN by signing up for a subscription, or fans can watch each match for free on DAZN’s UWCL Youtube Channel.
Key Teams
Barcelona
FC Barcelona made it to the championship game last tournament but ultimately fell to Lyon in that match. Barcelona went 5-0-1 in their group matches, losing only to runner-up Bayern Munich 3-1 at the beginning of December. Unfortunately for Barcelona, they have to navigate this tournament without star Alexia Putellas who’s out with an ACL tear.
Even without Putellas in the mix, Barcelona is an exciting team to watch, with playmakers all over the field.
Olympique Lyon
Olympique Lyon is the reigning UEFA Women’s Champions League Champions, having won the tournament for the eighth time last season. This time though, Lyon will have a tougher road ahead as they failed to win their group and enter the quarterfinals as the runner-up of Group C. Lyon went 3-2-1 in the group stage with the one loss coming against group winners Arsenal in a lopsided 5-1 match.
Despite not having the best group play, Lyon is still capable of winning the whole tournament, and they’ll be a team to watch as we move into the quarterfinal matches.
Chelsea
Chelsea has been great this season. In the WSL, they sit atop the table with 27 points and a 9-0-1 record. In Champions League play, they went 5-1-0, with their lone draw coming against Real Madrid. The Blues finished the group stage with a +18 goal differential, only conceding one goal through all six matches. Their biggest victory of the tournament so far was a 3-0 win over group runner-up Paris St. Germain.
This tournament is already better for Chelsea than the 2021-22 campaign, where they failed to advance from the group stage.
Players To Watch
Ewa Pajor
Through six games, Pajor is leading all players with seven goals so far in the tournament for Wolfsburg. The striker also has eight goals for Wolfsburg in Bundesliga through eight matches in the 2022-23 season.
Aitana Bonmati
Bonmati has stepped up big for Barcelona so far in this tournament. So much of Barcelona’s play has run through Bonmati. The midfielder has five goals and five assists so far in the 2022-23 UWCL tournament. If Barcelona looks to make a trip back to the final, Bonmati will be an important factor.
Caitlin Foord
With Vivianne Miedema out for a while with an ACL tear, Caitlin Foord has become the top striker for Arsenal. Foord led Arsenal to a Group C win with four goals and two assists in five matches. The Australian is an experienced goal scorer that will be fun to watch as Arsenal looks to get back to the Champions League final for the first time since 2007.
Featured image via Getty Images
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