Key Highlights
- Stina Blackstenius’ second-half goal sealed the historic win, meaning head coach Renee Slegers would lift silverware in her first year in charge of the WSL side, having replaced Jonas Eidevall early in the campaign. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementArsenal’s run to the final included two comeback victories in the knockout stages, beating Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-final, having been 2-0 down after the first leg, before overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit to beat eight-time champions OL Lyonnes 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-final. Gotham, meanwhile, were the winners of the inaugural Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup, beating Mexican side Tigres 1-0 in a tense final in May, thanks to Esther Gonzalez’s 82nd-minute winner.
- The NWSL side has also qualified for the semi-finals of this year’s competition, where it will face Club America in May. Brazilian side Corinthians booked their Champions Cup spot as Conmebol’s representation in the tournament by beating Deportivo Cali 5-3 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in October’s Copa Libertadores Femenina final. What is the tournament?
- Where is it?The Women’s Champions Cup, introduced by FIFA alongside the separate Women’s Club World Cup, pits the six continental club champions against one another.
- Essentially, the winners of each top-tier continental competition organised by their respective governing body from the previous season: the UEFA Champions League, Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup, and equivalent for each continent. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Women’s Champions Cup is split into three separate stages: Round 1, Round 2 and the ‘final phase’. Round 1 was completed back in October, as Wuhan Chegu Jiangda WFC, last season’s AFC Champions League winners, defeated Auckland United, last year’s OFC Champions League winners, 1-0 at Wuhan Sports Centre Stadium. Round 2, played on December 14, saw Moroccan club, ASFAR — representing CAF — come from 1-0 down to defeat Wuhan Chegu Jiangda 2-1 and book their spot in the final phase, which comprises two semi-finals, a third-placed match and the final. It was announced in December that Brentford’s 17,250-capacity Gtech Community Stadium will host both semi-finals, taking place on January 28, and Arsenal’s 60,700-capacity Emirates Stadium will be the venue for the third-placed match and final, both taking place on February 1. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJill Ellis, FIFA’s chief football officer, said, in a briefing attended by The Athletic, that ticket sales, the climate, infrastructure and broadcasting scope were all factored into the decision to host the inaugural Champions Cup in London, while Arsenal’s large fanbase was al.