The 2025-26 UEFA Women’s Champions League returns with a semifinal matchup of juggernauts on Sunday. Current title holder Arsenal will host UWCL giants OL Lyonnes at Emirates Stadium as they battle for a spot in the Champions League final.
Both teams are coming off quarterfinals in which they lost the first leg, and now they face each other again after kicking off the league phase. In October, OL Lyonnes defeated Arsenal with a come-from-behind, 2-1, win. Now the semifinal legs offer double the rematch scenarios. Arsenal eliminated OL Lyonnes just a year ago during the 2024-25 UWCL semifinals and went on to claim the tournament title.
Arsenal’s start to the current campaign seemed more like an attempt to stay afloat than a title defense. Now the Gunners return to the point of the tournament where they were last year. For OL, the semifinal offers an opportunity to reclaim the glory that’s getting increasingly distant.
Here’s what’s at stake:
How to watch
Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network will each be a one-stop shop for the first leg of the Women’s Champions League semifinals, with both platforms simulcasting all coverage and every minute of the action. Coverage will begin with a new edition of the UEFA Women’s Champions League Today pre-match show before the early match, while studio coverage resumes in between matches and concludes with the post-match show to recap the action on Saturday and Sunday.
Viewing information
All times U.S./Eastern
Semifinals second leg schedule
All times U.S./Eastern
Saturday, May 2
Storylines for UWCL semifinals
Arsenal’s title defense: If there’s comfort in familiarity, then consider Arsenal in cruise control. Not overconfident, but definitely aware of what they are capable of. Despite the league phase being the bumpy part of their campaign, it may have paid off in their current form.
They’re the only team remaining that also had to go through the knockout playoff phase. They made easy work of tournament debutants OH Leuven, outscoring them 7-1, and in the quarterfinals eliminated domestic rivals Chelsea FC in a chaotic finish during the second leg.
The Gunners have the benefit of focusing on another Champions League title as the domestic title is out of reach with just a few games remaining. Though this will be the third meeting against OL in a year, and sometimes facing a familiar foe has its challenges, even if the rivalry is just a budding one.
“We’ve learned a lot from those experiences last year, how much it takes, but it also inspires us to see what we can do and what we’re capable of. Of course, we’re going to face [OL Lyonnes] again, first home and then away, so it’s going to be a big battle. We remember that from last year, but we really look forward to the challenge,” said Arsenal manager Renee Slegers.
The squad will have to manage without Kyra Cooney-Cross, and now Beth Mead, who are unavailable for the match due to personal reasons.
OL Lyonnes, the perennial contenders: The French giants are on the hunt for a ninth Champions League title that has eluded them since 2022. They had an equally impressive start to their UWCL season, and rivaled Barcelona during the league phase, finishing second on the 18-team table on goal differential.
A club with an outrageous amount of talent on the roster, with Tabitha Chawinga and Melchie Dumorney, who have combined for eight goals in the build-up to the semifinal. Alongside veterans Wendie Renard and Ada Hegeberg are multiple Americans, including Korbin Shrader and U.S. women’s national team players Lindsey Heaps and Lily Yohannes.
“We know Arsenal are a top side. But we are not really thinking about the opponent. We’re focused on ourselves, and we know that if we put in our top performance, we can beat anyone. We’ll be prepared,” said Yohannes.
Head coach Jonatan Giraldez’s biggest challenge will be determining the best lineups over the two legs, as the squad remains eager to return to the final.
