It’s crunch time for the 2025-26 UEFA Women’s Champions League. The tournament returns with second-leg semifinals action, and the stakes are higher than ever. OL Lyonnes, eight-time title winners, will host reigning champions Arsenal at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, France, with a trip to the Champions League final in Oslo, Norway on the line.
Arsenal hold a one-goal advantage into the away leg, and the group will take any upper hand they can get. Both teams are dealing with roster absences ahead of the big game. Olivia Smith is managing a hip injury, and Emily Fox has a small knock coming off limited minutes. OL Lyonnes will have to adjust as well, with Melchie Dumornay and Salma Bacha questionable as attacking options.
With a spot in the Champions League final, anything is possible. Both sides have been at this point before, and another high-stakes game between them will just grow the budding rivalry.
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
Sunday, May 3
Storylines for UWCL semifinals
Arsenal’s advantages: The Gunners are more than capable of pulling off what was once thought impossible. During their title-winning campaign last season, they were considered underdogs against OL, though this season’s semifinal feels like anyone’s game, even if Arsenal hold a one-goal advantage.
There’s a layer of deja vu in the air for Arsenal, and that’s not a bad thing. Finding themselves in a similar scenario could be a positive omen even with changes on the horizon. Katie McCabe, Arsenal’s fullback stalwart, is rumored to exit the club, as is Beth Mead, who is currently away for personal reasons.
Still, the club has already re-signed Leah Williamson, and the group will be motivated to finish the job they’ve started.
“Last year, we had a tough task, and it rallied us together,” said Arsenal captain Leah Williamson. “I don’t think the mentality will be too different. OL are giants of European football and have a great crowd like we do, so an intensity that matches that occasion will be key. We have to be really clinical, defensively secure and… we’ll see.”
Even with small knocks along the way, Arsenal’s roster is talented and capable, with Emily Fox, Kim Little, Mariona Caldenty, and Alessia Russo. Russo is co-leading the tournament Golden Boot race with Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor, scoring eight goals in the campaign.
Can OL reach the final once more?: The numbers and history speak loudly. OL Lyonnes is UWCL royalty. But the eight-time winners are in pursuit of a ninth title that has been just out of grasp since 2022. The environment will meet the moment, with already 20,000 tickets sold for the big game at Groupama Stadium.
Head coach Jonatan Giráldez is putting his player management on full display, rotating players between domestic play and tournament schedules. The group is taking minimal risk with Melchie Dumornay and Salma Bacha, who have been navigating lingering injuries and were kept off the pitch during a recent draw against Nantes on Friday.
It could mean an American smashburger on Saturday, as U.S. women’s national team players Lindsey Heaps and Lily Yohannes were given a break from domestic play. American teammate Korbin Shrader was also held out, and it could be another American trio competing against Arsenal on Saturday.
“I’m happy with the first half [of the first leg], but we did not perform well in the second half when they started to play a bit more direct, so this is something we will need to improve for the second leg. We are hopeful,” said OL manager Jonatan Giráldez.
“[We need to improve our] consistency. We need to maintain this high level over 90 minutes and [in the first leg] we had good moments but we lost out in some other situations. Everything is still possible.”
