The 2024-25 UEFA Women's Champions League is heating up. The group stage is over and eight teams remain chasing the biggest prize in European club soccer. Now it gets serious.
The 2024/25 edition is set to be the final one in the 16-team format, with a four-team group stage followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. From 2025/26, a 'Swiss model' will be used to mirror the change made on the men's side. Although the UWCL will feature just 18 teams starting next season.
Holders FC Barcelona are still the frontrunners to retain their title at the final in Lisbon on May 24. The Catalan giants have won three of the past four UWCL trophies. And despite losing esteemed head coach Jonatan Giraldez to the Washington Spirit last July, they have shown no signs of slowing down.
Every Team Qualified for the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League Knockout Stage
The full list of teams qualified for the quarterfinals are as follows:
The draw for the quarterfinals is set to take place in Nyon, Switzerland, on February 7. The two-legged elimination matches will then take place between March 18th/19th and March 26th/27th.
The four teams that finished top of their group will be drawn against a team that finished second in their group. However, two teams that featured in the same group cannot be drawn against each other in the quarterfinals. The top seeds will play their second legs at home.
After completing the quarterfinal draw in Nyon, UEFA will also complete a draw for the semifinal to fill out the bracket. So all eight clubs will know the two clubs they could face should they win their respective quarterfinal. There will be no seeding in the semifinal draw. The two semifinal legs are set to take place between April 19th/20th and April 26th/27th.
Of the eight remaining teams, four have previously won the UWCL. Lyon has lifted the most titles with eight (2015-2020, 2021-22), followed by Barcelona with three (2020-21, 2022-2024), then Wolfsburg with two (2012-2014), and finally Arsenal with one (2006-07).
READ THE LATEST WOMEN'S SOCCER NEWS, PREVIEWS, ANALYSIS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Every Team Qualified for the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League Knockouts.
