Chelsea face Sociedad in Champions League qualifying

What the report says

Chelsea have been drawn against Spanish club Real Sociedad in the third qualifying round of the Women’s Champions League, according to BBC Sport Football. The first leg will be played at Chelsea on 26 August, with the second leg in Spain a week later on 2 September.

The tie is significant because Chelsea must get past Sociedad to reach the competition’s league phase. BBC Sport noted that Chelsea finished third in last season’s Women’s Super League and were seeded for the draw, which took place at UEFA’s House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. Chelsea are one of the established powers in the English game, while Sociedad finished third in Spain’s Liga F, well behind champions Barcelona.

The article also places Chelsea’s task within the wider qualifying picture. Other notable pairings include Paris St-Germain against Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid versus Ajax, Wolfsburg against Inter Milan and Juventus meeting St Polten. Manchester City and Arsenal have already qualified directly for the league phase, along with holders Barcelona.

As background, the Women’s Champions League uses qualifying rounds to reduce the field before the main league stage, so this meeting will decide whether Chelsea join the teams already through. Chelsea were beaten by Barcelona in the 2021 final, underscoring their recent European pedigree.