Gareth Taylor‘s side will learn our Round of 32 fate at 11:00 UK (12:00 CET) on 24 November 2020.
City are amongst the top six highest UEFA coefficients and are therefore seeded and placed in a separate pot to the other eight unseeded teams.
Here’s everything you need to know about the competition and the draw, which takes place in Nyon, Switzerland...
Brief history
The Women’s Champions League is Europe’s elite club competition.
Originally named the UEFA Women’s Cup, it debuted in the 2001/02 season before being rebranded for the 2009/10 campaign when, for the first time, the runners-up from the top eight ranked nations were able to participate.
The format of the final was also changed, becoming a single match played in the same city as the men’s tournament as opposed to a two-legged contest.
Seven-time winners and current holders Lyon are the most successful club in the history of the competition.
Arsenal are the only English side to have won the tournament, defeating Umea 1-0 over two legs in April 2007.
Format
The tournament involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA.
In contrast to the men’s tournament, there is no group stage in the current UWCL format.
However, the UEFA administration has formed four groups of eight teams for the draw based on these principles:
- Seeding of clubs based on the club coefficient rankings
- In every group an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams (four each)
- No club can meet a team from their own association
- Covid-19 travel restrictions
- Each tie will involve one seeded club and one unseeded club
- The seeds will play the second leg at home
All clubs in the four groups have been ordered randomly and identified by a number: 1 to 4 for the seeded teams and 5 to 8 for the unseeded teams.
Seeding groups
Group 1:
Seeded
1: Fortuna Hjørring (DEN)
2: Lyon (FRA, holders)
3: Barcelona (ESP)
4: Zürich (SUI)
Unseeded
5: St. Pölten (AUT)
6: Pomurje (SVN)
7: Juventus (ITA)
8: PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Group 2:
Seeded
1: BIIK-Kazygurt (KAZ)
2: Wolfsburg (GER)
3: LSK Kvinner (NOR)
4: Rosengård (SWE)
Unseeded
5: Lanchkhuti (GEO)
6: WFC-2 Kharkiv (UKR)
7: ŽFK Spartak (SRB)
8: FC Minsk (BLR)
Group 3:
Seeded
1: Brøndby (DEN)
2: Slavia Praha (CZE)
3: Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
4: Manchester City (ENG)
Unseeded
5: Göteborg (SWE)
6: Vålerenga (NOR)
7: Fiorentina (ITA)
8: Górnik Łęczna (POL)
Group 4:
Seeded
1: Bayern München (GER)
2: Chelsea (ENG)
3: Atlético Madrid (ESP)
4: Glasgow City (SCO)
Unseeded
5: Sparta Praha (CZE)
6: Ajax (NED)
7: Benfica (POR)
8: Servette (SUI)
Each tie will involve one seeded club and one unseeded club
The Round of 32 matches will take place 9/10 and 15/16 December, and the seeds will play the second leg at home.
The contenders
Seeded
Lyon (FRA, holders) 145.680
Wolfsburg (GER) 114.090
Barcelona (ESP) 102.140
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) 98.680
Bayern München (GER) 78.090
Manchester City (ENG) 69.645
Slavia Praha (CZE) 65.365
Chelsea (ENG) 63.645
Rosengård (SWE) 59.015
Atlético Madrid (ESP) 47.140
Fortuna Hjørring (DEN) 46.385
Brøndby (DEN) 45.385
LSK Kvinner (NOR) 44.075
BIIK-Kazygurt (KAZ) 38.570
Glasgow City (SCO)* 36.590
Zürich (SUI) 34.920
Unseeded
Sparta Praha (CZE) 31.365
Fiorentina (ITA) 29.065
FC Minsk (BLR)* 25.270
St. Pölten (AUT)* 23.950
Ajax (NED) 23.890
ŽFK Spartak (SRB)* 20.615
Göteborg (SWE) 20.015
Juventus (ITA) 17.065
PSV Eindhoven (NED) 10.890
Vålerenga (NOR)* 9.075
Górnik Łęczna (POL)* 8.285
Servette (SUI) 7.920
WFC Pomurje (SVN)* 6.980
WFC-2 Kharkiv (UKR)* 4.800
SL Benfica (POR)* 3.960
Lanchkhuti (GEO)* 0.000
*Came through qualifying.
Key dates
Round of 32: 9/10 and 15/16 December 2020
Round of 16 draw: 16 February
Round of 16: 3/4 and 10/11 March 2021
Quarter-final and semi-final draw: 12 March 2021
Quarter-finals: 23/24 March and 31 March/1 April 2021
Semi-finals: 24/25 April and 1/2 May 2021
Final: 16 May 2021 (Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg)
City’s European history
City made our Champions League debut in the 2016/17 campaign, having finished second in the FA WSL in 2015.
An incredible debut campaign saw Cushing’s side reach the semi-finals, defeating Zvezda Perm (6-0 on aggregate), Brondby (2-1 agg.) and Fortuna Hjorring (2-0 agg.) before falling to the eventual competition winners Lyon (3-2 agg.)
City ended the 2016 domestic season as league and Continental Tyres Cup champions to qualify to the 2017/18 tournament. and repeated the success of the previous year, defeating St Polten (6-0 agg.), Lillestrom (7-1 agg.) and Linkoping (7-3 agg.) before once again being edged out by Lyon in the last four.
The 2018/19 would prove unsuccessful, as City fell at the first hurdle, losing to Atletico Madrid over two legs in the Round of 32, but the domestic cup double winners secured progression to our fourth successive European tournament with a top-two finish in the FA WSL.
The Spanish outfit would edge us out for the second successive season in 2019/20, as Cushing’s side fell to a 3-2 aggregate defeat to the Primera División Champions at the last 16 stage, drawing 1-1 in Manchester before suffering a 2-1 reverse at the Centro Deportivo Wanda, courtesy of a Steph Houghton own-goal and a second half Angela Sosa strike.
Pauline Bremer netted a consolation late on but it would prove too little, too late, as the 2017 and 2018 semi-finalists were eliminated.
Champions of Europe
City stars Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood both lifted the Champions League trophy with Lyon in 2019/20.
For Lucy, it marked a hat-trick of European successes, as she claimed her third successive medal.
Joining City in September, the pair say they hope to help City and the FA Women’s Super League become dominant forces on the continent.
