City’s Champions League opponents: All you need to know

Get the lowdown on Manchester City’s UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage opponents.

Gareth Taylor’s side secured passage into the competition proper for the first time since 2020/21 thanks to an emphatic 8-0 aggregate win over Paris FC in Round Two qualifying.

After our progression, we have been drawn in Group D alongside Barcelona, St Polten and Hammarby. 

The group stage will be played across October, November and December with two matches taking place in each month – stay close to mancity.com and our official app for confirmed ticket and fixture details.

Here we take a look at each sides we’ll face in greater detail.

BARCELONA

Barcelona enter this year’s competition as reigning champions after a 2-0 win over Lyon in 2024’s showpiece in Bilbao.

The Catalan giants have, in fact, won the prestigious tournament three times in their illustrious history including 2023 – meaning they’ve triumphed in each of the past two seasons.

However, they have a new face leading them this campaign with Pere Romeu stepping up form assistant manager to take the reins from Jonatan Giraldez.

City last faced Barcelona at the quarter-final stage in 2021 where we suffered a 4-2 aggregate defeat.

Despite winning the second leg 2-1 at the Joie Stadium, our tournament ended at the last-eight stage having been edged out 3-1 in Spain.

Our meeting with Romeu’s side will also see Keira Walsh and Ellie Roebuck return to face their former employer having made a combined 347 appearances for the Blues.

Alongside the England internationals, Barcelona also have current Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati and winner of the award in 2022 and 2021, Alexia Putellas.

Barcelona play their matches Estadi Johan Cruyff, a 6,000 capacity stadium in the heart of the city.

ST POLTEN

Austrian outfit St. Polten confirmed their place in the group stage thanks to qualification wins over Neftchi Baku, Vllaznia and ZNK Mura.

During their progression into the competition proper, Kamila Dubcover scored three times after signing for the club from AC Milan this summer.

Led by Celia Brancao in the dugout, St. Polten won the OFB-Frauenliga for a fourth straight time last term which also represented their eighth in total, the joint third most in the division’s history.

The 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League represents their seventh time competing in Europe and their first since 2019/20, meaning this will also be their first taste of the group stage.

Throughout their tournaments in the competition, they reached the Round of 32 in each which included City’s meeting with them in 2017/18.

Nick Cushing’s side recorded a 6-0 aggregate victory following respective 3-0 wins in the first and second leg.

They play their matches between NV Arena and SPORT.CENTER. Lower Austria.

HAMMARBY

Following a dramatic 3-2 aggregate victory over Benfica in Round Two qualifying, Hammarby were drawn from Pot 4 to complete Group D.

Within the Swedish side’s ranks is former City midfielder Julie Blaksdtad who played a starring role in their fixtures against the Portuguese team.

She scored in their 2-1 first-leg defeat before netting again in the second ahead of Cathinka Tandberg's injury time winner which secured a 2-0 win and progression into the competition proper.

City’s home and away fixtures with them will represent the first meetings between the sides during what will be Hammarby’s maiden European campaign after their Damallsvenskan’s triumph in 2023.

Martin Sjögren’s leads the team who play their home matches at Hammarby IP.