Barcelona host Arsenal at Camp Nou in Women's Champions League
Barcelona host Arsenal at Spotify Camp Nou on Thursday, 12 November, in the Women's Champions League. Kick-off is 17:45 GMT, or 6:45pm in Barcelona.
Barcelona come into the match unbeaten in the competition so far. They have won all three of their league-phase games this season and scored 19 goals, according to BBC Sport. The league phase is the opening stage, where every club plays a set number of matches before the knockout rounds begin. Their early results include a 5-2 win over Paris FC at the Estadi Johan Cruyff and an 8-0 win away at Køge in Denmark.
Arsenal are in a different position. They have seven points from three matches, which puts them fifth in the table. A win earns three points and a draw earns one. Back home, they sit sixth in the Women's Super League, England's top division, after a run of five games without a win that ended in October.
The two clubs have history. Arsenal beat Barcelona in the 2025 Women's Champions League final, less than five months after Renee Slegers was named permanent manager. Barcelona have still won four of the last six titles, so the trophy has mostly stayed in Catalonia.
The summer changed a lot at Barcelona. Alexia Putellas, a three-time Ballon d'Or winner, the award for the best player in the world, left to join London City Lionesses. Her former team-mate, defender Mapi Leon, moved to the same club. Full-back Ona Batlle joined Arsenal, so a familiar face will be on the other side. Salma Paralluelo left for Lyon. Aitana Bonmatí, another three-time Ballon d'Or winner, came through Barcelona's La Masia youth academy and remains at the heart of the team.
Barcelona have also collected plenty of individual honours. Goalkeeper Cata Coll was named Goalkeeper of the Year at the Ballon d'Or gala in London. Coach Pere Romeu won Coach of the Year, the first Barça coach to take the award in either the women's or men's game. Three Barça players were named in the 2026 FIFPRO World XI, a team of the year picked by the players' union. Vicky López also kept the Young Talent of the Year award, given to the best under-21 player.
Their season has not been spotless. Real Sociedad beat Barça Femení 2-1 in Zubieta, the first points the club had dropped this season. That loss came in the domestic league, not in Europe.
For a neutral watching at home, Thursday's match is a clear test. Barcelona have the form and the record. Arsenal have the memory of that 2025 final and a squad still settling into its shape. The result will shape how both clubs look in the league phase, with the knockout rounds to follow.
