Key Points
- Arsenal Women host OL Lyonnes in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final first leg on Sunday, 26 April at Emirates Stadium, kick-off 3:30 pm.
- The return leg takes place at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in France on Saturday, 2 May at 3 pm.
- Arsenal are the reigning Women’s Champions League holders, having beaten Barcelona 1-0 in last year’s final in Lisbon through a Stina Blackstenius goal.
- This is a rematch of last year’s semi-final: Arsenal overturned a 2-1 first-leg defeat to win 4-1 in Lyon, advancing 5-3 on aggregate.
- Lyon have won seven of their previous ten meetings with Arsenal in UEFA competition.
- Arsenal’s top scorer this season is Alessia Russo with eight Champions League goals. Lyon’s danger woman is Melchie Dumornay, who has scored in both legs of their semi-finals in each of the last two seasons.
- The 2026 Women’s Champions League final will be held on 23 May at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway.
- The match is available live on Disney+ in the UK.
North London, (North London News) April 21, 2026 – Arsenal Women are back in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals, and this time they are doing it as defending champions. Standing in their way once again is OL Lyon, eight-time winners of the competition and the one side Arsenal know better than any other at this stage. The first leg takes place at the Emirates Stadium this Sunday, 26 April at 3:30 pm.
Twelve months ago, Arsenal came to this exact fixture as underdogs. Lyon won the first leg 2-1 at the Emirates, with Melchie Dumornay scoring twice to give the French side what looked like a decisive advantage. What followed was one of the greatest nights in Arsenal Women’s history. Renée Slegers’ side travelled to France and produced a stunning 4-1 victory. They advanced 5-3 on aggregate, went to Lisbon, and beat FC Barcelona 1-0 in the final through Stina Blackstenius to become champions of Europe.
This time, they arrive with the weight of that crown on their shoulders. Lyon is not the same side. New coach Jonatan Giraldez, previously the architect of Barcelona’s Champions League glory, has reshaped the squad. They are unbeaten in 17 consecutive Women’s Champions League group stage matches and needed extra time to overcome Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals, showing a ruthless edge when it matters most.
The danger woman remains Melchie Dumornay. The Haitian international has scored in both legs of Lyon’s semi-finals in each of the last two seasons and has a particular habit of punishing Arsenal specifically. She scored twice in the first leg last year and will arrive at the Emirates with confidence. Arsenal must find a way to contain her.
Going forward, Renée Slegers will look to Alessia Russo, who leads the Women’s Champions League scoring charts this season with eight goals. Russo was outstanding in last year’s comeback, scoring in the second leg in France, and her physical presence and finishing will be central to Arsenal’s hopes of taking a lead into the second leg. Mariona Caldentey and Leah Williamson will also be key to how Arsenal control the tempo at home.
Manager Slegers spoke with quiet confidence ahead of the match. “We’re very excited,” she said.
“We’re very proud of what we did last year, but we start from scratch. They have a new coach, and we’re extremely humble…we look forward to this occasion.”
