Barcelona Tops Women's Champions League Favorites Ranking Despite Losing Four Starters

The league phase of the UEFA Women's Champions League kicks off in just a few days, and there's already plenty to discuss. Eighteen teams, 54 matches, and one clear goal: finish among the top 12 to stay alive. The top four advance straight to the quarterfinals, teams five through 12 play a two-legged knockout tie, and it all wraps up at the final in Warsaw's Stadion Narodowy, between May 28 and 30.

Ahead of the September 22 kickoff, a panel of journalists and editors from across Europe sat down to hand out votes from 1 to 10 and build a ranking of favorites. The results offer some certainties, and plenty of open questions.

Barcelona on top despite an exodus

Nobody's surprised to see Barcelona lead the pack: they've claimed four of the last six titles, including last season's, and the two times they fell short, it was right at the final. Still, this is a different-looking Barça. Four starters from the last final are gone: Alexia Putellas (headed to London City Lionesses), Ona Batlle, Mapi León and Salma Paralluelo. The only major signing was Manchester City forward Kerolin; everything else came from the academy. The fact that the team remains a favorite despite that talent drain says a lot about what Barcelona has in the tank. Aitana Bonmatí, three-time Ballon d'Or winner, is still there, alongside Ewa Pajor, Caroline Graham Hansen and Clàudia Pina up front. The usual concern remains: a lack of squad depth due to the club's financial constraints. Last season they had to lean on academy products like Clara Serrajordi and Aïcha Camara when key players got injured. Will history repeat itself? November 11, when Barça host Arsenal, could be the standout match of the entire league phase.

Six of the ten voters put Barça first, but the other four top votes went to OL Lyonnes, the team that beat, or rather, lost to, the Catalans in the last final. The French side look like the best-positioned challenger to knock Barcelona off the throne. Just look at their 7-1 win over Paris FC in the French league this month: they didn't break through until the 42nd minute, but they scored five in the second half, including a hat trick from Ada Hegerberg. Beyond Paralluelo, they brought in midfielder Caroline Weir on a free transfer, Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer, and young American Lily Yohannes keeps developing. Their league-phase clashes against Chelsea and Arsenal promise fireworks.

Arsenal and Chelsea: confidence and doubt

Arsenal, the 2024-25 champions, sit third as the team with the most turnover in the entire competition. They're still settling in their new signings, though 19-year-old winger Lisa Baum has already made an impression, as have Batlle, Georgia Stanway and goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez. They'll face both Barcelona and OL Lyonnes in the league phase, about as demanding a test as it gets. Chelsea, in fourth, split the panel more than any other team, with votes ranging from second to sixth place. They dominate England like nobody else, but have never won the Champions League. They bolstered the attack with Melvine Malard (a club-record signing, close to £850,000) and Manaka Matsukubo, voted best midfielder in the NWSL. But they had to go through the qualifying round for the first time after finishing third in the WSL, in a campaign that yielded only the League Cup. Manager Sonia Bompastor has her reputation on the line in this Champions League.

From Bayern to PSG: the rest of the pack

Bayern Munich (fifth) arrive as back-to-back semifinalists, with Klara Bühl and Pernille Harder leading the attack, though they'll need to fill the gap left by Stanway and Caruso in midfield. Manchester City (sixth) return after a year away from Europe having finally ended a decade-long league drought in the WSL; they re-signed Khadija "Bunny" Shaw and added Beth Mead and Niamh Charles, though questions remain about squad depth. Real Madrid (seventh) are betting big on young Felicia Schröder, signed for roughly $1.5 million and with 52 goals in 74 matches since 2023. She's scored in all three of her matches for the club, though she was sent off in the 55th minute of her league debut against Real Sociedad. BK Häcken (eighth) are the only Scandinavian team to receive votes, arriving as champions of the inaugural women's Europa Cup, led by Elena Sadiku, a Ballon d'Or nominee for best coach. AS Roma (ninth) are counting on captain Manuela Giugliano, who combined for 17 goals and assists last season. And PSG round out the top 10, looking to bounce back after a campaign without a single win and just four goals scored; their 6-2 qualifying win over Eintracht Frankfurt restored some credibility.

Last season we had to rely on academy players and we're still considered favorites.Source close to Barcelona's coaching staff

Juventus, Inter Milan, Benfica and Paris FC picked up scattered votes, missing the top 10 but still capable of pulling off a surprise. The league phase is just getting started, and there are already plenty of reasons not to miss a single match.