Women's Champions League knockout phase play-offs first leg: OH Leuven vs Arsenal facts
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
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OH Leuven and Arsenal renew acquaintances as the inaugural UEFA Women's Champions League knockout phase play-offs begins with this first leg in Belgium.
Holders Arsenal won their final three league phase matches to finish fifth in the table on 12 points, debutants OH Leuven picking up six points as they came 12th to take the final play-off spot.
Last match
This is a repeat of the sides' Matchday 6 fixture, Olivia Smith (18) and Beth Mead (27) scoring in Arsenal's 3-0 victory in Leuven on 17 December, the scoring completed by Saar Janssen's 68th-minute own goal.
That was OH Leuven's first fixture against an English club.
Arsenal had played one previous match against Belgian opposition, Jayne Ludlow scoring a hat-trick in a 7-0 victory against Eendracht Aalst during the 2002/03 UEFA Women's Cup group stage.
OH Leuven are making their debut in European competition this season after winning their first Belgian Women's Super League title in 2024/25.
Beginning in the second qualifying round in August, the Belgian side beat SFK 2000 Sarajevo (2-1 aet) and Rosengård (3-2) to reach the third qualifying round, where they overcame Vorskla Poltava 2-0 on aggregate (2-0 a, 0-0 h).
Already the first club from Belgium to appear in the league phase/group stage this season, OH Leuven are now the first Belgian side to contest a knockout tie (excluding qualifying) since Anderlecht, who lost 1-3 on aggregate to BIIK‑Shymkent in the 2019/20 round of 32.
Arsenal lifted the Women's Champions League trophy last season after Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal of the game in their defeat of holders Barcelona in Lisbon. It was their second European title after overcoming Umeå in a two-legged final in 2006/07. They are the only English side to reach two European finals.
This is the Londoners' 18th participation in the Women's Champions League; they topped Group C last season ahead of Bayern, Juventus and Vålerenga and defeated Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals (0-2 a, 3-0 h) before a semi-final comeback victory against OL Lyonnes (2-1 h, 4-1 a) and that final defeat of Barcelona.
Arsenal are therefore in the knockout phase for the second season in a row and the 17th overall.
Key stats
The defeat by Arsenal on Matchday 6 was only OH Leuven's second in their ten European games this season (W4 D4).
All five of OH Leuven's league phase goals were scored in the second half.
The Gunners have won five of their last seven away matches in the Women’s Champions League (L2), defeating Benfica (2-0) on Matchday 2 and losing 2-3 at Bayern München in their next fixture before victory at OH Leuven.
Arsenal lost the first leg in all three of their two‑legged ties in last season's Women's Champions League but went on to win all three.
The English side have not won the first leg in any of their last seven two‑legged European ties (D3 L4).
Mead has scored in Arsenal's last two Women’s Champions League matches; she has never found the net in three in a row.