Arsenal vs OL Lyonnes Women's Champions League preview: Where to watch, full lowdown

Arsenal and OL Lyonnes meet in their UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final first leg on Sunday 26 April at Arsenal Stadium.

What do you need to know?

Few semi-finals of this competition have been as dramatic as when these teams met at this stage last year. OL won the first leg 2-1 in London, only for Arsenal to surge to a 4-1 success in France before beating Barcelona in the final. That was only Arsenal's second victory against the eight-time European champions, as OL have won seven and drawn one of their past ten meetings. The French side have won all five London encounters with the Gunners, including a 2-1 comeback victory through Melchie Dumornay's double on Matchday 1 of this season.

Like last season, Arsenal have recovered from a slow start this term and, after becoming the first team to eliminate Chelsea in a Women's Champions League quarter-final, are looking formidable. Gunners striker Alessia Russo leads the way as the competition's eight-goal top scorer and is fresh from scoring the winner for England in Iceland in the latest round of Women's European Qualifiers.

However, while Arsenal's semi-final success a year ago was only their second in eight attempts, OL – in a record 15th last-four tie – have progressed to 11 finals. After finishing the league phase unbeaten and level on points with Barcelona at the top of the table, OL lost the first leg of their quarter-final 1-0 to Wolfsburg. But they rallied to go through 4-1 on aggregate, with three extra-time goals in the return, showing their depth by introducing the likes of Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Tabitha Chawinga and Dumornay from the bench to help secure the victory late on.

Form guide

Arsenal
Last six games: LLWWWW (most recent result first)
Last match: Arsenal 0-2 Brighton and Hove Albion, 05/04, Women's FA Cup quarter-finals
Next match: Arsenal vs OL Lyonnes, 26/04, Women's Champions League semi-finals
Where they stand: 3rd in Women's Super League

OL Lyonnes
Last six games: WWDLWW
Last match: Strasbourg 0-6 OL Lyonnes, 05/04, French Cup semi-finals
Next match: OL Lyonnes vs Dijon, 22/04, Première Ligue
Where they stand: 1st in Première Ligue regular season, French Cup final, French League Cup winners

View from the camps

Renée Slegers, Arsenal coach: "We've learned a lot from those experiences last year, how much it takes, but it also inspires us to see what we can do and what we're capable of. Of course, we're going to face [OL Lyonnes] again, first home and then away, so it's going to be a big battle. We remember that from last year, but we really look forward to the challenge."

Lily Yohannes, OL Lyonnes midfielder: "We know Arsenal are a top side. But we are not really thinking about the opponent – we're focused on ourselves and we know that if we put in our top performance, we can beat anyone. We'll be prepared."

Where is the 2026 UEFA Women's Champions League final being played?

UEFA via Getty Images

Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway, will host the 2026 UEFA Women's Champions League final on Saturday 23 May.

The final will be the first UEFA women's club decider to be played in Norway, although Ullevaal – opened in 1926 and renovated on several occasions since – staged the UEFA Women's EURO final in both 1987 and 1997. It is the regular home of the Norway women's and men's national teams. The 2016 men's UEFA Super Cup was also held in Norway, in Trondheim.