Women's Champions League final: Meet Barcelona and OL Lyonnes
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Article summary
For a record-equalling fourth time, Barcelona and OL Lyonnes will face off in the final, in Oslo on 23 May.
Article top media content
Article body
Barcelona will take on OL Lyonnes in the UEFA Women's Champions League final at Oslo's Ullevaal Stadion at 18:00 CET on Saturday 23 May.
This is the fourth time these teams have met in finals, equalling the record tally of OL vs Wolfsburg. Now through to their 12th showpiece and hoping for a ninth victory, OL beat Barcelona in 2019 and 2022. Barcelona gained revenge in 2024 for the third of their current three titles, and they have also broken one OL record by reaching a sixth final in a row.
Barcelona vs OL Lyonnes in Europe
2023/24 final: Barcelona 2-0 OL Lyonnes (Bilbao)
2021/22 final: Barcelona 1-3 OL Lyonnes (Turin)
2018/19 final: OL Lyonnes 4-1 Barcelona (Budapest)
2017/18 quarter-finals: OL Lyonnes 2-1/1-0 Barcelona (agg: 3-1)
First-named team at home in opening leg of two-legged ties
This is the fourth final between these clubs, equalling the record held by OL vs Wolfsburg. In the 2019 decider, OL made it four titles in a row and were four goals up inside 30 minutes, by which time Ada Hegerberg had a hat-trick. They also led the 2022 showpiece 3-0 at half-time and held on to earn an eighth title against then holders Barcelona, who gained revenge in Bilbao two years later.
Barcelona (Spain)
League phase: 1st place
7-1 h vs Bayern München
4-0 a vs Roma
3-0 h vs OH Leuven
1-1 a vs Chelsea
3-1 h vs Benfica
2-0 a vs Paris FC
Quarter-finals
12-2agg vs Real Madrid (6-2 a, 6-0 h)
Semi-finals
5-3agg vs Bayern München (1-1 a, 4-2 h)
Top scorer: Ewa Pajor 9 (joint-top with Arsenal's Alessia Russo)
UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2024/25): 1
How they qualified: Spanish champions
Last season: Runners-up
Domestic honours: 11 x League champions, 11 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Winners x 3 (2020/21, 2022/23, 2023/24)
Final record: W3 L3
Previous finals
2024/25: 0-1 vs Arsenal (Lisbon)
2023/24: 2-0 vs OL Lyonnes (Bilbao)
2022/23: 3-2 vs Wolfsburg (Eindhoven)
2021/22: 1-3 vs OL Lyonnes (Turin)
2020/21: 4-0 vs Chelsea (Gothenburg)
2018/19: 1-4 vs OL Lyonnes (Budapest)
Campaign in a nutshell
Barcelona were the only club to finish first in their group in all four seasons of the previous format, and in the revamped league phase they naturally claimed top spot, leading after every matchday once they had begun by beating Bayern 7-1. The only 'slip' was a 1-1 draw at Chelsea, with whom Barça shared both the highest league phase goal tally (20) and fewest goals conceded (3).
Excused the knockout phase play-offs, Barcelona ensured their streak of quarter-final successes since 2018/19 continued as they surged to a 6-2 first-leg win at Real Madrid, and more than 60,000 spectators were on hand to watch a 6-0 victory in the Camp Nou return, Alexia Putellas marking her 500th club outing with the opening goal. Bayern came from behind to hold the Blaugrana 1-1 in their semi-final opener, but back at the Camp Nou another 60,000-plus crowd enjoyed a 4-2 win.
Coach: Pere Romeu
Romeu was a defensive midfielder as a player with amateur side Sarrià, where he also began coaching at youth level, then working at L'Hospitalet before being recruited by Barcelona in 2017. At La Masia, Romeu assisted Sergi Milà at Under-16 and U17 level, later taking his first senior role as number two to Rubén de la Barrera during his brief spell at Romania's Viitorul Constanța in 2020.
Romeu returned to Barcelona in 2021 as assistant to new women's coach Jonatan Giráldez, winning ten trophies over three seasons, including two Champions League titles. When Giráldez decided to move on after the 2023/24 campaign, Romeu was promoted as his replacement, clinching the Spanish double in his first season and reaching the Champions League final. Another Liga F crown and Champions League final (where he will face Giráldez) has now followed in 2025/26.
Did you know?
Barcelona have broken an OL Lyonnes record by reaching an unprecedented sixth straight final. Their overall tally of seven (in eight seasons) puts them second on the overall list, bettered only by OL's 12 finals.
OL Lyonnes (France)
League phase: 2nd place
2-1 a vs Arsenal
3-0 h vs St. Pölten
3-1 h vs Wolfsburg
3-3 a vs Juventus
3-0 a vs Manchester United
4-0 h vs Atlético de Madrid
Quarter-finals
4-1agg vs Wolfsburg (0-1 a, 4-0aet h)
Semi-finals
4-3agg vs Arsenal (1-2 a, 3-1 h)
Top scorer: Melchie Dumornay 5
UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2024/25): 2
How they qualified: French champions
Last season: Semi-finals
Domestic honours: 18 x League champions, 10 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Winners (2010/11, 2011/12, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2021/22)
Final record: W8 L3
Previous finals
2023/24: 0-2 vs Barcelona (Bilbao)
2021/22: 3-1 vs Barcelona (Turin)
2019/20: 3-1 vs Wolfsburg (San Sebastián)
2018/19: 4-1 vs Barcelona (Budapest)
2017/18: 4-1aet vs Wolfsburg (Kyiv)
2016/17: 0-0aet, 7-6pens vs Paris Saint-Germain (Cardiff)
2015/16: 1-1aet, 4-3pens vs Wolfsburg (Reggio Emilia)
2012/13: 0-1 vs Wolfsburg (London)
2011/12: 2-0 vs Frankfurt (Munich)
2010/11: 2-0 vs Turbine Potsdam (London)
2009/10: 0-0aet, 6-7pens vs Turbine Potsdam (Madrid)
Campaign in a nutshell
OL fell behind early on Matchday 1 to last season's semi-final nemeses Arsenal, but Melchie Dumornay struck twice for a 2-1 win that began a comfortable journey through the league phase, the eight-time winners finishing behind Barcelona on goal difference alone. Even their one draw was memorable, OL recovering from a 3-0 half-time deficit at Juventus, with Wendie Renard equalising via a last-minute penalty.
The French side's quarter-final against Wolfsburg did not start well as an early, deflected Lineth Beerensteyn goal meant they had to overturn a 1-0 deficit at home. Lily Yohannes levelled matters in the first half, but Wolfsburg took the tie to extra time, before substitutes Melchie Dumornay, Damaris Egurrola and Tabitha Chawinga booked OL a 15th semi-final. They also trailed Arsenal in the semis, losing 2-1 in north London, yet a dramatic 3-1 victory in the return, sealed by Jule Brand's late winner, ensured another final.
Coach: Jonatan Giráldez
Giráldez is aiming to become the only coach to win this trophy three times and the first to claim it with two different sides after his appointment by OL this season. Indeed, he has emulated former Paris Saint-Germain and OL bosses Patrice Lair and Farid Benstiti in leading more than one club to the final, while equalling both Lair and Bernd Schröder's record of four showpiece appearances.
His previous successes came with Barcelona in 2022/23 and 2023/24, the former lower-division player having joined the club as assistant to Lluís Cortés after previously working in youth coaching for Espanyol and the Catalonia Football Federation.
After Cortés led Barcelona to a treble in 2020/21 – including their first Champions League title – Giráldez took over as head coach, winning the league in all three of his seasons at the helm, as well as reaching three Champions League finals (winning two) and claiming two Copa de la Reina trophies. Remarkably, his overall win percentage from 139 games was 93.53%.
In 2024, he joined Washington Spirit, remaining for a year before moving to OL, where he has already won the inaugural French Women's League Cup and now faces a Champions League final showdown with his former club.
Did you know?
Renamed from Olympique Lyonnais this season, OL now boast a tally of 12 finals – five more than anyone else – and their current total of eight titles is double the next best figure, with Frankfurt on four. Among a host of Women's Champions League records they hold are benchmarks for games played, games won and goals scored, plus semi-final appearances. Meanwhile, Wendie Renard tops the list for competition appearances (134) and 65 of Ada Hegerberg's competition-record 69 goals have been scored for OL.
"Cup winners" refers only to main FA national cup in each country.
