Women's Champions League final: What to look out for when Barcelona face OL Lyonnes
Friday, May 15, 2026
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The dominant club of the 2020s face the queens of the 2010s in a joint-record fourth UEFA Women's Champions League final meeting.
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Barcelona play OL Lyonnes in the 2026 UEFA Women's Champions League final on Saturday 23 May.
We pick out some key storylines to follow when the match kicks off at 18:00 CET at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway.
Rivalry renewed
OL Lyonnes met Wolfsburg in four finals between 2013 and 2020, but a new rivalry commenced in the 2019 decider. Barcelona had become the first Spanish team to reach the final, but a fast start from their opponents led to OL Lyonnes winning convincingly 4-1.
They have since both beaten each other in a final, OL Lyonnes triumphing 3-1 in 2022 and Barcelona 2-0 in 2024, and now they meet again to equal OL Lyonnes-Wolfsburg as the competition's most-played showpiece. Neither are defending champions after both lost to holders Arsenal last season, so each will be eager to win back the title.
The teams occupied the top two positions in this season's new league phase, separated only by goal difference. Will OL Lyonnes make it three wins from four finals against Barcelona or will the Blaugrana secure their fourth title to move closer to their rivals' eight?
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
Barcelona's star quality tested by OL depth
The departures of Fridolina Rolfö, Jana Fernández and Ingrid Engen last summer meant an adjusted Barcelona squad entered the 2025/26 season, but they still boast Aitana Bonmatí, Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor, Caroline Graham Hansen and Clàudia Pina among their stars.
Despite losing players involved with past Women's Champions League triumphs and having Bonmatí sidelined for five months through injury, Barcelona have continued to dominate on all fronts and are again closing on 200 goals for the season, with academy graduates Clara Serrajordi and Aïcha Camara breaking into the starting 11.
OL Lyonnes are likely to provide the sternest test of all after strengthening their squad further this season. In addition to recruiting Engen, the French side signed Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Jule Brand, Ashley Lawrence, Korbin Shrader and Lily Yohannes.
With serial European title-winners Wendie Renard, Selma Bacha and Ada Hegerberg remaining, they demonstrated their strength in depth when trailing Wolfsburg in second leg of their quarter-final by bringing on Damaris Egurrola, Melchie Dumornay, Vicki Becho, Katoto and Tabitha Chawinga to turn the tie around. Even with the injured Kadidiatou Diani unavailable, they are still set to boast an enviable bench for the final.
Ones to watch
Barcelona's prolific Pajor is hoping to end an unsuccessful personal run in Women's Champions League finals, having lost with Wolfsburg in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2023 and Barcelona last season. The Polish striker is likely to be closely marked by Renard, who has participated in all 11 of OL Lyonnes' previous finals and is aiming for her ninth title.
Both sides' Norwegian stars will be aiming to win silverware on home soil, with Oslo-born Graham Hansen up against her international team-mates Engen and the competition's all-time leading scorer Hegerberg. Will there be an echo of the 2019 final, when Dzsenifer Marozsán scored early in her birth city of Budapest to set OL Lyonnes on their way to victory against Barcelona?
The coaches provide a further sub-plot. Jonatan Giráldez led Barcelona in three finals between 2022 and 2024, winning two to add to his 2021 success as assistant. Following almost a year with Washington Spirit, he returned to Europe to join OL Lyonnes and now hopes to gain an unprecedented third title as a coach.
But he will have to outdo his former assistant, Pere Romeu, who has maintained Barcelona's final-reaching, trophy-winning prowess and has his eye on his first European title as head coach having finished runners-up to Arsenal last season.
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