Chelsea will face Real Sociedad in the third qualifying round of the Women’s Champions League, with the winner over two legs securing a place in the 2026-27 league phase. That matters because it is the first time in six years the Blues have had to negotiate a qualifying round at all, having previously earned automatic entry through six straight WSL titles.
Why Chelsea are in qualifying in the first place
Chelsea finished third in the Women’s Super League last season, their worst domestic finish in seven years, as Manchester City ended their title run. Injuries hit hard during that campaign, and the club has responded with a busy summer window, bringing in Katie McCabe, Melvine Malard, Giulia Dragoni and Manaka Matsukubo as Sonia Bompastor looks to rebuild a squad still anchored by the likes of Hannah Hampton between the posts.
What is at stake for both clubs
Real Sociedad, third in Liga F last season behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, have been here once before and came up short, losing in the second qualifying round back in 2022-23. Chelsea, by contrast, were finalists in 2021 and semi-finalists in three of the last four seasons, so this tie carries real weight against a side with far less European pedigree.
The first leg is at Stamford Bridge on 26 August, with the return in San Sebastián on 2 September, just three days before Chelsea’s WSL opener against Aston Villa. The financial stakes are considerable: league phase clubs are guaranteed a minimum of €505,000, plus €60,000 for every fixture won and €20,000 per draw, with further prize money ranging from €10,000 to €180,000 depending on final league standing. The eventual champions collect €1,050,000 across the knockout rounds, including €500,000 for winning the final alone, all of which Chelsea risk missing out on entirely if they fail to get past Sociedad.
The wider qualifying picture
Chelsea avoided the toughest possible draw. Seedings meant they could not meet Wolfsburg, Real Madrid, Juventus or Paris Saint-Germain at this stage, with those sides instead drawn against Inter, Ajax, St Polten and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively. That fits a wider pattern of the “league path” rewarding second and third-placed domestic finishers with a tougher route than the “champions path” sides such as PSV Eindhoven, Brann and OH Leuven.
Whoever wins the nine ties joins Barcelona, Lyon, Arsenal, Man City and the rest of the pre-qualified field, with the full league phase draw following on 4 September. For a reminder of just how high the stakes get from there, She Kicks’ recent breakdown of the Barcelona-Lyon final shows exactly what Chelsea are chasing.
Losing sides do not disappear from Europe entirely, dropping instead into the second qualifying round of the Women’s Europa Cup in late September. For Chelsea, though, anything less than progress here would be a serious setback for a club that has spent the summer rebuilding with continental ambition in mind.
