Wrexham AFC Women are set to make their historic debut in the UEFA Women's Champions League next month, having secured a crucial home advantage for the first qualifying round. The Welsh champions will host the entire four-team mini-tournament at their home ground, the Racecourse GroundVenue·Racecourse Ground, a development confirmed today.
The Red Dragons, who clinched the Adran Premier title in the 2025/26 season to earn their place in Europe, have been drawn against Armenian champions FC Pyunik Women in the semi-final of the first qualifying round. The other semi-final in Group 3 will feature Northern Irish side Glentoran Women facing Latvian club Riga FC Women. Both semi-finals are scheduled for Wednesday, July 22, with the final and a third-place playoff to follow on Saturday, July 25. All matches will be single-leg contests, with only the winner of the mini-tournament progressing to the second qualifying round.
This marks the first time in a decade that a Welsh side will host UEFA Women's Champions League qualifiers, providing a notable boost for Jenny Sugarman's squad. Wrexham Women are guaranteed to play at least two Champions LeagueCompetition·Champions League matches this season, participating in a semi-final followed by either a final or a third-place playoff. The club aims to become the first Welsh team to win a Women's Champions LeagueCompetition·Champions League qualifying match since Cardiff Met Women achieved the feat in 2019, a milestone that eluded Cardiff City Women in their past three campaigns.
Should Wrexham advance from the first qualifying round, they would enter another four-team mini-tournament in the second qualifying round, placed in Group 7. There, they would face Danish club HB Køge Women in the semi-final, with a potential final against either Lithuanian side Gintra or Scottish club Heart of Midlothian Women. The winners of the second qualifying-round mini-tournament would then progress to the third qualifying round, which is played as a traditional two-legged knockout tie.
While European powerhouses such as Real MadridTeam·Real Madrid Femenino, Paris Saint-Germain Féminine, and ChelseaTeam·Chelsea Women enter the competition at the third qualifying round, Wrexham, competing in the Champions Path, would face a maximum challenge from a team like Czech champions Sparta Prague Women at that stage. The nine winners of the third-round qualifying ties will join the nine clubs that qualify directly for the league phase.
Furthermore, an alternative path to European football exists through the UEFA Women's Europa Cup, which is being staged for only the second time this season. If Wrexham reach the Champions LeagueCompetition·Champions League's second qualifying round mini-tournament but do not win it, they could still secure a place in the Europa Cup, with the runner-up entering the second qualifying round and the third-place team dropping into the first qualifying round. Unlike the initial Champions LeagueCompetition·Champions League stages, Europa Cup qualifying rounds are contested over traditional home-and-away ties.
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