Wrexham Women have been handed home advantage for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League next month.
The Red Dragons will play their first-ever Champions League match when they host Armenian champions FC Pyunik Women in the semifinal of the first-round qualifying mini-tournament. Northern Irish side Glentoran Women will face Latvian club Riga FC Women in the other semifinal.
Each match will be played as a single-leg contest, with the winner of the four-team mini-tournament advancing to the second qualifying round.
It has now been confirmed that Wrexham will host the entire mini-tournament at the Racecourse Ground, giving Jenny Sugarman’s side a significant home advantage as they bid to make history in Europe. Sports Illustrated reported last week that Wrexham Women were eager to host the event, believing that home support could boost their chances of progressing to the next stage of the competition.
Wrexham Women are guaranteed to play at least two Champions League matches this season, with a semifinal followed by either a final or a third-place playoff.
The Welsh club will take on FC Pyunik at the Racecourse Ground in the first qualifying round semifinal on Wednesday, July 22. The other Group 3 semifinal between Glentoran and Riga will also be played at the stadium on the same day.
The first qualifying round final will be held at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday, July 25, with the winner advancing to the second qualifying round. The two losing semifinalists will also meet in a third-place playoff that day, with the result contributing to UEFA coefficient rankings.
Cardiff City Women represented Wales in each of the past three Women’s Champions League campaigns but failed to win a match or score a goal. Wrexham will be aiming to become the first Welsh club to win a Women’s Champions League qualifying match since Cardiff Met Women achieved the feat in 2019.
What Happens if Wrexham Win the Mini-Tournament?
If Wrexham advance from the first qualifying round, they will be placed in Group 7 for the second qualifying round, which is also played as a four-team mini-tournament.
There, they would face Danish club HB Køge Women in the semifinal and then either Lithuanian side Gintra or Scottish club Heart of Midlothian Women in the final.
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.
European heavyweights such as Real Madrid Femenino, Paris Saint-Germain Féminine and Chelsea Women will enter the competition at the third qualifying round this season. However, because Wrexham are competing in the Champions Path, the strongest possible opponent they could face at that stage would be Czech champions Sparta Prague Women.
The winners of the nine third-round qualifying ties will join the nine clubs that qualify directly for the league phase.
| Round | Opposition |
|---|---|
| First qualification round semi-final | Pyunik |
| First qualification round final | Glentoran or Riga |
| Second qualification round semi-final | HB Køge |
| Second qualification round final | Gintra or Hearts |
| Third qualification round first leg | TBC |
| Third qualification round second leg | TBC |
How Can Wrexham Qualify for the Europa Cup?
If Wrexham fall short of reaching the Champions League proper, they could still secure a place in the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup.
The Europa Cup is UEFA’s secondary women’s club competition and will be staged for only the second time this season. Unlike the Champions League, it is played as a straight knockout tournament, with every round—including the final—contested over two legs.
The winner of the Europa Cup earns automatic qualification for the third qualifying round of the 2027–28 UEFA Women’s Champions League.
To qualify for the competition, Wrexham would need to reach the Champions League’s second qualifying round mini-tournament. While the group winner advances to the Champions League third qualifying round, the runner-up enters the Europa Cup second qualifying round, and the third-place team drops into the Europa Cup first qualifying round.
Unlike the opening stages of the Champions League, Europa Cup qualifying rounds are played as traditional home-and-away ties rather than mini-tournaments.
