Arsenal have qualified for the 2022/23 Champions League thanks to their runners-up place in the FA WSL and will enter the competition in the Qualifying Round 2.

WOLFSBURG, GERMANY - MARCH 31: Players of Arsenal look dejected following their side's defeat in the UEFA Women's Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg match between VfL Wolfsburg and Arsenal WFC at VfL Wolfsburg Arena on March 31, 2022 in Wolfsburg, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)
WOLFSBURG, GERMANY – MARCH 31: Players of Arsenal look dejected following their side’s defeat in the UEFA Women’s Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg match between VfL Wolfsburg and Arsenal WFC at VfL Wolfsburg Arena on March 31, 2022 in Wolfsburg, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)

Under the new format that was implemented last season, there is now a Group Stage with 16 teams, with four teams qualifying directly to the Group Stage and 12 teams coming through the qualifications.

Seven come from the Champions’ path and five come from the League path.

The four teams that qualified directly are Lyon (holders), Wolfsburg, Chelsea and Barcelona.

The Spanish team was slated to start in Qualifying Round 2, but because Lyon won the WCL and the French League, they left a slot open that is filled by the fourth ranked association champion, the Spanish Champions.

The Danish Champions Køge were also promoted from Round 1 to Round 2, taking the place vacated by Barcelona.

All the other Champions start in Qualifying Round 1.

The Arsenal are competing in the League path, alongside the second and third place teams of the best six association and the runners-up of the best 16 associations.

Teams will be seeded according to their club coefficient.

The Round 1 teams are as follows:

  • ENG 3 Manchester City 63.000
  • SCO 2 Glasgow City 33.100
  • DEN 2 Hjorring 28.550
  • ESP 3 Real Madrid 26.033
  • BLR FK Minsk 23.400
  • SUI Zurich 22.500
  • NED 2 Ajax 20.600
  • ISL Breidablik 17.850
  • FRA 3 Paris FC 17.466
  • GER 3 Eintracht Frankfurt 15.133
  • SWE 3 Kristianstads 8.633
  • CZE 3 Slovacko 7.366
  • AUT 2 Sturm Graz 6.700
  • NOR 2 Rosenborg 6.200
  • ITA 2 Roma 5.900

Four of those teams will qualify to the Second Round where they will meet the following teams:

  • FRA 2 PSG 85.466
  • GER 2 Bayern 84.133
  • ENG 2 Arsenal 39.000
  • CZE 2 Sparta 34.366
  • SWE 2 Hacken 20.633
  • ESP 2 Real Sociedad 13.033

Again, teams will be seeded according to their club coefficient.

There will be five seeded teams in Round 2 and Arsenal will be one of them this year, unlike in last season when we were unseeded and were lucky to draw the weakest seeded side.

We already know that, as a seeded team, we will not draw PSG, Bayern, Sparta and Manchester City, should they make it to the second Qualifying Round.

There are very serious potential opponents like Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid, Paris FC and tough ones like Rosenborg, Hacken, Kristianstads.

The draw for the qualifying second round will take place on 31 August and we will know how tough it will be to reach the Group stage again.

Hopefully, it will be the same kind of draw we got last season.