Arsenal Women enter January facing a defining stretch of the season, with five competitions and little margin for error.
January is a make or break month as the Gunners compete on five fronts in an exceptionally congested period.
Here are the five trophies, ranked by importance and prestige, and an honest assessment of how achievable each one is.
- FIFA Women Champions Cup
Effectively the Intercontinental Cup for women’s teams, this competition is reserved for the absolute elite, with only continental champions from the six confederations allowed to take part.
Until the first Women’s Club World Cup arrives in 2028, it is arguably the most prestigious annual trophy available in the women’s game.
There are only two matches to win it.
First, Arsenal must beat AS FAR of Morocco, four days after the Women’s Super League match against Chelsea at Brentford.
Victory there would set up a final at the Emirates Stadium against either Gotham FC of the United States or Corinthians of Brazil.
- UEFA Women’s Champions League
Arsenal must defeat OH Leuven over two legs in the play-off, having beaten them 3-0 away in the league phase in December. Should they progress, a quarter-final against Chelsea would likely follow.
In the semi-finals, either OL Lyonnes or Wolfsburg or Juventus would await.
The final on 23 May could feature one of six teams: Atlético de Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern München, Paris FC, Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Retaining the trophy will be a huge challenge, but winning it last year required a Herculean effort, so it cannot be ruled out.
- Barclays Women’s Super League
Arsenal are third in the league, eight points behind Manchester City. Their title chances look remote, but second place remains achievable and must be the target, with Chelsea only two points ahead.
Finishing second is crucial as it brings direct qualification for the Champions League group phase. Matches this month against Manchester United and Manchester City at home, and Chelsea away, will be decisive.
- Adobe FA Women’s Cup
Five matches stand between Arsenal and Wembley. The first is a home tie against Aston Villa on 18 January at Meadow Park. From there, the luck of the draw will determine whether the team can reach the final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 31 May.
- Subway Women’s League Cup
Two more wins would secure this trophy. First comes Manchester United at Meadow Park on Wednesday 21 January, with a 7pm kick-off.
The final, against either Manchester City or Chelsea, will be played at Bristol City on Sunday 15 March with a 2.15pm kick-off.
Players selected for the Asian Cup would miss that final.
Overall, there are five trophies available. Two can realistically be targeted, one is very unlikely, one will be extremely tough, and one would require a mammoth effort to retain.
The biggest concern is the relentless schedule across all five competitions.
Games are coming thick and fast, rotation options will be limited, and the physical toll is likely to be felt towards the end of January and into February, until the next international break.