UEFA Women's Champions League winners: Arsenal

Arsenal beat Barcelona 1-0 courtesy of a Stina Blackstenius strike to win the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League final in Lisbon on 24 May.

We introduce the champions.

Arsenal (ENG)

All Arsenal's 2024/25 Women's Champions League goals

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2023/24): 7
How they qualified: Third place in England; W6-0 h vs Rangers, W1-0 h vs Rosenborg, W4-1agg vs Häcken (L0-1 a, W4-0 h)
Group stage: Group C winners (L2-5 a vs Bayern München, W4-1 h vs Vålerenga, W4-0 a vs Juventus, W1-0 h vs Juventus, W3-1 a vs Vålerenga, W3-2 h vs Bayern München)
Quarter-finals: W3-2agg vs Real Madrid (L0-2 a, W3-0 h)
Semi-finals: W5-3agg vs Lyon (L1-2 h, W 4-1 a)
Final: W1-0 vs Barcelona
Top scorers (group stage onwards): Mariona Caldentey, Alessia Russo (7)

Last season: Round 1 final
Domestic honours: 15 x League champions, 14 x Cup winners
Previous European best: Winners (2006/07)

Final record: W2 L0

Previous final
2006/07: W1-0agg vs Umeå (W1-0 a, D0-0 h)

Campaign in a nutshell

Arsenal have produced some memorable comebacks over the years and that was the story of this campaign as well. After getting past round 1 (where they fell to Paris FC last season), the Gunners then overturned a first-leg deficit against Häcken to reach the group stage, which they kicked off with a 5-2 loss at Bayern München.

Renée Slegers subsequently took over from Jonas Eidevall as coach and her side won their remaining five group fixtures, edging Bayern 3-2 on Matchday 6 to snare first place. And although they lost their quarter-final opener 2-0 at Real Madrid, Arsenal roared back to win 3-0 at home, Russo striking either side of a Mariona Caldentey header early in the second half.

It seemed the semi-finals would be a bridge too far after Slegers' charges lost 2-1 at home to Lyon in the first leg. Instead, Arsenal produced perhaps the most impressive result of the lot so far as they turned on the style to stun the eight-time champions 4-1 in France, a 5-3 aggregate victory securing their place in the final for the first time since 2007.

That was then bettered in the Lisbon final as Arsenal toppled the mighty Barcelona 1-0 thanks to a goal from substitute Stina Blackstenius. Her strike clinched arguably the greatest result in the club's history as the Gunners claimed glory again – 18 years after their 2006/07 UEFA Women's Cup success – to cap off a spectacular campaign.

Coach: Renée Slegers

Slegers enjoyed a successful playing career, winning more than 50 caps with the Netherlands and playing briefly for Arsenal at youth level before later spells with Willem II, Djurgården and Linköping. However, the knee injury that ended her career at the age of 29 also denied her a place in the Netherlands squad that won Women's EURO 2017 on home soil.

After retirement, Slegers qualified as a coach in Sweden and took charge of Limhamn Bunkeflo in 2018, while also scouting for the Netherlands at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

After briefly becoming Sweden U23 coach in 2021, she was appointed assistant to Eidevall at Rosengård, later taking charge of the club when he moved to Arsenal. Having clinched Swedish titles in 2021 and 2022, Slegers left Rosengård in April 2023 and became Eidevall's number two at Arsenal five months later, earning promotion after his October 2024 departure – initially as caretaker then permanently in January. The rest is history.

Did you know?

Against Madrid, Arsenal became only the second team to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit in the quarter-finals – matching their own feat against Torres in 2004/05. In the semis, they then became the fourth side to progress despite losing a home first leg, after Barcelona last season and both Frankfurt and Turbine Potsdam in 2005/06.