Women's Champions League final facts: Arsenal vs Barcelona

The Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon hosts the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League final as holders Barcelona bid for a third successive title against 2007 champions Arsenal.

Winners in three of the past four seasons, Barcelona reached their fifth successive final – equalling the record of eight-time winners Lyon – thanks to an 8-2 aggregate victory against familiar foes Chelsea (4-1 h, 4-1 a), who they eliminated at the semi-final stage for the third season in a row.

Arsenal, the only English winners of the competition, booked their ticket to Lisbon with a sensational comeback victory against Lyon, losing the first leg 1-2 at home before a 4-1 victory in France eight days later earned a 5-3 aggregate triumph.

The finalists are meeting for the fifth time; both sides have won twice in their previous four fixtures with eight goals scored apiece, although the Spanish side dominated the most recent contests.

Previous meetings

Matches 4
Arsenal wins 2
Barcelona wins 2
Draws 0
Arsenal goals 8
Barcelona goals 8

2021/22 group stage
Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 0-4 Barcelona
Barcelona began their perfect group stage campaign with a 4-1 victory in Spain. Goals from Mariona Caldentey (31), Alexia Putellas (42), Asisat Oshoala (47) and Lieke Martens (84) gave the Liga side their first victory over Arsenal, for whom Frida Maanum (74) scored a consolation.

It was a similar story in the reverse fixture on Matchday 5, Jonatan Giráldez's team once again scoring four as Aitana Bonmatí (22), Jenni Hermoso (28, 75) and Fridolina Rolfö secured victory in London.

2012/13 round of 32
Barcelona 0-3 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Barcelona
An Arsenal side managed by Laura Harvey recorded an emphatic two-legged victory against a Barcelona outfit contesting their first-ever European fixtures. Substitute Jen Beattie struck a hat-trick in the second leg at Meadow Park having also found the net in Spain eight days earlier. Kim Little scored Arsenal's second goal in the second leg, while Jordan Nobbs and Katie Chapman were on target in the first; Alexia Putellas was in the Barcelona side.

Form guide

Arsenal

Record vs Spanish clubs: W6 D2 L4 F25 A18

Arsenal have already faced Spanish opposition in this season's knockout stage having overturned a 0-2 first-leg defeat at Real Madrid in the quarter-finals by winning 3-0 in London eight days later. That second-leg victory ended a three-game losing run against Spanish teams.

Arsenal had not faced Spanish opposition since those 2021/22 group stage defeats by Barcelona.

The London club were beaten in just one of their first eight games against teams from Spain and had won three in a row before the away defeat by Barcelona four seasons ago.

Arsenal have been successful in all their previous four knockout ties against Spanish teams, including that 7-0 aggregate victory against Barcelona in 2012/13.

Alessia Russo and former Barcelona player Mariona Caldentey lead the scoring charts for Arsenal in this season's competition with eight goals each, qualifying included – one more than Caitlin Foord.

Caldentey scored a goal in both legs of the Gunners' semi-final tie with Lyon in what was the English club's eighth appearance in the last four. Russo and Foord also found the net in the second-leg victory in France, after an early own goal from Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler had levelled the tie.

It followed a similar pattern to that dramatic quarter-final triumph over Real Madrid in what was Arsenal's 16th appearance in the last eight, a competition record they share with Lyon. Following a 0-2 first-leg loss in Spain, Renée Slegers' side turned the tie around in the London return, second-half goals from Russo (46, 59) and Caldentey (49) completing a memorable comeback.

The Londoners were crowned champions of Europe in 2006/07 when they defeated Umeå in a two-legged final. Alex Scott's swerving effort from distance in the final moments of the first leg in Sweden was the only goal across both games.

Arsenal are now the only English team to have reached two European finals.

This is Arsenal's 17th participation in the Women's Champions League; they competed in the group stage for a third time having missed out last season.

Their 2024/25 Women's Champions League journey began with a 6-0 win against Rangers on 4 September at Meadow Park, Caitlin Foord scoring four, before they beat Rosenborg 1-0 in the round 1 final at the same venue three days later. In round 2, the Gunners lost 0-1 in the first leg away to Swedish side BK Häcken, but a 4-0 home victory in the second leg sent them into the group stage.

The English side went on to finish first in Group C ahead of Bayern, Juventus and Vålerenga after winning five of their six games (L1).

Arsenal finished second in the Women's Super League this season, 12 points behind unbeaten champions Chelsea, after concluding their domestic campaign with a 4-3 victory at home to third-placed Manchester United on 10 May.

They had finished third in 2023/24 under the guidance of former coach Jonas Eidevall, who led them to a second consecutive FA Women’s League Cup title.

Slegers took over from Eidevall in October.

Barcelona

Record vs English clubs: W9 D2 L6 F32 A18

Arsenal are the third English team Barcelona have faced in this season's competition, and second in a row after the semi-final defeat of Chelsea. They began their group stage with a 0-2 reverse at Manchester City before defeating the same opponents 3-0 at home on Matchday 6.

That Matchday 1 loss is the only one of their last five contests with English teams they failed to win (W4).

The Blaugrana were without a victory in their first four games against English sides (D1 L3) but have won nine of their subsequent 13 contests (D1 L3), including a 4-0 victory in the 2021 final against Chelsea in Gothenburg to claim their first European title.

Clàudia Pina, who has scored in her last three Champions League games, is the competition's leading scorer this season with ten goals – three more than any other player.

Barcelona progressed to a sixth final in emphatic fashion with that defeat of Chelsea. Pina struck twice in the 4-1 first-leg victory in Spain alongside goals from Ewa Pajor and Irene Paredes; the scoreline was repeated in London a week later, Pina and Pajor both on target again alongside Bonmatí and Salma Paralluelo.

Barça had moved into the semi-finals for the seventh season in succession – the first team to achieve that feat – and eighth overall with a 10-2 aggregate win against Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals (4-1 a, 6-1 h).

Pere Romeu's side only group stage defeat this season was that 0-2 reverse at Manchester City on Matchday 1. They won their subsequent five games, beating Hammarby (9-0 h, 3-0 a), and St. Pölten (7-0 h, 4-1 a) before defeating City.

Barcelona retained the trophy by defeating Lyon 2-0 in last season's final in Bilbao, goals from Bonmatí (63) and Putellas (90+5) sealing the Spanish side's third title, all in the last four seasons.

It was Barça's second in succession after beating Wolfsburg 3-2 in the 2023 final in Eindhoven in which Patri Guijarro (48, 50) and Rolfö (70) found the net as they rallied from two goals down at the break.

Barcelona have now reached the final in six of the past seven seasons, losing to Lyon in 2019 (1-4) and 2022 (1-3) in addition to their three triumphs.

A 9-0 triumph at Real Betis on 11 May, their biggest away win of the season, sealed Barcelona's record-extending tenth Liga F title, and sixth in a row.

They meet Atlético de Madrid in the Copa de la Reina final on 7 June.

Barcelona won three domestic trophies in 2024. In January they lifted the Supercopa de España Femenina before claiming the Liga F title in a dominant league campaign consisting of 29 wins, one draw and no defeats. They clinched a record tenth Copa de la Reina with an 8-0 final victory against Real Sociedad.

Key facts

• This is Arsenal's 125th Women’s Champions League match – only Lyon (152) have played more. Their totals of 73 wins and 341 goals are also only bettered by Lyon.

• By reaching the final from round 1, Arsenal will play a record 15th match in a season; the previous best was 13 by Lyon in 2021/22.

• This is the Gunners' first European game in Portugal.

• Having recovered from losing the first leg to progress against Häcken in round 2, Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and Lyon in the semi-finals, Arsenal are the first team in history to win three ties after losing the first leg in a single edition of the competition.

• The Gunners are the first team to reach the final in the current format of the competition having started the season in round 1.

• Caldentey played in five Women's Champions League finals for Barcelona before joining Arsenal in summer 2024.

• Barcelona are aiming to become only the second team, after Lyon, to win the competition for three successive seasons.

• Victory for Barcelona would make them the third team to win four titles after Lyon (eight) and Frankfurt (four).

• Barcelona are the only club to have won both the men's and women's Champions League.

• They are the only Spanish team to win the Women's Champions League or even reach the final.

• This is Barcelona's 100th Women's Champions League match. They are the fourth team to reach the landmark after Lyon, Arsenal and Wolfsburg.

• Barcelona's only previous matches in Portugal were both group stage matches at Benfica, a 6-2 win in 2022/23 and a 4-4 draw the following season.

• The Blaugrana are aiming to win ten successive matches in a single edition of the competition for the first time.

• Barcelona are the top scorers in the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League with 44 goals, one short of the season record set by Wolfsburg in 2013/14.

• Pina is one goal behind the season record total of 11 set by Alexia Putellas in 2021/22.