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UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying

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2026-09-03 15:15 UTC → 2026-09-04 13:33 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The UEFA Women's Champions League third qualifying round established the paths for Spanish clubs aiming for the 2026-27 league phase. Real Madrid was drawn against Ajax in a matchup described as “more manageable on paper,” while Real Sociedad was assigned a difficult tie against Chelsea. Chelsea was identified as a formidable opponent due to their recent history of reaching the semi-finals in three of the last four years. In the first leg held at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, Chelsea Women faced Real Sociedad with a lineup featuring summer signing Katie McCabe making her competitive debut and Naomi Girma captaining the side. Chelsea entered the match without Erin Cuthbert, Mayra Ramirez, and Manaka Matsukubo due to injury, while Real Sociedad dealt with the absence of Aiara Agirrezabala, María Molina, and Sonya Keefe, though midfielder Maren Lezeta returned from a long-term injury. Chelsea secured advancement to the Champions League league phase with a 6-2 aggregate victory over Real Sociedad. Following a 5-2 win in the first leg, Chelsea won the second leg 1-0 at Estadio Zubieta in San Sebastián. Midfielder Keira Walsh scored the decisive goal in the 54th minute of the second leg, earning the ‘Star of the Match’ title with 54 per cent of the supporter vote. The second leg also marked the sideline debut of Gorka Álvarez, the newly appointed head coach following the departure of Arturo Ruiz. Upon his presentation, Álvarez noted his deep emotional connection to the club and expressed a commitment to implementing an offensive playing style while addressing defensive inconsistencies. As a result of their elimination, Real Sociedad will move to the Europa Cup campaign. In related transfer news, Real Sociedad has reportedly reached a verbal agreement to sign 20-year-old Chelsea defender Mamadou Sarr on a one-year loan deal.

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