Wrexham’s Potential Pathway to Women’s Champions League After Historic Draw

The Red Dragons will make history in Europe next month.

Wrexham Women will play in European competition for the first time. | Kristian Skeie - UEFA

Wrexham Women will make history next month when they play the first UEFA Women’s Champions League match in the club’s history.

The Red Dragons already have a proud European pedigree thanks to the men’s team, which competed eight times in the former European Cup Winners’ Cup between 1972 and 1995.

Now, 31 years later, Wrexham will return to European competition when the women’s side enters the first qualifying round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

It marks the first step in a long qualification process, with Jenny Sugarman’s team entering the competition as the lowest-ranked club based on UEFA coefficient rankings.

Here’s everything you need to know about Wrexham’s draw and their potential route to the league phase.

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Who Will Wrexham Face in the Champions League?

Wrexham Women will face Armenian champions Pyunik in the semifinal of the first qualifying round. The winner of that matchup will then take on the winner of the other Group 3 semifinal between Northern Ireland’s Glentoran and Latvian side Riga.

Each match will be played as a single-leg contest, with the winner of the four-team mini-tournament advancing to the second qualifying round. That stage will also be contested as a four-team mini-tournament, with the winner progressing to the third qualifying round.

If Wrexham advance from the first qualifying round, they will be placed in Group 7 for the second qualifying round. There, they would face Danish club HB Køge in the semifinal and then either Lithuanian side Gintra or Scottish club Hearts in the final.

The winners of the nine third-round qualifying ties will join the nine clubs that qualify directly for the league phase. Unlike the first two rounds, the third qualifying round is played as a traditional two-legged knockout tie.

European heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea will enter the competition at the third qualifying round this season. However, because Wrexham are competing in the Champions Path, the strongest possible opponent they could face at that stage would be Czech champions Sparta Prague.

Round	Opposition
First qualification round semi-final	Pyunik
First qualification round final	Glentoran or Riga
Second qualification round semi-final	HB Køge
Second qualification round final	Gintra or Hearts
Third qualification round first leg	TBC
Third qualification round second leg	TBC

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When Will Wrexham Play in the Champions League?

The women’s Champions League trophy is up for grabs this summer. | Kristian Skeie/UEFA/Getty Images

Wrexham Women will face Pyunik in the first qualifying round semifinal on Wednesday, July 22. The other Group 3 semifinal between Glentoran and Riga will also be played that day, with one of the four clubs hosting the entire mini-tournament.

The first qualifying round final will take place on Saturday, July 25, with the winner advancing to the second qualifying round. The two losing semifinalists will also meet in a third-place playoff on the same day, with the result contributing to UEFA coefficient rankings.

The second qualifying round semifinals will be played two weeks later on Wednesday, Aug. 5. As in the previous round, both the third-place playoff and the final will be held three days later on Saturday, Aug. 8. One of the four participating clubs will host the entire mini-tournament.

If Wrexham reach the third qualifying round, they would play the first leg at home on Wednesday, Aug. 26, before traveling for the second leg on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

The draw for the league phase will be held on Friday, Sept. 4. The opening matchday is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Wednesday, Sept. 23.

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How Can Wrexham Qualify for the Europa Cup?

BK Hacken won the inaugural UEFA Women's Europa Cup last season. | Linnea Rheborg - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

If Wrexham fall short of qualifying for the Champions League proper, the club could still secure a place in the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup.

The Europa Cup is UEFA’s secondary women’s club competition and will be held for only the second time this season. Unlike the Champions League, it is played as a straight knockout tournament, with every round—including the final—contested over two legs.

The winner of the Europa Cup earns automatic qualification to the third qualifying round of the 2027–28 UEFA Women’s Champions League.

To qualify for the competition, Wrexham would need to reach the Champions League second qualifying round mini-tournament. While the group winner advances to the Champions League third qualifying round, the runner-up enters the Europa Cup second qualifying round, and the third-place team drops into the Europa Cup first qualifying round.

Unlike the Champions League’s opening stages, Europa Cup qualifying rounds are played as traditional home-and-away ties rather than mini-tournaments.

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