UWCL Final: Did you know?
The UEFA Women’s Champions League final has everyone’s attention. The blaugrana side woke up in Oslo with one goal in mind: adding another European crown to the trophy cabinet. To build up to kick-off, here are ten facts you need to know.
1. Finalists again
Barça have now reached seven of the last eight Champions League finals. After Budapest, Gothenburg, Turin, Eindhoven, Bilbao and Lisbon, now comes Oslo. It is their sixth consecutive final, an all-time competition record. For a team that has become one of the benchmark sides in European women’s football, nights like these never stop being special.
2. Familiar foes
This will be the fourth European final between FC Barcelona Femeni and OL Lyonnes. The French side won in 2019 and 2022, but Barça struck back in Bilbao in 2024. It means this final is now tied for the most repeated in the competition’s history, alongside Lyon vs Wolfsburg, which was also played four times.
3. Packed venue
Every ticket has been sold for the showpiece at the Ullevaal Stadion. Norway’s national stadium, opened in 1926 and holding almost 28,000 spectators, is hosting a European final for the very first time. Used regularly by both the men’s and women’s national teams, the stadium’s blue and red seats also provide a fitting backdrop for the blaugrana colours.
4. First final in Norway
This is the first time Norway has staged a Women’s Champions League final. The Scandinavian nation does, however, have a strong history in the women’s game, having previously hosted the European Championships in 1987 (won by Norway themselves) and again in 1997.
5. Graham homecoming
For Caroline Graham Hansen, this final carries extra meaning: it takes place in her home city of Oslo. She is the only Norwegian in the Barça squad, but she will come up against two compatriots on the other side: former Barça player Ingrid Engen and Ada Hegerberg.
6. Flawless run
Pere Romeu’s side arrive unbeaten, with eight wins and two draws. The league phase was dominated by Barça, with only a draw away to Chelsea interrupting an otherwise perfect run. Bayern, Roma, OH Leuven, Benfica and Paris FC all failed to stop a team that has looked unstoppable throughout the campaign.
The knockout rounds were equally emphatic. A 12-2 aggregate demolition of Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and a 5-3 aggregate win over Bayern in the semis booked their place in Oslo.
7. Lyon still lead the way in titles
The French giants have eight Champions League trophies in their cabinet. Their love affair with the competition began in 2010 and turned into a decade of dominance, with seven titles in ten years. Their most recent triumph came against Barça in Turin in the 2021/22 final.
8. Pajor in form
Ewa Pajor heads into the final level with Alessia Russo at the top of the Champions League scoring charts, both on nine goals. But the Polish striker has the chance to pull clear. If she scores against Lyon, she will finish the competition as outright top scorer.
Another blaugrana star is still in the race too: Alexia Putellas arrives on seven goals and could still mathematically challenge for the top spot.
9. Europe’s two most prolific attacks
This is also a meeting between the two highest-scoring teams in this season’s competition. FC Barcelona have been an attacking avalanche throughout the campaign, racking up 37 goals so far. Lyon, meanwhile, arrive with 26 of their own.
10. Chasing a fourth European crown
It will be a huge challenge, but not an impossible one. Barça want to defeat the side that once proved their European nemesis in the finals of Budapest and Turin. Bilbao, however, showed the way forward, and the blaugrana now have the chance to write another golden chapter. In Oslo, they are aiming to lift a fourth Champions League trophy.