Arsenal Women FC vs FC Barcelona Femení
Competition/Round: 2025 Women’s Champions League Final
Date/Time: Saturday, May 24, 2025, 6pm CET (Barcelona), 5pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 12pm ET, 9am PT (USA), 9.30pm IST (India)
Venue: José Alvalade Stadium, Lisbon, Portugal
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (CRO)
VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)
How to watch on TV: TNT Sports 1 (UK), TVE La 1, Movistar (Spain), others
How to watch online: YouTube (FREE, Worldwide), DAZN (Worldwide), discovery+ (UK), Movistar+ (Spain), others
The José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon is ready for some history as Barcelona’s all-conquering women’s team face Arsenal in the 2025 Women’s Champions League Final in the capital of Portugal on Saturday evening.
Barça Femení come into this one looking to extend their era of dominance in the women’s game, and this could be a very special evening for the Blaugrana ladies: this is Barça’s fifth consecutive UWCL Final, and they have a chance to claim a fourth European crown and join Lyon as the only two teams in history to win three consecutive Champions League titles.
After an inconsistent start to the season under new coach Pere Romeu, Barça have looked every bit like the best team in the world since the start of 2025 and steamrolled both Wolfsburg and Chelsea in the knockout stages on their way to the championship game. A sixth consecutive Liga F title was clinched two weeks ago, and they can claim a historic second straight Quadruple if they win on Saturday and beat Atlético Madrid in the Copa de la Reina Final next month.
The return of Alexia Putellas to her Ballon d’Or version after a couple of difficult seasons due to injury has been a huge reason for Barça’s success, and the arrival of Ewa Pajor, who has been a perfect fit as a classic number nine which the team had at times missed even while having monster success in the last half-decade, has solidified the Catalans as an unstoppable attacking force with a unique brand of football that no team has been able to figure out once they rounded into form in January.
They also have Claudia Pina, who has quietly turned into a star and is the competition’s top scorer this season, and Aitana Bonmatí is still the best player in the world. Caroline Graham Hansen has had another brilliant season and might finally get her hands on the Ballon d’Or if her team finishes the job this weekend, and Salma Paralluelo is a young superstar in the making and already one of the best attacking players in the game, but Barça’s depth is so crazy that she’ll probably start the Final on the bench thanks to Pina’s amazing form.
They are the overwhelming favorites on Saturday, but Arsenal cannot be counted out: the Gunners have gotten to this point thanks to two sensational comebacks in their knockout ties against Real Madrid and the mighty Lyon, playing with amazing resilience and team spirit.
Arsenal have no problem dropping back and staying solid in their defense, and have a ton of attacking talent to cause plenty of problems on the counter. And they also have a familiar face who knows everything there is to know about Barcelona: Mariona Caldentey, a Barça legend who has been a huge part of their success in the last five years, joined Arsenal in the summer and became an instant fan favorite, and ended the campaign as the Women’s Super League’s Player of the Season.
Her creativity, intensity and fighting spirit have inspired her teammates, and Arsenal arrive in this one with real belief that they have what it takes to pull off a giant upset. As dominant as Barça have been they’ve had slow starts to their last three UWCL Final appearances, and the Gunners will be looking to take advantage if the Blaugrana don’t get off the blocks quickly once again.
This Final is clearly Barça’s to lose, and some massive history is right in front of them. There is a ton of pressure and expectation, but this team has proven time and time again that they can handle it and play their wonderful style to claim the biggest prize in women’s club football. A third straight European crown and a fourth in five years will solidify Barça as the best women’s team of all time, and they look ready for the big moment.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Mapi, Rolfö; Aitana, Patri, Alexia; Graham, Pajor, Pina
Arsenal (4-3-3): Zinsberger; Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe; Maanum, Little, Mariona; Foord, Russo, Mead
PREDICTION
No final is ever easy, and Arsenal have the type of togetherness and resilience that could make this a very tricky evening for the favorites. But Barça have the best team in the world and are in brilliant form, and I believe they’re too good and too hungry to continue making history: 3-1 to the good girls.