Arsenal Women's Champions League Clash at Barcelona Rescheduled

Arsenal’s UEFA Women’s Champions League clash with Barcelona has been rescheduled due to a planned general strike in Spain on Wednesday 11 November.

The match was originally due to take place at Spotify Camp Nou on that date, but will now be played at the same venue on Thursday 12 November, whilst kick-off remains at 18:45 CET (17:45 GMT).

All tickets bought for the original date will remain valid for the rescheduled fixture, and further tickets are still available to purchase.

The strike, called over housing affordability and the wider cost of living in Catalonia, raised concerns about disruption to public transport and matchday operations in the city.

Barcelona had initially been reported to have asked UEFA to bring the game forward by a day to Tuesday 10 November, a move that would have forced Arsenal to rearrange their Women’s Super League fixture against Liverpool. The match has instead been pushed back to the Thursday.

The fixture is one of the standout ties of the league phase. Arsenal were drawn against reigning champions Barcelona and eight-time winners Lyon when the draw was made in September, and will also travel to Paris FC and Inter Milan, whilst hosting Lyon, Benfica and HB Køge.

It will be the first meeting between the two sides since the 2025 final in Lisbon, when Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal to hand Arsenal their second European title, ending Barcelona’s hopes of a third straight crown.

Before that, Barcelona had dominated the fixture, beating Arsenal 4-1 and 4-0 in the group stage of the 2021/22 competition.

Both sides enter this season’s meeting in contrasting circumstances. Arsenal were knocked out by Lyon in the semi-finals last season, while Barcelona went on to reclaim the trophy. However, the Catalan side are now in a period of transition following the summer departures of key players, including Alexia Putellas, Salma Paralluelo and Ona Batlle.

Batlle signed for Arsenal on a free transfer following the expiration of her contract last summer. The Spain international has featured in every game for Renée Slegers' side, except the home victory over HB Køge last month.

The Gunners have endured a poor start to their season, collecting just five points in five league matches, and winning just two of their seven games in all competitions.

Whilst their dream of winning the Women's Super League for the first time since 2019 already seems to be heavily dented, Slegers' side may turn to the Champions League as their only hope of major silverware this season.

The league phase concludes on 16 December, with the top teams progressing to the knockout rounds in the new year.