Women's Champions League, Inter to face Wolfsburg in third qualifying round

An important day for Inter Women, who are rapidly approaching the start of their new season. David Sassarini’s Nerazzurre earned the chance to qualify for the Women’s Champions League thanks to their second-place finish in last season’s league. Inter have now discovered their opponents for the third qualifying round of Europe’s premier competition: the Nerazzurre will face Wolfsburg over two legs. The first leg will be played in Germany on Wednesday 26 August, with the return leg taking place in Milano on Wednesday 2 September.

The House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, hosted the draw for the third qualifying round, which involves 18 teams: 11 have progressed after coming through the second round, while the final seven, including Inter, enter the competition at this stage. All first legs are scheduled for Wednesday 26 August, with the return legs to be played on Wednesday 2 September.

The nine teams that win their third qualifying-round ties will join the nine clubs already directly qualified for the League Phase of the Women’s Champions League, while the nine eliminated sides will enter the second qualifying round of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup, a competition in which Inter reached the Round of 16 last season.

UEFA WOMEN'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND

Sparta Prague vs Servette PSV Eindhoven vs HB Koge Brann vs Austria Vienna OH Leuven vs Czarni Sosnowiec Eintracht Frankfurt vs Paris Saint-Germain St. Pölten vs Juventus Wolfsburg vs INTER Chelsea vs Real Sociedad Ajax vs Real Madrid

First legs: Wednesday 26 August Second legs: Wednesday 2 September

THE FORMAT

The third qualifying round will be played over two-legged ties, divided into two different paths: the Champions Path and the Non-Champions Path. The Champions Path features eight teams, divided into two pots according to their UEFA coefficient ranking. Teams from the first pot will face teams from the second, with the first team drawn in each tie playing the first leg at home. The only restriction on the draw is that clubs from the same country cannot face each other.

The Non-Champions Path features 10 teams, also divided into two pots according to the same criteria as the Champions Path. Inter, the No. 10 seed, are in the second pot. The draw will follow the same format as the Champions Path: the Nerazzurre will face one of Chelsea, Wolfsburg, Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, as they cannot be drawn against Juventus.

CHAMPIONS PATH First pot

1. AC Sparta Praga CZE

2. SK Brann NOR

3. OH Leuven BEL

4. HB Koge Women DEN

Second pot

1. FK Austria Vienna AUT

2. Servette FC Chenois Feminin SUI

3. PSV Eindhoven NED

4. KKS Czarni Sosnowiec POL

NON-CHAMPIONS PATH First pot

1. Chelsea FC Women ENG

2. VfL Wolfsburg GER

3. Paris Saint-Germain FRA

4. Real Madrid CF SPA

5. Juventus FC ITA

Second pot

1. Eintracht Francoforte GER

2. SKN St. Polten Frauen AUT

3. AFC Ajax NED

4. Real Sociedad de Futbol SPA

5. INTER ITA