Published August 14, 2026
The Naomi Girma Chelsea Champions League path now runs through a two-legged qualifying tie against Real Sociedad, set for Aug. 26 in London and Sept. 2 in Spain. It’s an unfamiliar spot for Chelsea, who must navigate qualifying to reach this season’s league phase for the first time in years after slipping to third in the Women’s Super League last season — a genuine shift in the competitive picture around the USWNT star’s club.
Key Takeaways
- Naomi Girma’s Chelsea will face Real Sociedad in the UEFA Women’s Champions League third qualifying round, with the first leg Aug. 26 in London and the second leg Sept. 2 in Spain.
- Chelsea finished third in the 2025-26 Women’s Super League, behind champions Manchester City and runners-up Arsenal, costing the club an automatic Champions League league-phase berth for the first time in recent memory.
- Real Sociedad finished third in Spain’s Liga F last season and has reached the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying rounds only once before, losing in the second round in 2022-23.
- The winner of the tie joins nine already-qualified clubs — including holders Barcelona — in the 18-team league phase; the loser drops into the second qualifying round of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup instead.
- The same draw set up other notable ties, including four-time champions Eintracht Frankfurt against Paris Saint-Germain — a rematch of the 2015 final — and Real Madrid against Ajax.
Naomi Girma’s Chelsea Draw Real Sociedad in Champions League Qualifying
UEFA’s third qualifying round draw, held Aug. 11 in Nyon, Switzerland, paired Chelsea with Real Sociedad for a place in this season’s 18-team Women’s Champions League league phase. Chelsea, seeded alongside Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Wolfsburg, will host the first leg at Stamford Bridge on Aug. 26, with the return leg in San Sebastián on Sept. 2. Kickoff times were still being finalized as of the draw.
It’s a qualifying tie Chelsea wouldn’t have needed in most recent seasons. The club finished third in the 2025-26 Women’s Super League, behind Manchester City and Arsenal, who advanced directly to the Champions League league phase as England’s top two finishers. That third-place finish is the reason Naomi Girma — the USWNT center back who joined Chelsea in a world-record $1.1 million transfer from San Diego Wave in January 2025 — now has a two-legged knockout tie standing between her club and Europe’s top competition, rather than a guaranteed spot.
Real Sociedad, for its part, is a credible but beatable opponent on paper: the club finished third in Liga F last season, well behind champions Barcelona and second-place Real Madrid, and has reached the Women’s Champions League qualifying rounds only once before, losing in the second round in 2022-23.
Why It Matters
For years, Chelsea’s spot in the Champions League league phase was close to automatic — the club has been one of the WSL’s dominant forces for the better part of a decade. A third-place league finish changes that calculus, and it says as much about the WSL’s rising competitiveness as it does about any specific dip from Chelsea. Manchester City and Arsenal both finished ahead of Chelsea in 2025-26, extending a period of shifting power at the top of the English game.
For American fans, the practical stakes are straightforward: Naomi Girma’s club now needs to win a genuine two-legged knockout tie in August just to play Champions League football this fall. A loss wouldn’t end Chelsea’s season, but it would drop the club into the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup instead — a real step down in profile and prize money from Europe’s top competition.
What Does Real Sociedad’s Draw Actually Mean for Chelsea?
On paper, Chelsea should be favored. Real Sociedad’s lone previous Champions League qualifying appearance ended in the second round in 2022-23, and the gap in resources and squad depth between a WSL side that’s finished top three for years and a third-place Liga F club is real. But two-legged qualifying ties carry their own risk — a slow start on the road, an early away goal conceded, or a single costly moment in the second leg can flip a tie that looked comfortable on paper. Chelsea will want to protect their result in the first leg at Stamford Bridge; an away goal for Real Sociedad in Spain, with the tie level, would create genuine late-match tension for a club unaccustomed to this level of uncertainty in August.
What Does This Mean for the Rest of the Bracket?
Chelsea and Real Sociedad are one of nine qualifying ties set for Aug. 26 and Sept. 2. The most historically loaded matchup pits four-time champions Eintracht Frankfurt against Paris Saint-Germain, a rematch of the 2015 UEFA Women’s Champions League final. Two-time champions Wolfsburg face Inter Milan, and Real Madrid — attempting to extend a streak of clearing qualifying in all six seasons since the format’s introduction — draw Ajax. The nine winners join Barcelona, Manchester City, Arsenal, Lyon, Bayern Munich, Roma, Benfica, Paris FC and Häcken in the league phase, which begins in earnest with a draw on Sept. 4.
For NWSL and USWNT followers, it’s also a reminder of how many American internationals now have direct stakes in European qualifying rounds each August — a trend that continues to grow as more USWNT players sign with WSL, Liga F and other European clubs.
What Comes Next
Chelsea hosts Real Sociedad in the first leg Aug. 26 at Stamford Bridge, with the return leg Sept. 2 in San Sebastián. A Chelsea win sends the club into the league phase draw on Sept. 4; a loss sends the club into Europa Cup qualifying instead. Expect Girma, a fixture in Chelsea’s back line since her 2025 arrival, to be central to however Sonia Bompastor’s side approaches the tie.
Conclusion
Naomi Girma didn’t leave the NWSL for a club that needed to sweat its way into the Champions League — but that’s exactly the position Chelsea find themselves in this August. A third-place WSL finish, a two-legged tie against an ambitious Liga F side, and a growing sense that England’s traditional order is shifting all make this qualifying round worth watching, regardless of how lopsided it looks on paper. The first leg is Aug. 26.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who will Naomi Girma’s Chelsea face in Champions League qualifying?
Chelsea will face Real Sociedad in the UEFA Women’s Champions League third qualifying round, with the first leg Aug. 26 at Stamford Bridge in London and the second leg Sept. 2 in San Sebastián, Spain.
Why does Chelsea have to play a qualifying round this year?
Chelsea finished third in the 2025-26 Women’s Super League, behind Manchester City and Arsenal. Only the top two WSL finishers advance directly to the Champions League league phase, so Chelsea must win a qualifying tie to reach it this season.
What happens if Chelsea loses to Real Sociedad?
A loss would eliminate Chelsea from the Women’s Champions League and send the club into the second qualifying round of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup instead — a lower-profile European competition.
Is Naomi Girma still playing for Chelsea?
Yes. Girma joined Chelsea from San Diego Wave in a world-record $1.1 million transfer in January 2025 and has remained a first-choice center back for the club and the USWNT since.