Chelsea to face Real Sociedad in Women’s Champions League qualifier

Chelsea have been drawn against Spanish side Real Sociedad in the third qualifying round of the Women's Champions League. The first leg will take place at Chelsea's home ground on 26 August, with the return fixture scheduled for 2 September in Spain. Chelsea, who finished third in the Women's Super League last season and are eight-time English champions, must win the aggregate tie to progress to the group stage. Real Sociedad finished third in the Spanish top flight last season, 21 points behind champions Barcelona. The draw took place on Tuesday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, with Chelsea seeded. The club were runners-up in the 2021 final against Barcelona. Other notable ties in this round include Paris St-Germain against Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid facing Ajax, two-time winners Wolfsburg playing Inter Milan, and Juventus meeting Austrian side St Polten. Manchester City, last season's WSL champions, and runners-up Arsenal have already secured their places in the group stage, alongside defending champions Barcelona. In recent pre-season action, Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones scored a hat-trick during Saturday's 7-0 victory over Auckland FC in New Zealand.