Arsenal Women FC v ASFAR
FIFA Women’s Champions Cup Semi-Final
Wednesday 28 January 2026 | Brentford Stadium, London (England)
Kick-off times
18:00 (London)
19:00 (Rabat)
European champions Arsenal are set to do battle with African queens ASFAR in London.
The English side earned the right to participate in the first edition of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™ by winning the 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League. They beat FC Barcelona 1-0 in Lisbon, thanks to a goal from Stina Blackstenius.
Morocco’s ASFAR, meanwhile, were also crowned continental champions in 2025. They defeated ASEC Mimosas 2-1 in the final of the CAF Champions League to qualify for the second round of FIFA’s latest competition. There, Mohamed Amine Alioua’s charges had to go through extra time to beat Chinese outfit Wuhan Chegu Jiangda WFC, who themselves had defeated New Zealand’s Auckland United FC 1-0 in the tournament’s opening round.
Current form
Arsenal’s last five matches: 3W 1D 1L
ASFAR’s last five matches: 4W 1D
This year didn’t start auspiciously for Arsenal. Renee Slegers’ players were held to a goalless draw by Manchester United in the Women’s Super League (WSL) before falling 1-0 to the same opposition in the League Cup semi-finals. In the meantime, however, they beat Aston Villa 2-0 in the WSL before showing an impressive display against reining champions Chelsea, winning 2-0 on Saturday 24 January, three days only before entering the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
In their only match since the start of 2026, the derby against FUS Rabat in the Moroccan league, ASFAR won 4-1. The Rabat team is in second place in the standings, one point behind Wydad Casablanca – whom they beat 5-0 a few days before competing in the second round of the Women’s Champions Cup last December.
READ : Eight players to watch at the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2026
What they said…
“It’s a new competition, an international title. It’s the first edition and we’ve earned our place here to fight for the title. Being able to win a title in January can help you and give you that boost for what’s to come.”
Mariona Caldentey, Arsenal
“What’s important is that we manage games well. That we understand what we need to do when we have momentum, when we need momentum back and how we get there. And then just being really good in all phases of play, because football is so challenging at the moment.”
Renee Slegers, Arsenal coach
“I think our attention to detail and preparation for that match has taught us all a lot – in the sense of how when it’s executed, you can compete against some of the best players in the world and nullify them. Everything went right and it all came from our preparation.”
Kim Little, Arsenal captain
“ASFAR have many internationals, so this tournament is nothing new for them. They’ve played at the World Cup, most have competed in the Champions League and taken part in major tournaments. Arsenal are a great team, but we are fully prepared for this match.”
Zineb Redouani, ASFAR defender
“For me, the semi-final against Arsenal is just another match. Yes, they’re strong and a well-known side in women’s football, but we can’t go into the match thinking we’re already beaten. We have to play it like any other match and show our strength. ASFAR is a club that wants to perform on the global stage. Our objective in this tournament is to make a name for ourselves and to build on our progress.”
Khadija Er-Rmichi, ASFAR goalkeeper
Did you know?
Where to watch the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2026
The historic first edition of the tournament will be available to fans around the world through a mix of free-to-view global streaming and top-tier local broadcasters.
You can watch Arsenal v ASFAR for free on FIFA+ worldwide, except in the following territories United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Morocco, Brazil, China and Gibraltar.
