All you need to know as Arsenal face Corinthians in Champions Cup final

History is guaranteed at Emirates Stadium on Sunday as Arsenal host Brazil’s Corinthians in the first Women’s Champions Cup final.

The winners of the new Fifa tournament, which pits continental champions against one another, will claim the biggest single cash prize in women’s club football.

Whoever gets their hands on the trophy will walk away with $2.3m (£1.7m) while the runners-up will gain $1m (£735,000).

Arsenal go into the final as favourites, having booked their place in the title clash by dismantling African champions AS FAR Rabat of Morocco 6-0 on Wednesday.

Brazilian powerhouse Corinthians, meanwhile, progressed in contrasting fashion, shocking North American champions Gotham FC 1-0 in the other semi-final.

For Arsenal, the Champions Cup is a welcome distraction from their Women’s Super League (WSL) campaign that has failed to live up to expectations.

Having secured their first Champions League title in 18 years by stunning European giants Barcelona last May, the Gunners have failed to capitalise on a rare chance as serial winners Chelsea have faltered this season.

Having been knocked out in the League Cup semi-finals by Manchester United, in the Women’s Super League they find themselves 10 points adrift of leaders Manchester City, though they moved one point behind Chelsea with a 2-0 win over the defending champions last weekend.

This game offers Arsenal a chance to add an international trophy to their cabinet and boost their morale for the second half of the season – not to mention the massive financial incentive.

Renee Slegers had to manage her squad carefully during the semi-final victory over AS FAR, which came four days after their triumph at Stamford Bridge.

Key stars like Alessia Russo, Emily Fox and Leah Williamson were left out of the starting line-up against the Moroccan side but Arsenal hardly broke a sweat to ease into the decider.

Managing minutes for her stars will be crucial for Slegers again on Sunday, with a massive league meeting against Andree Jeglertz’s City looming next week.

Arsenal may be favourites on home turf, but they face a Corinthians side who know exactly how to win trophies.

Known as Timao, which translates to ‘the Great Team’, they are the undisputed queens of Brazilian football and won the league title seven times, including six in a row between 2020 and 2025.

Their dominance extends across the continent, having qualified for the Champions Cup as the reigning champions of the Copa Libertadores – a tournament they have won five times in the past seven seasons.

Corinthians have already proven their quality by knocking out a star-studded Gotham side who boasted the likes of America legend Rose Lavelle and England defender Jess Carter in their starting line-up.

The winner came from their 40-year-old captain Gabi Zanotti, who beat former Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger in the 83rd minute at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.

For a South American club, the economics that Champions Cup offers would be transformative.

However, question marks remain over the tournament’s timing with concerns about fixture congestion and player welfare.