Category News

The Women’s Champions League’s inaugural league phase is set for a thrilling finale as teams battle to qualify for the knockout stage.

Last year’s beaten finalists Barcelona and eight-time winners Lyon are the frontrunners, occupying the top two places on 13 points.

Women’s Super League sides Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have all secured at least a play-off place for the knockout stages, but a top-four finish for each of them is still up for grabs.

Teams finishing first to fourth will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, with the next eight teams – from fifth to 12th – facing off in two-legged play-offs to determine who will join them.

The sides from 13th to 18th will be eliminated from the competition.

Barcelona, Lyon, Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus have also secured at least a place in the play-offs.

There’s no hope left for St. Polten, FC Twente, Benfica, Roma, Paris Saint-Germain, who are all already out.

Chelsea’s latest quest to secure a maiden Champions League crown has been a mixed bag of results so far.

They made a stuttering start with a drab draw against Dutch champions Twente, but followed up by swatting Paris FC aside and hitting St Polten for six, before claiming an impressive 1-1 draw against old foes Barcelona.

A 6-0 victory over Roma moved Chelsea up to third ahead of their final league-phase match against two-time winners Wolfsburg.

Holders Arsenal have found it tough going in the Champions League this season, with results and performances failing to match the increased expectations set by that glorious triumph over Barcelona in the final last May.

An opening night defeat by Lyon and a total collapse against Bayern Munich bookended an unconvincing away win over Benfica, before Alessia Russo inspired a vital fightback to secure three points against Real Madrid.

A 1-0 win over FC Twente secured safe passage to the knockouts, though Arsenal’s failure to take more of their chances and boost their goal difference could end up costing them a place in the top four.

Manchester United enjoyed a flying start to their debut campaign in Europe, winning their first three games against Valerenga, Atletico Madrid and Paris St-Germain while conceding just one goal. But their progress came to a shuddering halt on matchday four with a 5-2 hammering by Wolfsburg.

Marc Skinner’s side then did “a lot of learning” in a 3-0 defeat by eight-time champions Lyon, a result which left United ninth in the table.

A tough final fixture awaits at Juventus, who are fourth – above Real Madrid and Bayern Munich on goal difference only.

For an added bit of excitement, all nine games on matchday six (Wednesday 17 December) will be played at exactly the same time (20:00 GMT) so the standings could change right up until the very last whistle of the league phase.

Dominance at the top of the men’s game is nothing new.

As age caught up with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, thoughts turned to the void left by the ‘Big Three’, who won 66 of the 78 Grand Slams held between 2004 and 2023.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have shattered any expectation of the men’s majors being blown wide open.

“I see a lot of guys who can start to become a threat if they progress, but to say this person will be a threat next season is difficult,” Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached 23-time major singles champion Serena Williams between 2012 and 2022, told BBC Sport.

“If you look at the margin those two guys have above the other players, it’s difficult to imagine.”

BBC Sport picks out five players who could potentially end the ‘Sincaraz’ duopoly next season.

Age: 23

World ranking: 9

With serves touching 150mph and plenty of on-court sass, Shelton announced himself with his run to the New York semi-finals in 2023.

The left-handed American reached another Grand Slam semi-final in Melbourne this year, but came unstuck against Sinner.

His progress at the next two majors was blocked by Alcaraz at Roland Garros and Sinner again at Wimbledon.

“I think the next guy will have to have a huge ego if he wants to be in the mix – so it can be someone like Shelton, maybe,” said Mouratoglou.

“He will have to make progress but I think his confidence in himself and in his game is big enough.”

Former British number one Greg Rusedski agrees Shelton has the “firepower” to win a major.

Age: 28

World ranking: 6

Fritz has been a staple in the top 20 for the past four seasons, with a game built around a serve that was ranked second on the ATP Tour in 2025.

An aggressive approach from the baseline supports the American’s opening shot, with a steely drive and work ethic underpinning his consistency.

Fritz’s problem so far has been simple: his level is not as high as Alcaraz or Sinner’s.

He has won just two of his 11 matches against the pair – one victory over each but none at a major – but is seen as the “likeliest to close the gap” by former world number four Tim Henman.

“He’s so efficient on serve and at the back of the court, both forehand and backhand, but [he needs to] try to finish a few points at the net when he’s so aggressive from those groundstrokes,” Henman said on Netflix’s coverage of the Six Kings Slam exhibition event.

Age: 23

World ranking: 10

Draper’s promise is illustrated by him finishing 2025 as the world number 10, despite playing only 11 tournaments.

With his left-handed serve and forehand able to puncture the defence of most opponents, the British number one has beaten both Sinner and Alcaraz over three sets – including the latter on his way to Indian Wells glory in March.

“Someone like – and I’ve got my biased hat on here – a fully fit Jack has weapons,” Britain’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith told BBC Sport.

“I think it helps the fact he’s a leftie. There’s big serving, big cuts of the ball.

“He can beat them – we’ve seen it before in one-off matches.

Age: 25

World ranking: 5

When Auger-Aliassime reached his first Grand Slam semi-final in 2021, it felt like he was primed for the very top.

However, his progress was derailed by a string of injuries and a lack of belief at the biggest events.

The Canadian started 2025 outside of the world’s top 20, but his game – booming serve, vicious groundstrokes and supreme athleticism – came together late in the season.

He surged into the top five after reaching the US Open semis, claiming the Brussels title and losing to Sinner in the Paris Masters final.

“I like the way he has matured in the past three to four months and how he played at the US Open,” said Tennis Channel analyst Mark Petchey.

Age: 38

World ranking: 4

That Djokovic consistently looks the most likely to disrupt the ‘New Two’ is testament to his enduring brilliance.

It is also damning about the rest of the pack.

“Despite barely playing, he was still the third-best player on the planet this year, and he still wants to keep going,” Rusedski said.

By his own admission, Djokovic’s problem going into 2026 is beating Sinner and Alcaraz over five sets.

Germany’s Alexander Zverev is the nearest challenger in terms of ranking and has long been predicted to win a Grand Slam.

However, the 28-year-old has regularly shown he lacks the belief to get over the line – including three defeats in major finals.

And what about the precocious talents emerging?

Brazil’s Joao Fonseca, 18, is tipped for big things but is far from the finished product, while 20-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik – who beat Djokovic in the Miami final – is the youngest player in the world’s top 20.