BK Häcken face an extremely tough Champions League group stage draw in the women's competition. The reigning Swedish champions and Europa Cup winners will meet some of the world's absolute best clubs this autumn, according to the draw reported by SVT Sport.
The draw means Häcken will play three home games and three away games in the new league phase. At Hisingen, they will host English Chelsea, Manchester City and Italian Juventus. Away trips will take them to French Olympique Lyonnais and Paris FC plus Italian Inter. The team avoided Spanish Barcelona in the draw. The six matches will determine which four teams advance to the semifinals.
What are the Swedish connections in the opponent teams?
Several of Häcken's opponents have strong Swedish connections. Chelsea have Swedish national team defender Nathalie Björn in their squad, meaning Häcken will face her club at home. Inter have Swedish midfielder Olivia Schough, so Häcken will travel to her club's venue for the away match.
Manchester City are led by Swedish coach Andrée Jeglertz. The club also has Swedish sporting director Therese Sjögran. Also, two of Häcken's current players have previous experience with one of the opponents. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Elma Junttila Nelhage have both played for Olympique Lyonnais earlier in their careers.
How does the injury situation affect preparations?
Ahead of the tough European campaign, Häcken must manage an injury situation affecting the squad. According to the latest injuries list, three key players are currently sidelined. Goalkeeper Andreas Linde, midfielder Ben Engdahl and forward Filip Ohman are all out of action and missing training and matches.
This puts demands on squad depth as the team prepares to face world elite opposition. The coaching staff's planning for rotation and tactical choices becomes extra important with a congested match calendar. The team's physical preparations can be followed via our stats page.
What happens after the Champions League draw?
Häcken's focus now shifts to the nearest Allsvenskan fixture. The team's next match is an away game against Malmö FF on 18 October 2026. That match is an important part of the pre-season build-up ahead of the European campaign.
The club faces a packed autumn with both domestic and international challenges. The complete fixtures schedule shows a tough period with many high-class opponents in quick succession. Supporters can follow the team's position in the Swedish league on our standings page.
What does the new Champions League format look like?
The Women's Champions League is now played in a league phase with six matches per team. Each team faces six different opponents, three at home and three away. The top four teams after these six rounds advance to the semifinals.
For Häcken, this means every match becomes extremely important in the hunt for a playoff spot. The team has historically shown they can perform against top opposition, but this group represents a new level of challenge. The team's squad list is available on our squad page.
Häcken begin their Champions League season with a home match against Chelsea at Hisingen, a game where Swedish international Nathalie Björn returns to Sweden with her English club.
