The UEFA Women’s Champions League is Back: Who Should You Be Keeping an Eye on?

With the opening round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League fixtures being played earlier this week, it has raised plenty of questions regarding who could be the star of Europe this season. From serial champions, two-time domestic treble winners and coveted Ballon d’Or nominees, this campaign certainly won’t be one that’s short of world-class talent. Among many impressive names, stats from Barcelona midfield maestro Aitana Bonmati, Danish superstar striker Pernille Harder and UEFA Women's EURO 2025 champion Niamh Charles do the talking.

 Aitana Bonmati

Bonmati is quite the veteran when it comes to European football. At 28, she is deemed to be one of the best players in the women's game. She has been a massive addition to this Barcelona squad since the very start of her senior career, being part of many trophy lifts, four of those being in this exact competition. Throughout the 2025/26 Liga F season, the World Cup champion made fifteen appearances. This would imply that she missed over half of the matches played by the Spanish champions through a broken leg, meaning that her team could have lacked decision-making or the ability to read the game in order to know when to make high-tempo runs onto the ball. Although this absence shouldn’t be a true reflection of her playing quality because, despite being sidelined for five months, she still managed to contribute to three goals as well as going solo to rattle the back of the net seven times. With her return to Barcelona set to be relatively soon, teams will be wanting to keep a very close eye on her form. This is because a player like Bonmatti, with years of experience at the highest level, has the potential to slip straight back into her pre-injury form and play like she’s never been off the pitch. However, the fact that she struggled to make any significant contributions in her six UEFA Women’s Champions League appearances last season, has the potential to put her competitors at ease.

Pernille Harder

Frauen-Bundesliga winner and Denmark international Pernille Harder will certainly be one to watch, as she will want to help her club win their first UEFA Women’s Champions League title. She previously played for one of Emma Hayes’ unstoppable Chelsea sides, where she won one treble as well as two more FA Cups and two more Women’s Super League titles. In July 2023, she joined Bayern Munich and has continued to establish herself as one of their most prolific forwards. Last season, she made 24 appearances out of a possible 26. This could imply that she is a very reliable and trustworthy option, creating stability for her team. During these incredible twenty-four league appearances, she scored sixteen goals and provided seven assists, suggesting that she is able to be versatile and provide quality for her Munich teammates wherever she is able to. As for the previous Champions League campaign, her importance as a key player continued, as she appeared to be relatively clinical when taking shots on goal because eight of her twelve shots on target were converted into goals. Not only that, but she also provided three assists. This is potentially linked to her work rate and ability to win back possession within the final third. With her experience at the highest level of European football, ability to contribute goals and assists, and impressive work rate, Harder will be one to keep a close eye on throughout this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Niamh Charles

Manchester City and England international fullback Niamh Charles has built quite a career for herself by the age of twenty-seven. Ever since the start of her senior career, she has played in the English top flight with both Liverpool and Chelsea. Throughout the 2025/26 WSL campaign, Charles stepped onto the pitch eleven times for Bompastor’s Blues. Her contributions to Chelsea in recent years have led to a remarkable two trebles and twelve major honours in her time. Despite her limited number of appearances, she still managed to show sparks of her quality, creating one opportunity for her teammates last season. After her contract expired in July 2026, she made her way to Manchester City, but is yet to make her debut due to injury. This shouldn’t diminish her as any less of a threat because she has plenty of experience in Europe. She was a part of the squad who participated in the 2021 Champions League final and has been in the starting line-up of many semi-finals. In her earlier days, she utilised her qualities as a winger, but more recently she has defined herself as a defender. This should provide City with a level of versatility, which will be important as Jeglertz’s side are competing on all three fronts and will need the squad depth in order to help with player fatigue and rotation. Due to her experience at the highest level of European football and her ability to play in different positions, Charles could become an important player for City once she returns from injury. Her return to the pitch will be one to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

With so many talented players competing in this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League, there are plenty of names who could make an impact throughout the competition. Bonmatí, Harder and Charles all bring different qualities to the table, whether that be years of European experience, an ability to contribute goals and assists or the versatility to adapt to different positions. With the competition now underway, it will be interesting to see whether these three players can live up to the expectations surrounding them and make their mark on another European campaign.