Zambia Women’s National Team duo of Martha Tembo and midfielder Ireen ‘Xavi’ Lungu could make their UEFA Women’s Champions League debut this afternoon.
The duo and their BIIK Kazygurt Shymkent will kick off their 2023/2024 UWCL campaign against SFK Rīga of Latvia in round of the Competition.
Lungu and Tembo helped Green Buffaloes Women’s Football Club to their CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifiers triumph last year.
Ireen Lungu, The female Computer will be pulling strings in midfield while Tembo will continue her brilliance at left back.
BIIK Kazygurt are seasoned campaigners in the UEFA Women’s Champions League with a number of Zambian players having featured and scored in the Competition with them.
Misozi Zulu was the first to score in the UEFA Women’s Champions League while Rachel Kundananji is the top goalscorer in the competition.
Grace Chanda netted a hat-trick last year for BIIK before her move to Madrid CFF.
Round 1 is one of two rounds before the 16-team group stage, which begins in November. It is split into two paths: the champions path and the league path. In both paths, round 1 will consist of two stages, each of one-off knockout matches played in single-venue mini-tournaments: semi-finals on Wednesday and finals/third-place play-offs on Saturday.
The winners of each final (11 in champions path, four in league path) will progress to round 2, which will decide the 12 teams joining holders Barcelona, Lyon, Bayern and Chelsea in the group stage.
Round 1 groups
League path:
Sixteen teams entered at this stage: the runners-up from the associations ranked seventh to 16th and the third-placed teams from the associations ranked first to sixth.
They have been drawn into four knockout mini-tournaments of four teams each.
The winners of the four finals will progress to round 2, into which six teams have direct entry. Five group stage places will be on offer in round 2.
Group 1 (hosts: Twente)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Levante vs Stjarnan (13:00)
Twente vs Sturm Graz (19:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (13:30)
Final (19:30)
Group 2 (hosts: Eintracht Frankfurt)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Juventus vs Okzhetpes (13:00)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Slovácko (18:30)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (18:30)
Final (13:00)
Group 3 (hosts: Linköping)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Arsenal vs Linköping (17:00)
Paris FC vs Kryvbas (21:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (19:00)
Final (15:00)
Group 4 (hosts: Vålerenga)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Brøndby vs Celtic (14:00)
Minsk vs Vålerenga (20:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (14:00)
Final (20:00)
The winners of these mini tournaments will be joined in round 2 by Wolfsburg, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Sparta Praha, Häcken and Manchester United
Champions path:
41 teams are entering at this stage: the champions of the associations ranked eighth and below.
They have been drawn into 11 single-venue knockout mini-tournaments: eight with four teams and three with three teams.
The winners of the 11 finals will progress to round 2, into which three teams have direct entry. Seven group stage places will be on offer in round 2.
Group 1 (hosts: Universitatea Olimpia Cluj)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Ferencváros vs Qiryat Gat (10:00)
Universitatea Olimpia Cluj vs Spartak Myjava (15:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (10:00)
Final (15:00)
Group 2 (hosts: SFK 2000 Sarajevo)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Vorskla vs Flora Tallinn (11:00)
SFK 2000 Sarajevo vs Osijek (17:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (11:00)
Final (17:00)
Group 3 (hosts: Mura)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Apollon LFC vs Ljuboten (11:00)
Mura vs FC Samegrelo
(17:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (11:00)
Final (17:00)
Group 4 (hosts: HB Køge)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Spartak Subotica vs KÍ Klaksvík (15:30)
HB Køge vs KuPS Kuopio (19:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (12:30)
Final (16:00)
Group 5 (hosts: Katowice)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Brann vs Lokomotiv Stara Zagora (14:00)
Anderlecht vs Katowice (20:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (14:00)
Final (20:00)
Group 6 (hosts: SL Benfica)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
BIIK-Shymkent vs SFK Rīga (15:00)
Benfica vs Cliftonville (21:00)
2022/23 group highlights: Rosengård 1-3 Benfica
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (12:00)
Final (19:00)
Group 7 (hosts: Vllaznia)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Valur vs Ankara BB Fomget (10:00)
Vllaznia vs EP-Hajvalia (18:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (10:00)
Final (18:00)
Group 8 (hosts: Gintra)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-finals
Glasgow City vs Shelbourne (11:00)
Gintra vs Cardiff City (17:00)
Saturday 9 September
Third-place match (11:00)
Final (17:00)
Group 9 (hosts: St. Pölten)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-final
PAOK vs Racing FC Union Luxembourg (18:00)
Saturday 9 September
Final
St. Pölten vs PAOK / Racing FC Union Luxembourg (18:00)
Group 10 (hosts: Agarista Anenii Noi)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-final
Dinamo-BSUPC vs Agarista Anenii Noi (17:00)
Saturday 9 September
Final
Ajax vs Dinamo-BSUPC / Agarista Anenii Noii (17:00)
Group 11 (hosts: Birkirkara)
Wednesday 6 September
Semi-final
Breznica vs Birkirkara (18:00)
Saturday 9 September
Final
Zürich vs Breznica / Birkirkara (18:00)
The winners of this path will be joined in round 2 by Slavia Praha, Rosengård and AS Roma.
Season calendar
Round 1 (single-venue mini-tournaments)
Semi-finals: 6 September
Finals/third-place play-offs: 9 September
Round 2 draw
15 September, Nyon
Round 2
First leg: 10/11 October
Second leg: 18/19 October
Group stage draw
20 October, Nyon
Group stage
Matchday 1: 14/15 November
Matchday 2: 22/23 November
Matchday 3: 13/14 December
Matchday 4: 20/21 December
Matchday 5: 24/25 January
Matchday 6: 30/31 January
Quarter-final & semi-final draw
6 February, Nyon
Quarter-finals
First leg: 19/20 March
Second leg: 27/28 March
Semi-finals
First leg: 20/21 April
Second leg: 27/28 April
Final (San Mamés, Bilbao)
24, 25 or 26 May tbc
