Europe's most prestigious competition returns this Tuesday. 33 players who came through the Sud Ladies Cup will be competing in the Champions League this season.
The 2023/24 Women's Champions League kicks off today! As every year, sixteen teams divided into four groups of four will battle it out for Europe's top cup. Can Barcelona retain their title? Which clubs can topple the Catalans? Among the favourites and outsiders are 33 players who have featured in the Sud Ladies Cup.
With thirteen representatives, Paris Saint-Germain is the club with the most former SLC players. Elisa de Almeida, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Sandy Baltimore, Laurina Fazer and Oriane Jean-François are among them. The Paris-based club will be able to call on a host of assets in a group that is anything but easy, as they come up against Bayern, Ajax and Roma.
Still among the French clubs, Lyon will obviously be taking part. With seven players who have featured in the Sud Ladies Cup, including Selma Bacha and Vicki Becho, Lyon will also have plenty to play for. On the menu in the group are Slavia Praha, St-Polten and Brann Bergen. A kind draw, but one that Lyon will have to take seriously.
The biggest story of this 23/24 edition of the Champions League is undoubtedly that of Paris FC. For the first time in its history, the club has managed to qualify for the competition by beating Wolfsburg in the qualifying play-offs. It promises to be a tough but exciting discovery for the Parisians, who face Chelsea and Real Madrid in their group. The four former Sud Ladies Cup players in the Paris squad will be in for a real treat and a major challenge.
Finally, among the foreign clubs, there are nine players who have come through the SLC. Whether they are at Bayern, Real Madrid or Frankfurt, they will all have one thing on their minds: to reach the end of the competition.
The 33 Sud Ladies Cup graduates to compete in the 2023/2024 Champions League
Ajax Amsterdam : Rosa Van Gool, Danique Noordman
Bayern Munich : Klara Bühl
Benfica : Lena Pauels
Eintracht Francfort : Sophia Kleinherne, Tanja Pawollek, Laura Freigang
Lyon : Féérine Belhadj, Alice Marques, Alice Sombath, Kysha Sylla, Selma Bacha, Louna Belhout-Achi, Vicki Becho
Paris Saint-Germain : Océane Toussaint, Thiniba Samoura, Jade Le Guilly, Elisa De Almeida, Magnaba Folquet, Korbin Albert, Oriane Jean-François, Amélie Joseph, Laurina Fazer, Sandy Baltimore, Manssita Traoré, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Fanny Rossi
Paris FC : Célina Ould Hocine, Lou Bogaert, Margaux Le Mouël, Kessya Bussy
Real Madrid : Mylène Chavas, Naomie Feller