Bayern Munich Are the Only German Club Left in the Women's Champions League

German clubs have won the Women's Champions League more times than almost any country's. Frankfurt have four titles, Wolfsburg and Potsdam two each, Duisburg one. This season, only one German club is actually in it.

Bayern Munich open their league phase at home to Manchester City on Tuesday 22 September, the sole Bundesliga side left after Frankfurt and Wolfsburg were both knocked out in qualifying.

Klara Bühl, speaking to Her Football Hub ahead of the opener, said plainly that having just one German club through is "not something we are happy about as a German team."

Bayern's own route through the new 18-team league phase is demanding regardless of who else made it. They'll face Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Benfica, Austria Wien and City, six games in total, three at home and three away.

The top four in the standings advance straight to the quarter-finals. Fifth to twelfth go into a play-off round to decide the rest of the last eight.

How Frankfurt and Wolfsburg actually went out

Frankfurt's exit was the more dramatic of the two. The first leg in Germany finished 1-1, and PSG led the return leg in Paris from midway through the first half.

Rebecka Blomqvist equalised in the 76th minute, sending the tie to extra time at 2-2 on aggregate. Frankfurt had played over half the second half with ten players by then, following a red card for Hayley Raso.

PSG needed that extra time to break them. Merveille Kanjinga struck again five minutes in, before Sakina Karchaoui added two more.

Rasheedat Ajibade completed the rout in stoppage time, turning a level tie into a 5-1 win on the night and 6-2 on aggregate.

Wolfsburg's exit was just as dramatic in its own way. They won the first leg in Germany 2-0, only for Inter Milan to win the return fixture 2-0 as well.

That forced extra time at 2-2 on aggregate and eventually a penalty shootout, which Inter won after Ivana Andrés converted the decisive spot kick.

Both German sides drop into the second-tier Women's Europa Cup instead, a competition Frankfurt already reached the semi-finals of last season.

Bayern qualified automatically as reigning Frauen-Bundesliga champions, and now carry the country's European hopes alone.

It's a heavier load than it looks. Bayern themselves went out at the semi-final stage last season, beaten by Barcelona, who remain in this season's field as well.

"We all thought that all three German clubs would be in the league stage," Bühl said.

The Austria Wien tie carries some personal weight inside the Bayern squad specifically. Carina Wenninger spent around 16 years on Bayern's books before returning home to Austria, and will now face her former club as an opponent for the first time.

Teammate Sarah Mattner grew up in Vienna and started out at First Vienna FC before moving to SKN St. Pölten, where she won the league title.

Bühl said Mattner had specifically hoped for the draw, and that the squad were happy for her when it landed.

Bühl was more measured about the football itself, pointing to the semi-final defeat to Barcelona as the standard the squad now need to beat, with better one-on-one defending named as a specific area to improve.

Bayern's six games are already confirmed. City at home on 22 September, away to Benfica on 30 September, Real Madrid at home on 28 October.

Then away to PSG on 10 November, away to Austria Wien on 19 November, and Barcelona at home to close it out on 16 December.

There's a shape to that run worth noticing. Bayern open the campaign against City and end it against the exact side that beat them in the semi-finals last season.

Bayern's league phase fixtures will be shown in full on Disney+, starting with Manchester City's visit on 22 September.

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