Toni Payne set for Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid tests after Inter make history

Nigeria international Toni Payne will face Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid after helping Inter reach the UEFA Women’s Champions League league phase for the first time.

Inter were drawn against six high-profile European opponents in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday. Their schedule also includes French club OL Lyonnes, Swedish side Hacken and Austria Wien.

Inter will host Arsenal, Hacken and Manchester City in Milan, while their away fixtures will be against OL Lyonnes, Real Madrid and Austria Wien.

The first matchday is scheduled for 22 or 23 September, with the remaining league-phase rounds to be played until 16 December. UEFA will confirm the exact dates and kick-off times on Saturday.

Payne joined Inter in July on a contract running until 30 June 2028, following two seasons with Everton. Just weeks into her time at the Italian club, she was involved in a dramatic victory over two-time European champions Wolfsburg that secured Inter’s place among Europe’s leading teams.

Wolfsburg won the first leg 2-0 in Germany on 26 August, leaving Inter needing to overturn a two-goal deficit in the return match at Stadio Ernesto Breda in Sesto San Giovanni on 2 September.

Elisa Bartoli gave Inter the lead in the 39th minute before Michela Polli’s goal in the 84th minute levelled the tie at 2-2 on aggregate and forced extra time.

Wolfsburg appeared to regain control when Aras Arslaniewicz scored in the 111th minute. But Inter produced a late response as Marija Ana Milinkovic found the net in the first minute of added time at the end of extra time, making it 3-1 on the night and 3-3 overall.

The tie was decided by penalties. Both sides converted their first four attempts, but Inter goalkeeper Cecilia Runarsdottir saved Wolfsburg’s fifth penalty. Ivana Andres then scored the decisive kick to give Inter a 5-4 shoot-out victory.

The result secured Inter’s first-ever place in the Champions League league phase in only their second European campaign. Payne did not start the second leg, but entered the match in the 60th minute as Inter mounted their comeback.

Inter qualified for the play-off after finishing second in the previous Serie A Women season.

Their reward is a league-phase campaign against some of the strongest clubs in the competition. Arsenal won the Women’s Champions League in 2025 and are one of England’s two representatives in this season’s league phase. Manchester City also qualified directly through England’s domestic route.

Real Madrid are one of the clubs to have reached the league phase in all six seasons of the current format.

Other Nigerian players involved in the competition include AS Roma pair Rinsola Babajide and Shukurat Oladipo, along with Hacken duo Joy Omewa and Halimatu Ayinde.

Under the new format, Inter will play six different opponents, with three matches at home and three away. The four highest-ranked teams after the six games will qualify directly for the quarter-finals, while clubs finishing from fifth to 12th will enter the knockout phase play-offs for the remaining four quarter-final places.

Payne and Inter have already overcome one major European challenge by eliminating Wolfsburg. They will now begin their league-phase campaign with home matches against Arsenal and Manchester City before travelling to face Real Madrid.