The German champions vs. the French champions - when FC Bayern Women meet OL Lyonnes at 15:00 CEST at the adidas BaseGround in Herzogenaurach on Tuesday, it will be more than just an ordinary pre-season friendly. It'll be a meeting of two greats of European women's football - with a history, aspirations and ambitions. Lyon - one of the dominant teams in women's football in Europe in recent years - will arrive with a new club crest, a new name and a new self-image. The French record champions have not only revamped their image, but also their structure. Read on to find out what has recently changed inside the top club - and why this match reveals more about the balance of power in European women's football than the result alone.
France's footballing giants
The women's section of Olympique Lyon was created in 2004 from the long-established FC Lyon team, which was founded in 1970. By moving under the roof of their great local rivals, the players hoped for a more professional environment - and they got it. The first league title followed in 2007. In the past 19 years, the team have missed out on just one domestic championship and also won the Champions League eight times.
However, the French record champions are now embarking on a new chapter. Owner Michelle Kang has fundamentally reorganised the club - structurally, visually and strategically. For the 2025/26 season, the team will operate under the name OL Lyonnes, a blend of ‘Lyon’ and the French ‘Lionnes’ (lionesses). To symbolise the connection to Lyon, the ‘i’ was replaced with the ‘y’ from the city's name. The club crest was also redesigned: It shows a red and gold lioness with a flame, crown and three stars. A symbol for title, energy and independence.
But the rebranding goes beyond symbolism. In future, the Lionesses will permanently play their home games at the 59,000-capacity Groupama Stadium. Moreover, a separate performance centre for the women's team will be built on the site of the former youth academy. The facilities will be adapted to the specific needs of professional women footballers - including retreat rooms for mothers, additional conference rooms and a dedicated museum.
Domestic and European trophy collection
With 18 domestic league titles, OL Lyonnes are not only the most successful club in France, but also a symbol of consistency in women's football. Since winning the title for the first time in the 2006/07 season, the team have dominated the domestic league almost continuously. The run was only interrupted in 2020/21, when Paris Saint-Germain edged them by one point. Lyon also lead the stats in the cup competition, the Coupe de France féminine, with ten trophies, although they did recently miss out on reaching the final twice.
In Europe, Lyon are already regarded as the benchmark. The club have won the Champions League eight times - a feat no other club has managed to emulate anywhere near as often. Between 2015/16 and 2019/20, Lyon actually won the trophy five times in a row - a record that is unique not only in women's football, but also in European club football as a whole.
The squad: experience meets prospects
OL Lyonnes have a squad that boasts top European quality. In goal, Christiane Endler is one of the most experienced keepers on the continent, having played for PSG, Lyon and Chelsea. In defence, captain Wendie Renard leads a well-drilled back line, supported by France internationals Selma Bacha and Alice Sombath as well as Denmark's Sofie Svava.
Melchie Dumornay is one of the most striking players in midfield, while Kadidiatou Diani, Lindsey Heaps and Ada Hegerberg are a real threat in attack for the French side. Two more attacking players, Germany international Jule Brand and Marie-Antoinette Katoto, joined the eight-time Champions League winners in the summer. Jonatan Giráldez also took over in the dugout at the start of the season: the Spaniard won the Champions League twice and three domestic league titles with Barcelona, and most recently coached Washington Spirit in the USA.
Intertwined paths: players with spells at Bayern and Lyon
Several players have already pulled on both the FC Bayern and OL Lyonnes jerseys. Olympic champion Vanessa Gilles joined the Reds at the start of the season straight from Lyon, where she won the French league three times and the cup once in the past three years. She follows a number of players whose careers have crossed paths between the two clubs.
Sara Däbritz, for example, won the Bundesliga as a Bayern player before moving to Lyon via Paris Saint-Germain, where she last played. Saki Kumagai moved in the opposite direction, winning numerous domestic and European trophies with Lyon in eight years - including five consecutive Champions League triumphs - before moving to FC Bayern in 2021, where she played for two years.
Laura Benkarth donned the Bayern jersey between 2018 and 2023 before moving to Lyon. After two seasons, she has now returned to her home club SC Freiburg. Caro Simon also played for the French club in the 2018/19 season and promptly won the treble of league, cup and Champions League. These transfers show how close the links are between the two top European clubs - and at the same time how high the sporting standards are on both sides.
Previous encounters
FC Bayern Women have already experienced OL Lyonnes as opponents in the Champions League: the two teams have gone toe-to-toe five times. The last time they met was in the Champions League quarter-finals last season. Despite a courageous performance, the Munich side ultimately went down 2-0 and 4-1.
A hard-fought 1-0 win in the second leg of the group stage of the 2021/22 season gave them their only competitive match win to date against the French side, who won the competition in the same year. The two previous matches ended 2-1 from Bayern's perspective.
FCB Women celebrated a resounding 4-1 win over Real Madrid on Thursday:
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