Arsenal Women Lead With Inaugural Champions Cup Victory

Arsenal claimed the first-ever Champions Cup on Sunday, edging Corinthians 3-2 after extra time at Emirates Stadium. The new tournament brought together four continental title-winners, and Arsenal, reigning

European champions, secured the inaugural trophy with a late winner in front of a home crowd.

The match swung repeatedly. Olivia Smith put Arsenal ahead after 15 minutes, before Gabi Zanotti levelled with a header. Lotte Wubben-Moy restored the lead, but Vic Albuquerque converted a 96th-minute penalty, awarded after a Katie McCabe challenge on Gisela Robledo, sending the final into extra time.

Extra time produced the decisive moment as Caitlin Foord struck the winning goal, sealing Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Corinthians. The Australian forward’s finish rewarded Arsenal’s attacking pressure across 120 minutes and ensured the first Champions Cup title stayed in north London at the end of an intense contest.

Arsenal captain Kim Little reflected on the emotional swings of the final and praised the group effort across the week. Little highlighted both the semi-final and the showpiece, stressing that the squad and staff contributed together to secure another major trophy for the club.

"It’s great to get the win, said Arsenal captain Little. We showed incredible character and resilience to lose the goal right at the end and come back in extra-time. The girls did great. For us, these things happen in football. You have to bounce back. When we came out in extra-time we showed that, we created chances, and Caitlin [Foord] scored a great goal to get the win. We’ve got an incredible squad of players and staff. Credit to everyone for putting in a performance on Wednesday and today to get the win and it feels great to get more silverware for this club. It’s obviously a unique experience, it being the first Champions Cup. We’ll take a lot from winning today and getting a trophy. "

Lotte Wubben-Moy also emphasised the wider meaning of the victory for a club already rich in honours. The defender scored Arsenal’s second goal and then watched Foord complete the job, with supporters at Emirates Stadium witnessing another chapter in Arsenal’s long record of success.

Wubben-Moy told Sky Sports: "It’s not often that at Arsenal you can write history because history has been written so many times. We stand on the shoulders of giants. To come to this inaugural competition and win it and do it with all of our fans here in styleour fans are wonderful and that’s who we do it for. To win the first silverware this year is a big leap forward. We want more. Stick with us. 2026 has more to come. "

The Champions Cup brought together four clubs who had all lifted continental titles: Arsenal, Corinthians, Gotham FC and FAR Rabat. Gotham FC took third place after a 4-0 victory over Rabat, rounding off a tournament designed to match leading sides from Europe, South America, North America and Africa.

Etched into history pic.twitter.com/0CdHXgsh1HArsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 1, 2026

Across the final, Arsenal’s numbers underlined the result. The team produced 31 shots, generating 3.1 expected goals, with 13 efforts on target and several attempts striking the woodwork. Those figures reflected constant pressure on Corinthians’ defence, even though the Brazilian side stayed competitive until the last minute.

For Arsenal, lifting the first Champions Cup adds to the momentum of the reigning European champions heading into the rest of 2026. The comeback after the late penalty, combined with the volume of chances created, offers further belief that more trophies could follow this opening silverware of the year.