The draw for the 2023/24 Conti Cup group stage has been made. Current holders Arsenal will bypass the group stage along with Emma Hayes‘ Chelsea following their qualification for the Champions League.
The competition kicks off this October, with the final set for March 31st. Here is a full breakdown of the group stage draw.
Group A
Aston Villa, Blackburn, Durham, Sheffield United, Sunderland
Group A features just one Women’s Super League side with Aston Villa drawn against Blackburn, Sheffield United, Durham and Sunderland. Villa reached last year’s quarterfinal before falling foul of Jonas Eidevall’s Arsenal. Having failed to progress from the group stage, the rest of Group A will be looking to improve on last year’s performance.
Group B
Everton, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City
Group B sees Leicester facing Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton. If Manchester United fail to qualify for the Champions League, Marc Skinner’s side will be placed into the group. The prospect of both a Manchester and Merseyside derby in the group stage will catch the eye of many fans.
Embed from Getty ImagesGroup C
Crystal Palace, Lewes, London City, Watford
Teams from the second flight entirely compose Group C. Lewes, Crystal Palace, Watford and London City Lionesses will face off for a spot in the knockout stage. All four sides failed to progress from the group stage last season with Lewes narrowly missing out.
Embed from Getty ImagesGroup D
Bristol, Reading, Tottenham, Southampton
Recently relegated Reading will face a tough challenge in Group D. Coming up against Bristol, Tottenham and Southampton, the Royals will look to better their performance from last season. Tottenham will hope to progress further in the competition having been knocked out by Chelsea in last season’s quarter-finals.
Embed from Getty ImagesGroup E
Birmingham, Brighton, Charlton, West Ham
Group E will see Charlton come up against Brighton, Birmingham and West Ham. The Hammers won their respective groups in last year’s edition of the competition, while Brighton narrowly missed out. Birmingham have been runners-up in the competition on three occasions, however the Blues have yet to claim the trophy.
