France captain Wendie Renard will sit out the 2023 Women's World Cup unless there is a regime change, she revealed in a bombshell announcement on Friday.

In a statement posted on social media, Renard said she loved France "more than anything" but blamed "the current system" for her decision and said she wanted to protect her mental health.

The 32-year-old has 142 international caps and is one of the best-known women's footballers in the world game.

Renard was stripped of the captaincy by head coach Corinne Diacre in 2017, before regaining it four years later, with French outlet RMC Sport reporting her decision on Friday relates to concerns about Diacre, who remains in charge of the team.

Renard wrote: "I defended the blue, white and red jersey 142 times with passion, respect, commitment and professionalism. I love France more than anything, I'm not perfect, far from it, but I can no longer endorse the current system, far from the requirements required by the highest level.

"It's a sad but necessary day to preserve my mental health. It is with a heavy heart that I come by this message to inform you of my decision to take a step back from the French team.

"Unfortunately, I will not play this World Cup in such conditions. My face can hide the pain, but my heart hurts... and I don't want to hurt any more."

Renard has won 15 Division 1 Feminine titles with her club Lyon, as well as nine Coupe de France trophies and eight Women's Champions League titles.

The Women's World Cup takes place between July 20 and August 20 in Australia and New Zealand.

England and Barcelona star Lucy Bronze sent a message of support to Renard, her former Lyon team-mate, posting on Instagram: "With you my sister always."

French tennis legend Yannick Noah added his support, writing: "Courage to you Wendie."

Two of the favourites for the Women's Champions League will face each other in the quarter-finals as holders Lyon were drawn against Chelsea.

The 2021-22 runners-up Barcelona will take on Roma in the last eight, while Paris Saint-Germain play Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich come up against Arsenal.

The first legs are scheduled for March 21 and 22, with the return fixtures a week later.

The semi-final draw was also made on Friday, with the winners of PSG and Wolfsburg set to face the winners of Bayern and Arsenal, while the winners of Lyon and Chelsea will go up against the winners of Barca and Roma.

Eindhoven will host the final on June 3.

Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir has won her claim against Lyon after she was not paid her full salary during her pregnancy.

Gunnarsdottir, who captained Iceland at the Women's Euro in 2022, became pregnant in 2021 and gave birth in November of that year.

However, she was paid only two months of her full salary by Lyon.

In an article for The Players' Tribune, Gunnarsdottir said Vincent Ponsot, the club's director, did not reply to her representatives until a formal complaint was made after she was not paid for two months.

Lyon agreed to reimburse Gunnarsdottir for those missed months but refused to pay her any further wages, citing French law. 

When the matter was taken to FIFPRO, the global union for professional footballers, Gunnarsdottir claimed she was told she would have no future at Lyon if it escalated further.

On Tuesday, FIFPRO confirmed Gunnarsdottir, who now plays for Juventus, had won her case against her former club.

Lyon must pay Gunnarsdottir €82,094.82, as well as five per cent interest per annum as from 10 September, 2021, until the full payment is made.

"FIFPRO congratulates Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir on her successful claim against Olympique Lyonnais over the club's failure to pay her full salary during pregnancy," a FIFPRO statement read.

"We are pleased to have assisted her in achieving the first ruling of its kind since FIFA's maternity regulations came into force in January 2021.

"It is extremely important for women footballers and the women's game that these mandatory maternity regulations are both implemented and enforced at national level."

Frida Maanum scored a hat-trick as Arsenal stormed through to the Women's Champions League quarter-finals as Group C winners with a resounding 9-1 rout of Zurich.

Jonas Eidevall's side were already assured of a place in the knockout stages, but ran riot nevertheless at Wefox Arena to ensure they would be seeded in the last eight.

Along with Maanum's treble, Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius both scored a brace, while further strikes from Kim Little and Mana Iwabuchi completed the scoring.

"We scored some really good goals, and I'm happy to have got my hat-trick," Maanum told UEFA.com. "It's easier when you're surrounded by really good players. This is a nice early Christmas present, for sure!"

Arsenal were joined in the quarter-finals by Lyon, who are through to the last eight for the 14th time in 16 seasons after snatching second place in Group C with a goalless draw against Juventus.

Elsewhere, Barcelona ensured they advanced to the knockout stages as Group D winners following a thumping 6-0 victory over Rosengard.

Though already guaranteed progression beyond the group phase, Barca were in no forgiving mood as Asisat Oshoala scored twice with Mapi Leon, Fridolina Rolfo, Marta Torrejon and Irene Paredes also on target.

That took their goal tally to 29 - the highest in any Women's Champions League group stage - and meant Bayern Munich had to settle for second place despite Klara Buhl's double in a 2-0 win over Benfica.

Arsenal secured a place in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League despite a 1-0 defeat to Lyon on Thursday, in a game overshadowed by Vivianne Miedema suffering a potentially serious knee injury.

Gunners defender Frida Maanum put through her own net on the stroke of half-time to hand the reigning champions victory at the Emirates Stadium, leaving both sides on 10 points in Group C.

Jonas Eidevall's team knew they would qualify with anything less than a four-goal loss after establishing a head-to-head advantage by hammering Lyon 5-1 away from home in October.

However, the sight of a distressed Miedema leaving the field on a stretcher after appearing to catch her studs in the turf will provide cause for concern.

Miedema – the Champions League's top goalscorer in the 2016-17 and 2019-20 campaigns – has hit the net twice in the competition this season.

In Group C's other fixture, a four-goal haul from Cristiana Girelli helped Juventus profit from Irina Pando's red card in a 5-0 win over Zurich, teeing up a winner-take-all meeting with Lyon next week.

Meanwhile, Barcelona and Bayern Munich both ensured qualification from Group D, with the Spanish champions doing so in emphatic fashion with a 6-2 rout of Benfica.

Bayern joined them in racking up the goals with a 4-0 win at Rosengard, as Georgia Stanway joined Tainara, Sydney Lohmann and Julia Landenberger on the scoresheet.

Arsenal moved closer to the Women's Champions League quarter-finals after edging Juventus in north London, while Bayern Munich trumped Barcelona in impressive fashion.

The Women's Super League outfit preserved their unbeaten record in Group C through Vivianne Miedema's lone finish, to take a 1-0 win over the Italian giants and cement their hold on the pool.

Defeat for Joe Montemurro's side means reigning champions Lyon have vaulted them into second place after another comfortably victory over Zurich.

Melvine Malard's double was sandwiched by goals for Lindsey Horan and Delphine Cascarino in a 4-0 win, to inject further life into a campaign that saw them go winless over their first two matches.

Last season's beaten finalists Barca were meanwhile handed a first loss of the tournament, as Bayern claimed revenge for their prior loss with a 3-1 triumph.

Both sides now sit atop Group D with nine points, three ahead of third-placed Benfica, who kept pace with a 3-1 win of their own over Rosengard.

Barcelona seized control of Group D in the Women's Champions League by thrashing Bayern Munich 3-0 in front of a crowd of 46,967 – a new group-stage record.

Second-half goals from Geyse, Aitana Bonmati and Claudia Pina helped Jonatan Giraldez's team maintain their perfect record in the competition on Thursday, as well as ending that of Bayern.

The Camp Nou crowd – which surpassed the competition's previous group-stage record of 18,341 by a considerable margin – had to remain patient for the opener, but the Blaugrana were good value for their win after Brazil international Geyse broke the deadlock.

The result moved Barca three points clear of their opponents as well as maintaining their six-point advantage over Benfica, who beat Rosengard 1-0 courtesy of Cloe Lacasse's goal.

Meanwhile, Arsenal maintained their narrow lead at the top of Group C with a 1-1 draw against Juventus, who remain two points behind the Gunners after surrendering a second-half lead.

Lineth Beerensteyn put the hosts ahead shortly after the break, but fellow Netherlands international Vivianne Miedema nodded home from a corner nine minutes later to keep the visitors top.

Reigning champions Lyon also remain in fierce contention for a quarter-final spot after cruising to a 3-0 win at Zurich, moving them to within a point of second-placed Juve.

Signe Bruun added two goals after Melvine Malard headed in an early opener, helping the eight-time champions to their first Champions League win of the season.

Lyon remain winless in their Women's Champions League defence after a 1-1 draw with Juventus, while Bayern Munich came from two goals down to defeat Benfica in injury time.

The French outfit seized a first-half lead through Lindsey Horan in Turin, before Melvine Malard's own goal seven minutes after the interval handed the hosts a share of the spoils.

After defeat to Arsenal in their opener, it leaves Sonia Bompastor's side on the outside in Group C after two matchweeks, and facing a tough road to the knockouts.

But there was more drama to be had in Group D, where Georgia Stanway's late double helped secure a remarkable turnaround for Bayern in a 3-2 comeback.

Having trailed heading into the final stages, the England international struck initially to level matters before sealing their resurgence victory with a 98th-minute finish.

Last season's finalists Barcelona joined them in preserving a perfect record, after braces for Aitana Bonmati and Mariona Caldentey saw them ease to a 4-1 victory against Rosengard.

Arsenal meanwhile cemented their hold on Group C with a 3-1 win over Zurich, aided by Lina Hurtig's double for Jonas Eidevall's side.

Women's Champions League holders Lyon were humbled by Arsenal as this season's competition began on Wednesday, while Barcelona won by an even greater margin in their opener.

The English side beat their hosts 5-1 at the Groupama Stadium, with Caitlin Foord and Frida Maanum handing Arsenal a 2-0 lead before Melvine Malard halved the deficit.

Foord scored again in between two goals from Ballon d'Or runner-up Beth Mead to give Jonas Eidevall's side an impressive opening victory in Group C.

Barca romped to a 9-0 success against Benfica in Group D thanks to seven different goalscorers.

Asisat Oshoala and Geyse scored two each, while goals also arrived from Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Mariona Caldentey, Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic and Claudia Pina as last season's runners-up strolled to victory.

The other game in Group D saw Bayern Munich earn a tougher three points at home to Rosengard after Loreta Kullashi's opener for the visitors was cancelled out by Carolin Simon, before Linda Dallmann struck a second-half winner for the Germans.

Group C's other contest ended with Juventus claiming a 2-0 win at FC Zurich, with late goals from Valentina Cernoia and Barbara Bonansea earning Joe Montemurro's side three points.

Alexia Putellas pipped Beth Mead to the Ballon d'Or, and now the Women's Champions League is set to begin in earnest as the group stage gets under way.

This has already been a spectacular year for the women's game in Europe, with Euro 2022 a roaring success, but the club game is going from strength to strength, too.

The continent's biggest clubs are throwing their support behind women's teams, and although this means some early adopters are being squeezed out, the Champions League is growing in quality and professionalism year by year. This is the second year that has featured a group stage, another sign of progress.

Here, Stats Perform looks at the 2022-23 tournament and its rich promise, with 16 teams vying to reach the final at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven in June.

Before the rise of the Lionesses, there was Lyon... and they are the UWCL queens

French club Lyon have set a high bar with their support and investment in women's football, led by owner Jean-Michel Aulas.

Their first Champions League title came in 2010-11, and last season they landed the trophy for an eighth time with a 3-1 triumph against Barcelona in Turin.

Barcelona headed into that May showpiece in imperious form, but Lyon led 3-0 inside 33 minutes. Putellas pulled one goal back, but it was not to be her day, or Barcelona's.

Instead, Lyon were celebrating, and perhaps nobody more so than Ada Hegerberg, their star Norwegian striker. Battling her way back to full fitness after a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament kept her sidelined for over 18 months, Hegerberg had a goal and an assist in the final.

"I couldn't imagine winning the Champions League a year ago," Hegerberg said that night. "Coming back from injury and getting back to this level is extremely inspiring and I am very grateful."

Now Putellas faces a similar journey. The Barcelona and Spain star, recognised as the world's best player, sustained a major ACL injury on the eve of Euro 2022, and if she plays again this season it will not be until the closing weeks.

Contenders queueing up

Expect Lyon to be strong again of course, but they start with a major test against Arsenal, who have Euro 2022 Golden Ball winner and Ballon d'Or runner-up Beth Mead in their ranks.

Arsenal, of course, have a power couple on and off the pitch in Mead and the brilliant Vivianne Miedema, so Jonas Eidevall's side could push Lyon for top spot in Group C, which also includes Juventus and Zurich.

Of course, such star players may see this competition as a chance to stake a claim for next year's Ballon d'Or.

Barcelona are much changed from last season, with the likes of Jenni Hermoso, Lieke Martens and Melanie Serrano no longer a part of their team. Hermoso and Martens moved on, to Pachuca and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, while Serrano retired at the age of 32, having been a first-team regular since her late teens.

Brazil striker Geyse has joined from Madrid CFF, while Euro 2022 winners Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh arrived from Manchester City. The loss of Putellas is a big blow, and how Barcelona cope without her against Europe's elite will be a key narrative of the coming months. Bayern Munich, Rosenborg and Benfica are their Group D rivals.

Chelsea were runners-up in 2020-21 but last season saw Emma Hayes' team eliminated on goal difference at the group stage, after they and top two Wolfsburg and Juventus finished tied on 11 points. Hayes is taking time away after undergoing an emergency hysterectomy. The Blues, who have Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby, Millie Bright and Pernille Harder among a star-packed squad, face Real Madrid, PSG and Vllaznia in Group A.

Wolfsburg are hardy perennials of the Women's Champions League and won the trophy back to back in 2012-13 and 2013-14, also finishing runners-up three times. They face Slavia Prague, St Polten and Roma in Group B. With Alexandra Popp fighting fit after the injury that prevented her facing England in the Euro 2022 final, and Lena Oberdorf patrolling midfield, Wolfsburg may not be far away again this season.

Story so far

Manchester City and Real Madrid went head-to-head early in the qualifying stage, and it was City that were squeezed out, losing 1-0 thanks to a goal from Caroline Weir, a player who left the English club to move to the Spanish capital just weeks earlier.

Hopes of a Dutch team reaching the Eindhoven final have already been dashed, with Ajax and Twente eliminated in the preliminaries. Arsenal edged out Ajax 3-2 on aggregate, with Miedema getting the deciding goal, while Twente were ousted by Benfica.

The make-up of this competition has changed immensely over the course of the last 20 years, reflecting the rise of teams being backed by traditionally strong men's clubs.

In 2002-03, the quarter-final line-up consisted of Umea, Toulouse, HJK, Frankfurt, SK Trondheims-Orn, Fortuna Hjorring, CSK VVS Samara and Arsenal.

Swedish side Umea crushed Fortuna Hjorring 7-1 on aggregate in a two-leg final of what was then known as the UEFA Women's Cup.

In name and character, it emphatically belongs to the Champions League family of competitions now, many of the teams that defined its early days no longer a factor. Women's football has gone big-time, and this season's competition should underline that message.

Beth Mead, Lena Oberdorf and Alexia Putellas have been announced as the final three contenders in the running to win the 2022 UEFA Women's Player of the Year accolade.

The trio had been named on the initial shortlist of 22 players, which has now been whittled down to just three names ahead of next week's award ceremony in Istanbul.

Arsenal attacker Mead is rewarded for an impressive showing at the Women's Euros, where she was crowned Player of the Tournament after leading the scoring charts in England's triumph on home soil.

Oberdorf won the Young Player of the Tournament award after helping Germany to another final, having also played a crucial role in Wolfsburg winning the domestic double last season.

Spain star Putellas was absent from the tournament through injury, but the 2021 Ballon d'Or Feminin winner enjoyed the most prolific season of her club career thanks to 34 goals in Barcelona's clean sweep of Spanish trophies in 2021-22.

Wolfsburg and Germany striker Alex Popp narrowly missed out on the top three, while Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona and Spain finished fifth in the voting.

UEFA also announced the Women's Coach of the Year nominees on Wednesday, with England coach Sarina Wiegman joined by Sonia Bompastor and Martina Voss-Tecklenburg of Lyon and Germany respectively.

Lyon secured a record-extending eighth Women's Champions League title with a 3-1 victory over Barcelona on Saturday at the Allianz Stadium 

Defending champions Barca had only lost one competitive game all season but found themselves three goals down after first-half strikes from Amandine Henry, Ada Hegerberg and Catarina Macario. 

Blaugrana captain Alexia Putellas pulled one back just before the interval, but Lyon controlled the second half in Turin to ease to another European success. 

Lyon required just six minutes to take the lead as Henry scored an incredible solo goal, dancing inside from the left before firing a remarkable, long-range effort into the top-right corner. 

Jennifer Hermoso was denied by Christiane Endler as Barca looked to respond, but Lyon struck again when Selma Bacha crossed for Hegerberg, who headed in her 59th goal in 60 Champions League games. 

Hegerberg almost added a third but Sandra Panos raced out to thwart the striker, who turned provider in the 33rd minute by teeing up a simple tap-in for Macario. 

Putellas reduced the deficit by volleying home Caroline Graham Hansen's right-wing centre, while Patri Guijarro hit the crossbar with an audacious strike from the halfway line after the interval. 

Barca substitute Asisat Oshoala headed a golden opportunity wide and Hegerberg saw a stoppage-time volley hit the post as Lyon cruised to victory. 

Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor says Saturday's Women's Champions League final against Barcelona will be a "50-50" affair, despite the Blaugrana's favourites tag.

The French outfit are seeking an eighth title against Jonatan Giraldez's side, who have suffered just one loss this term across all competitions.

Bompastor is seeking to become the first woman to win the Champions League as both a player and a manager after 2011 and 2012 triumphs with Lyon.

The chance for looming history means she is determined her side will not be discounted in Turin.

"Let's not forget Lyon have a lot of experience," she said at Friday's pre-match news conference. "This allows us to know how to approach it, but a final is 50-50. A magician never reveals their tricks.

"But our team is a talented and we have the skill set necessary to give them a run for their money, which is what we're going to do.

"This is a 10th final for Lyon and the chance to win an eighth title. That's more important than anything for me as an individual."

Barcelona forward Asisat Oshoala, meanwhile, insists her side will not underestimate their opponents and their impressive pedigree too, even on the cusp of a famous clean sweep.

"Lyon are a well respected team in Europe – they won the Champions League five years in a row and they are obviously the team to beat here," she said.

"They're much stronger than they were three years ago. It would be good to win the Champions League again, not because it is Lyon we're playing against but because it's going to be an amazing experience for us to have it back-to-back.

"We're getting closer to our goal, we're getting closer to where we want to be, so on the day I think it's going to be amazing.

"It will be nice to play in front of a full stadium again with an amazing atmosphere, beautiful soccer from beautiful and great teams in Europe."

Barcelona have been praised by Lyon defender Selma Bacha for "helping European football evolve" after the sides booked their places in the Women's Champions League final.

Holders Barca saw their run of 45 successive wins come to an end in Saturday's 2-0 semi-final second-leg defeat to Wolfsburg, but they still advanced 5-3 on aggregate.

The Catalan club are into their third final in four seasons and will be looking to retain the trophy they won for a first time last year when they take on Lyon in Turin on May 21.

Lyon, who with seven titles are the most successful side in the competition's history, beat domestic rivals Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the second leg to win the tie 5-3 on aggregate.

That match at the Parc des Princes was watched by 43,254, a record for a women's club game in France.

Barca recently set the record for the highest attendance for a women's club game with 91,648 in attendance for the first leg of the Wolfsburg semi-final.

And Bacha believes Barca deserve huge credit for helping to lift the women's game both on and off the field.

"They are helping European football evolve. They play in a similar way to the men's team and are an example to the rest of women's football," she said.

"When you hear 'Barcelona versus Lyon in the final', it sounds great. I hope there are going to be a lot of fans who come. And we'll do all we can to win it."

Lyon have lost only three of their last 44 Women's Champions League matches and have only failed to score in one of their last 36 European games.

Ada Hegerberg opened the scoring for the French side on Saturday with a record-extending 58th goal in the Women's Champions League, and had another ruled out.

Marie-Antoinette Katoto gave PSG hope when scrambling in, but Wendie Renard made sure of progression for Lyon.

"We wanted to come to Paris in an attacking frame of mind," Lyon forward Hegerberg said. "The atmosphere was magnificent. It was a great evening of football. 

"We have to keep going as we are. It's not over, but it's great what we've done. I'm proud of the girls. It was tough. We're going to prepare for the final."

Ada Hegerberg has ended a five-year exodus from the Norway national team after the Lyon striker was named in Martin Sjogren's squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers.

The 26-year-old has not played for her country since 2017, having made herself unavailable since then in a dispute over the progression of the women's game back home.

During that period, Hegerberg has become the Women's Champions League all-time top scorer and won the inaugural women's Ballon d'Or in December 2018.

She controversially sat out Norway's last World Cup campaign, at France 2019, as the Grasshoppers were knocked out by England in the quarter-finals.

Since then, Hegerberg has also endured the best part of two years out of action with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

But with Norway preparing for the rearranged Euro 2021 tournament in England and next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the striker has made herself available once more.

"Go Norway," the forward tweeted, complete with the Norwegian flag, on Thursday, shortly after the Norges Fotballforbund (NFF) had confirmed the squad.

Norway sit top of their UEFA qualifying group, and will play Kosovo and Poland next month.