European champion Barcelona gets Man City in group stage of Women’s Champions League

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Two-time defending champion Barcelona will play Manchester City in a Women’s Champions League group after the 16-team draw on Friday.

Barcelona and Man City also will face St. Pölten and Hammarby in the traditional round-robin groups that start on Oct. 8.

Lyon, the record eight-time European champion, landed in a tough group with Wolfsburg, the titleholder in 2013 and ’14, Roma and debutant Galatasaray.

Juventus eliminated Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday in the second qualifying round and was drawn into a group with Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Vålerenga.

Chelsea was top-seeded in a group with Real Madrid, Twente and Celtic.

This is the final season of the group stage in the Women’s Champions League before it adopts the new single-standings format that the men’s competition changed to this season.

Games finish on Dec. 18 and the top two in each group advances to the knockout stage.

Two-leg quarterfinals are in March, the semifinals are in April and the final is at Sporting Lisbon’s stadium on May 25.

The competition has a total prize money fund of at least 24 million euros ($26.8 million) with 11.4 million euros ($12.7 million) shared between the 16 group-stage clubs.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's Aoba Fujino scores their side's third goal of the game from the penalty spot during the UEFA Women's Champions League, Second Round Qualifying, Second Leg match between Manchester City and Paris FC at the Manchester City Academy Stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday Sept. 26, 2024. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Tempers flare between Vorskla Poltava's Anastasiya Kumeda, centre left, and Celtic's Natalie Ross during the UEFA Women's Champions League, Second Round Qualifying, Second Leg match between Celtic and Vorskla Poltava at the Albert Bartlett Stadium in Airdrie, Scotland, Thursday Sept. 26, 2024. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

Celtic's Kelly Clark, left, celebrates with fans after a women's Champions League soccer match against Vorskla Poltava at the Albert Bartlett Stadium in Airdrie, Scotland, Thursday Sept. 26, 2024. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

BK Hacken's Josefine Rybrink, bottom, challenges Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius during the UEFA Women's Champions League, Second Round Qualifying, Second Leg match at the Mangata Pay UK Stadium, Borehamwood, England, Thursday Sept. 26, 2024. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

European champion Barcelona gets Man City in group stage of Women’s Champions League

FILE - Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the women's Champions League final soccer match between FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao, Spain, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File)

European champion Barcelona gets Man City in group stage of Women’s Champions League

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Three-time world cricket umpire of the year Aleem Dar will step down in 2025 after the Pakistan domestic season.

The 56-year-old Dar served on the ICC elite panel of umpires from 2003-23. He is on the Pakistan elite panel and is among four Pakistani umpires on the ICC international panel, making him eligible to officiate in one-day internationals and Twenty20s.

“All great journeys must eventually come to an end, and the time has come for me to focus fully on my social and charity work,” Dar said on Friday. “My hospital project and other initiatives are very close to my heart and require my full devotion and attention.”

Dar played 17 first-class matches and 18 List A games from 1986-98 before he made his first-class umpiring debut in Pakistan’s premier domestic competition, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, in 1999.

“Umpiring has been my life for nearly 25 years and I have cherished the privilege of officiating some of the most iconic matches involving the greatest players of this generation,” Dar said. “Throughout my career, I’ve strived to uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship, and it has been an honor to work alongside some of the finest match officials in the world.”

Dar said it was the right time to step down and give opportunities to other emerging umpires from Pakistan.

“I will remain committed to mentoring and supporting the next generation of match officials and will always be available to offer guidance to those pursuing a career in this noble profession,” he said.

Dar officiated in 145 test matches, 231 ODIs, 72 T20s, and five T20 World Cups.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

FILE - Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar walks toward his standing point during the second one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, April 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)