Nigeria star to face Arsenal, Man City, Real Madrid after making Inter Milan history

Nigeria midfielder Toni Payne has helped Inter Milan reach the UEFA Women's Champions League league phase for the first time, Soccernet.ng reports.

And her reward is a series of major European games against Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid, among several other European heavyweights.

The draw in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday placed Inter in a six-match league-phase schedule that also includes French giants OL Lyonnes, Swedish club Häcken and Austria Wien.

Inter will host Arsenal, Häcken and Manchester City in Milan. Their away games will be against Lyonnes, Real Madrid and Austria Wien.

The first matchday will take place on 22 or 23 September, with the remaining league-phase rounds scheduled through to 16 December. UEFA will confirm the exact dates and kick-off times on Saturday.

Nigeria's Payne was part of a historic comeback

Nigeria Super Eagles star Payne joined Inter in July on a contract running until 30 June 2028 after two seasons at Everton. She had only been at the Italian club for a few weeks when Inter faced one of the toughest tests in their short European history.

Two-time European champions Wolfsburg won the first leg 2-0 in Germany on 26 August. Inter therefore needed to overturn a two-goal deficit in the return match at the Stadio Ernesto Breda in Sesto San Giovanni on 2 September.

They did exactly that, but only after a dramatic 120 minutes. Elisa Bartoli put Inter ahead in the 39th minute before Michela Polli made it 2-0 in the 84th minute. The result forced extra time because the aggregate score was 2-2.

Wolfsburg struck again through Aras Arslaniewicz in the 111th minute, putting Inter's qualification hopes in danger.

Then came another twist. Marija Ana Milinković scored in the first minute of added time at the end of extra time to make it 3-1 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate.

The tie went to penalties. Wolfsburg scored its first four penalties, while Inter also converted their first four. Goalkeeper Cecilia Rúnarsdóttir then saved from Wolfsburg's fifth taker, before Ivana Andrés scored Inter's decisive kick.

Inter won the shoot-out 5-4 and secured their first-ever place in the Champions League league phase, with the achievement coming in only Inter's second European campaign.

Payne did not start the second leg, but she came on in the 60th minute as Inter pushed for the comeback. Her involvement made her part of the squad that created a new chapter in the club's history.

Inter had earned their qualifying opportunity after finishing second in the previous Serie A Women season.

A serious European test awaits

Inter's first league-phase campaign will immediately put Payne alongside some of Europe's most established women's teams.

Arsenal won the Women's Champions League in 2025 and are one of England's two representatives in this season's league phase. Manchester City also entered directly after qualifying through England's domestic route. Real Madrid, meanwhile, are among the clubs that have reached the league phase in all six seasons of the current format. Other Nigerians in the competition include AS Roma's duo of Rinsola Babajide and Shukurat Oladipo as well as Häcken's pair of Joy Omewa and Halimatu Ayinde.

The new competition format means Inter will play six different opponents, with three matches at home and three away. The top four teams after those six games will go directly into the quarter-finals. Teams finishing fifth to 12th will enter the knockout phase play-offs for the other four quarter-final places.

That gives Nigeria international Payne and Inter a clear challenge. They have already passed their first major European test by eliminating Wolfsburg. Now they must deal with three clubs with deep Champions League experience, starting with Arsenal and Manchester City at home before travelling to face Real Madrid.