England’s top-tier domestic league, the Women’s Super League, will begin play for the 2025/2026 season in two weeks.
To recap, the 2024/2025 season ended with Chelsea claiming the Domestic Treble (WSL Title, FA Cup, Subway Cup), Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United qualifying for Champions League, and relegating Crystal Palace to the Championship (…or WSL2?). Michelle Kang’s London City Lionesses will join the WSL in Crystal Palace’s stead.
There’s been a bit of shuffling this offseason in terms of both players and coaches. Andrée Jeglertz takes the helm at Manchester City after his group stage exit from the Euros with the Danish women’s national team. Liverpool hires Gareth Taylor and Tottenham hires Martin Ho.
Truthfully, I am not plugged into all of the player movement outside of Chelsea, London City Lionesses, and Brighton leading up to this season, and even then I’m not sure if I caught every transaction. However, this upcoming season of the WSL, and other European competition, should be interesting.
Of note, Chelsea picked up outside back Ellie Carpenter from Lyonnes and goalkeeper Livia Peng from the Frauen Bundesliga. Swedish international Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd was extended through 2027. It was nice to see both Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan on the roster for the preseason friendly against Ajax, which Naomi Girma captained. Bright even featured; a positive after she ended up withdrawing from the Euros to undergo a knee procedure.
Some questions still linger over the Chelsea squad. Prolific Australian goal-scorer, Sam Kerr still doesn’t appear to be back from her ACL recovery. After the Euros, outside back Lucy Bronze revealed that she had been playing with some form of tibia fracture. Chelsea has officially ruled out Lauren James for the beginning of the season due to an injury sustained during the Euros. Some of the squad’s previously injured players got their first substantial minutes back during this summer’s major tournament. How will Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea do against an Arsenal that’s flying high from their Champion’s League win, and a City that’s getting healthier? Will Chelsea finally claim a Champion’s League title in 2025/2026?
Overall, I don’t anticipate major shake ups in terms of other teams breaking into the top four. However, I think that both Brighton and the London City Lionesses have made moves that prove that they’re serious about trying. Depending on how things go, maybe one of them will make a dent.
Brighton opened last season pretty strong. They gave top four competition problems and typically prevailed against other mid-lower table teams. After the winter break, the squad was affected by injuries and other teams started to figure them out a little bit. However, they still ended the season in fifth under new Head Coach Dario Vidošić. Not too shabby. For the 2024/2025 season, Brighton showed that they want to build something. They brought in big signings like Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris, and even played some of their matches at the AmEx, the men’s home stadium.
The side saw quite a few departures at the end of last season, but the club’s commitment to its women’s side continues with more big signings. I felt giddy seeing names like Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, French defender Maelys Mpomé, Japanese defender Moeka Minami, and Colombian defender Manuela Vanegas roll in. Additionally, English national hero Michelle Agyemang returns to Sussex for another year-long loan from Arsenal along with her teammate Rosa Kafaji.
I spent a couple of months studying in Brighton about a decade ago and it holds a special place in my heart. The city is beautiful, the people are progressive, and from what I know, the club has a genuine commitment to diversity and community. It makes me happy to see this level of investment into Brighton’s women’s team.
As someone who predominantly watches the domestic league in the US, the NWSL, it’s hard to not know Michelle Kang, the majority owner of the London City Lionesses. In 2022, she became the majority owner of the Washington Spirit after the players advocated for change. The club was embroiled in turmoil regarding then-Head Coach Rory Burke’s abuses and then-co-owner Steve Baldwin’s nepotism. Since then, Kang has poured money into women’s soccer globally and formed a multi-club ownership group, Kynisca, which includes the Washington Spirit, OL Lyonnes, and the former Millwall FC women’s side, the now independent London City Lionesses.
In one season, she put enough investment into the team for them to earn promotion from the Championship to the WSL. In dramatic fashion, the team won promotion on the last matchday against the other remaining contender, Birmingham City with a draw. Kang lifted the Championship trophy, oddly enough, with the players on the last day of the season and her eyes were now set on the WSL. During the offseason Kang has lured the likes of veteran internationals Nikita Parris, Elena Linari, and Daniëlle van de Donk, as well as rising star Jana Fernández to the project with aims of disrupting the status quo.
Whether you like Kang or not, the presence of an independent team in the league is interesting. All of the other WSL teams are associated with Premier League men’s sides, some of the most well-known football franchises in the world, aside from Leicester City whose men’s side is in the Championship. Legacy and brand-recognition draws a lot of players to the WSL, particularly the top four, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United. London City does not feel like one of those teams that gets promoted to the WSL and is immediately relegated back to the Championship by the end of the season. Time will tell how Kang navigates the English top-flight both on the pitch and commercially. It will be an interesting story to follow throughout the season and beyond.
Admittedly, I have a dislike for watching games where I already know the outcome, which makes watching European leagues difficult as a west coaster. However, I’ll be following along as best I can. It should be fun!