Ameé Ruszkai

Newcastle fans can be forgiven for experiencing a strange and unwanted feeling of deja vu this week. After being linked heavily with an exciting young attacker throughout the build-up to this summer’s transfer window, Liverpool have snuck in at the last and pipped them to the post - again. Last year, it was Hugo Ekitike; this year, it is Victor Munoz.

England will face Greece in the first round of Women's World Cup qualifying play-offs in October, having failed to secure direct entry into next summer's tournament. Defeat to Spain in June proved extremely costly for the Lionesses, allowing the world champions to top the qualifying group instead, and now Sarina Wiegman's side must navigate two rounds of two-legged play-offs instead, starting against Greece.

Tons of big names in the women's game will be on the move in this summer transfer window. From Alexia Putellas to Georgia Stanway, Sam Kerr to Mary Earps and Ona Batlle to Mapi Leon, it's going to be a blockbuster few months, with the likes of Beth Mead and Katie McCabe having already completed transfers. But there are also several lesser known talents, young players with huge potential, whose futures are particular points of interest this summer.

The Portugal legend broke Ali Daei's record, but he isn't the all-time international top scorer yet...

Four nations will debut at the World Cup this summer, with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan all set to grace the grandest stage in international football for the first time. It's 16 years since a newcomer made it into the knockout stages of the tournament, when Slovakia stunned holders Italy to eliminate them in South Africa. So do any of this year's debutants have the potential to replicate such heroics?

Beth Mead has completed a move to Manchester City, signing a three-year deal with the new Women's Super League champions after her Arsenal departure was confirmed last month. The England icon spent nine years in north London, winning everything possible, and will now embark on a new chapter, one which also reunites her with partner Vivianne Miedema.

It's always hard for representatives of a team that did not succeed to make a point about issues with a qualifying format, but few could begrudge the frustration evident among the England squad on Tuesday after the Lionesses fell short of the one automatic qualification spot available to them for the 2027 Women's World Cup.

GOAL tracks all the qualification campaigns for the 2027 Women's World Cup, breaking down which teams have qualified and which nations could soon join them

A complete guide to the United States' year, including the SheBelieves Cup and fixtures in qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup

England's Lionesses have always had great goalscorers. Even before the team was the major contender it is now, winning back-to-back European Championships under Sarina Wiegman and reaching a first Women's World Cup final, they could boast some incredible attacking talent, with Arsenal icon Kelly Smith, widely considered the Lionesses' greatest ever player, a prime example.

England will have to navigate the play-offs in order to reach the 2027 Women's World Cup, with Tuesday night's 3-0 win over Ukraine not enough to secure top spot in their qualifying group. The Lionesses went into the game knowing they needed a favour from Iceland against Spain, after La Roja thumped Sarina Wiegman's side on Friday, and they didn't get it, rendering their own victory meaningless in the chase for the sole automatic berth available.

It was all there for England on Friday, as they faced Spain in Mallorca with automatic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup on the line. Avoid defeat and the Lionesses would punch their ticket to Brazil, forcing one of their biggest rivals for next summer’s title to have to navigate the play-offs. It was a huge opportunity, but one they spurned in incredible circumstances, suffering a 4-0 loss that stands out as the biggest for this team under Sarina Wiegman.

Alexia Putellas has reportedly agreed personal terms with London City Lionesses, as a move to England's Women's Super League looms. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner left Barcelona at the end of the season, after her 14 years with her childhood club concluded with a dominant quadruple, and it appears that her next move is now one step closer to being confirmed.

Khadija Shaw is one of the best centre-forwards in the women's game, if not the best. Winner of three successive Women's Super League Golden Boots, and scorer of more goals than any other player in Europe's top five leagues since her move to Manchester City in 2021, it's no wonder that Chelsea were trying to bring her to west London as her contract neared its expiry this summer. But as it became apparent that the Blues were going to miss out on Shaw, it says a lot about Felicia Schroder that the Swedish teenager was next on their wish list.

England women's national team has enjoyed a lot of success in recent years, winning the European Championships in 2022 and 2025 while also reaching the 2023 Women's World Cup final, and those involved in those successes in Sarina Wiegman's side are now starting to creep into the record books when it comes to caps, as well as trophies.

England are on the brink of having to navigate the play-off route in Women's World Cup qualifying after a 4-0 defeat to Spain, the Lionesses' worst result under Sarina Wiegman, put La Roja in pole position for the group's one automatic berth instead. England flew to Mallorca knowing that a draw would be enough to secure their spot at the tournament in Brazil next summer but goals from Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas and Claudia Pina saw them leapfrogged in the table by their hosts, with one game to go.

A quick scroll through the Spain squad to face England in a crucial Women's World Cup qualifier on Friday and there is one team represented more than any other: Barcelona. Eleven of the 25 names selected by Sonia Bermudez are based in Catalunya, with La Roja able to tap into that familiarity in a very impactful way over the years. But a lot is going to change at Barca this summer.

England and Spain have got used to playing some pretty big games against each other in recent times. Friday's World Cup qualifying clash might not be as big as last summer's European Championship final or the 2023 World Cup final, but it is still huge, with it to potentially decide which of these two powerhouses qualifies automatically for next summer's tournament in Brazil, with the other to have to navigate the play-offs.