Aitana Bonmati has won each of the last three Ballons d'Or Feminin - but the accolade will go to someone else in 2026. Will it be two-time winner and fellow Barcelona star Alexia Putellas who reasserts herself as the best player in the women's game? Or could there be a new name on the honour roll when the Golden Ball is handed out in Paris in October?
Ashley Sanchez breaks the American NWSL single-season scoring record as North Carolina take top spot in our rankings, while Denver end Gotham's 10-game unbeaten run.
AI can identify Mohamed Salah replacements, map injuries and project youth development. GOAL examines how soccer is using the technology - and its limits
Temwa Chawinga wins Golden Boot, Cameroon makes history winning WAFCON and players like goalkeeper Michaely Bihina, and defenders Yvana Makana
and Maeva Nyadjou showcase young talent across tournament.
With the World Cup approaching, Emma Sears may want out of Louisville, while Mallory Swanson and Claire Hutton must weigh whether struggling NWSL clubs offer the right environments for their futures.
Pietra Tordin’s hat trick lifted Portland past Boston, while Ashley Sanchez scored against her former team in North Carolina’s wild 4-3 win over Washington.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman addressed the league’s future, media rights, youth development, scheduling changes, and made five league announcements during her midseason press conference.
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced its competition framework for the 2027 season, highlighted by the earliest start in league history. The regular season will kick off Feb. 11 at BMO Stadium, with the schedule constructed to accommodate the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.
It's here. The 2026 summer transfer window has arrived and it promises to be an extremely eventful one in the women's game, with several huge stars on the move. Alexia Putellas, Georgia Stanway and Sam Kerr are just some of those who have already completed summer transfers, with there plenty of rumours and reports of more to come and some surprises sure to be sprung, too.
The NWSL is reportedly planning to begin its 2027 season on Feb. 11, the earliest opening day in league history, before pausing for the World Cup in Brazil, according to The Athletic. Teams would begin preseason in January, while the playoffs and championship would remain in November, with the altered calendar designed to accommodate the June 24-July 25 tournament in South America.
Sam Kerr scores her first Gotham FC goal as the Bats draw Portland Thorns FC 2-2, while Sofia Cantore lifts Washington Spirit past Lindsey Heaps and Denver Summit FC 1-0. GOAL ranks all 16 NWSL teams in this week’s Power Rankings.
Sam Kerr has officially announced her return to the United States in the most emphatic fashion possible, ending a nearly seven-year wait to get back on an NWSL scoresheet. The former Chelsea superstar proved she hasn't lost her clinical edge, rescuing a vital point for Gotham FC in a pulsating 2-2 draw against the Portland Thorns.
What an explosive women's transfer window it has been so far! Alexia Putellas, Beth Mead, Sam Kerr, Georgia Stanway and Mary Earps are just some of those who have been on the move in the first few weeks, but while a lot of business has already been done, there are still several big names worth keeping an eye on before windows start to slam shut in September.
U.S. Women's National Team captain Lindsey Heaps is eligible to make her long-awaited debut for the Denver Summit against the Portland Thorns at Centennial Stadium - which is less than 35 miles away from her hometown, Golden, Colo. Heaps, 32, signed a pre-contract with the first-year club prior to the NWSL season, after starring with French giants OL Lyonnes for the past four years.
It’s fair to say that Keira Barry’s first senior England call-up was unexpected. After injuries plagued the early years of her professional career, it was in February that the young forward ended her 10-year association with Manchester United and moved to the United States to sign for Bay FC. Exactly a month after her debut, she was on the bench as the Lionesses beat Spain 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.
Chelsea FC have signed Japan international midfielder Manaka Matsukubo from the National Women's Soccer League's North Carolina Courage. The 21-year-old joins the Blues on a five-year contract after a standout season in which she won the NWSL Midfielder of the Year award, adding another rising star to Chelsea's midfield ahead of the new campaign.
The NWSL Challenge Cup, presented by e.l.f. Cosmetics, brought the league's first match to Ohio as reigning champions Gotham FC met NWSL Shield winners Kansas City Current.
Erica Parkinson was just 12 years old when she laid out her goals to a mindset coach who has spent the last six years helping her plot a route to the top of the game. "I want to play for England at the World Cup," she proclaimed. Fast-forward to today and, having become the Lionesses’ youngest call-up under Sarina Wiegman and just signed for the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL, it’s not out of the question that the dream could be realised in 12 months’ time.
One of England's brightest young talents, Erica Parkinson, has signed for two-time NWSL champions North Carolina Courage in the first big transfer of her career. The 18-year-old became the youngest player to be called up by Sarina Wiegman in her Lionesses tenure earlier this year and is now set to continue her development in one of the best leagues in the women's game.
Gotham FC signed Sam Kerr through the 2030 season, as the deal marks a return to Gotham for Kerr, who previously played three seasons with Sky Blue FC and ends her six-year career with Chelsea FC.
Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga won NWSL MVP and Golden Boot honors for the past two seasons and the Ballon d'Or shortlisted player just re-signed a contract with the Current through 2029 by way of the High Impact player rule.
Barcelona icon Alexia Putellas is set to choose her next club this week, after departing Catalunya at the end of last season. London City Lionesses remain the favourites to sign the two-time Ballon d'Or winner but interest is growing in the NWSL, with two teams in the United States pushing hard to secure her signature, according to a report.
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