WSL news

Bethany England remembers vividly the first time she won the League Cup. There were just five minutes remaining when Leah Williamson levelled the scores for Arsenal at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, putting the 2020 final on the brink of extra time. But then, basically on the goal line at the other end, England popped up with the stoppage time winner for Chelsea, as Emma Hayes’ Blues filled a frustrating gap in an otherwise bulging trophy cabinet.

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman has picked up the Coach of the Year award at the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony following another Euros success for England. Wiegman finished top of the pile in the voting for the award after guiding England to a second straight European Championship victory in Switzerland last summer. Michelle Agyemang was also celebrating after being named the Young Sports Personality of the Year.

West Ham United Women have parted company with head coach Rehanne Skinner after a difficult run in the Women’s Super League, with just one win from their opening 11 matches of the 2025-26 season. Sitting second from bottom and struggling at both ends of the pitch, the Hammers have opted for a mid-season reset as they search for a new direction in a bid to improve results.

Former Paris Saint-Germain No.1 Gianluigi Donnarumma, who now plays for Manchester City, has been named the 2025 Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, with Lionesses star Hannah Hampton bagging the Women's prize. Donnarumma and Hampton were both part of treble-winning sides last season, while the latter also played a key role in England's successful European Championship defence.

Alyssa Thompson's transfer to Chelsea featured all the hallmarks of a marquee signing. First reported to be in the works over a week before it was done, allowing the hype and excitement to build, it was given a dramatic conclusion by being completed right at the Women's Super League's transfer deadline, and for a bumper fee surpassing £1 million ($1.4m) which set a new world record for the women's game at the time. Brought out to greet the fans of her new club at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea opened their WSL title defence with a statement win over Manchester City, Thompson was given the stage of a true star. But would she be?

As the Women's Super League hits its winter break, Manchester City are sitting pretty at the top of the table, boasting a comfortable six-point lead over second-placed Chelsea to put themselves in an incredible position in their pursuit of a first title since 2016. It's no surprise, then, that the Cityzens dominate GOAL's Team of the Season so far.

Lionesses and Arsenal star Chloe Kelly has opened up on the crippling anxiety she experienced before moving to Arsenal from Manchester City earlier this year. Kelly, who started her professional career at Arsenal, returned to the club this January, initially on loan from the Cityzens before completing a permanent transfer back to her childhood club in the summer.

Manchester United staged a remarkable second half comeback on Sunday, securing what could prove to be a valuable point in a 3-3 draw at home to Tottenham, having been 3-0 down with 17 minutes of normal time to play. However, in truth, it does little to salvage the Red Devils' Women's Super League title charge. Marc Skinner's side are now nine points off table-topping Manchester City after these dropped points, but it does help in the race for Champions League football, as a win for Spurs would've taken them above United and level on points with Arsenal in third.

Khadija Shaw surpassed a century of goals for Manchester City as she scored four times to inspire her side to their 10th successive Women’s Super League victory in a thumping 6-1 win over Aston Villa. The Jamaica international took her tally to 103 goals in just 120 appearances in all competitions for the Cityzens, who are now six points clear at the top of the league table.

Sandy Baltimore's sublime strike set Chelsea on their way to an important victory in the Women's Super League on Sunday, as the Blues bounced back from last week's shock defeat to Everton with a 3-0 success at Brighton. It was vital that Sonia Bompastor's side got the win here, to prevent Manchester City from further extending their lead at the top of the table, and they did exactly that, to stay six points behind the Cityzens as the WSL hits its winter break.

Manchester United Women are reportedly trying to sign Swedish defender Hanna Lundkvist and German forward Lea Schuller as the January transfer window nears. The Red Devils sit fourth in the Women's Super League and are in with a shout of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League. Now, it seems, Marc Skinner's side are keen to strengthen their squad next month.

Arsenal captain Leah Williamson returned to action for the first time in four months following a knee injury. The 28-year-old sustained the issue during the Lionesses' Euro 2025 final triumph over Spain and has not featured since then. However, she is back playing after coming off the bench in the Gunners' 3-1 Women's Super League win at Everton on Saturday.

Arsenal and Lionesses star Leah Williamson jetted off to New York to spend time with her model girlfriend, Elle Smith, ahead of her injury return. The pair soft-launched their relationship earlier in the year on Instagram, and since then, many heart-warming posts have been shared, giving the fans a glimpse of their private lives.

Alessia Russo marked her 100th Women's Super League appearance in style with a goal and an impressive showing as Arsenal ran out 3-1 winners over Everton on Saturday at Goodison Park. Katie McCabe and Olivia Smith were also on target in a dominant win for the Gunners, who received another boost as Lionesses star Leah Williamson made her long-awaited return from injury late on in the game.

For a long time, it has felt like Chelsea's dominance of the Women's Super League would never end. Since the Blues were crowned champions of England for a third time back on June 5, 2020, they have yet to relinquish their crown, spending over 2000 days as the holders of the trophy thanks to six successive triumphs. This season, however, it looks like their incredible run could finally be stopped.

England heroes Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly, fresh from helping the Lionesses defend their European Championship crown, have been nominated for the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. If either is able to land the top prize, they will follow in the footsteps of iconic team-mates Beth Mead and Mary Earps - two former winners.

Millie Bright had one of the best seasons of her career in 2024-25. Sporting the captain's armband, the Chelsea star guided the club to an incredible domestic treble in which they didn't lose a single game in the Women's Super League, FA Cup or League Cup, lifting all three trophies and breaking plenty of records along the way. In the last few weeks, though, as the Blues have endured a surprising run of just one win in five games, the former Lionesses defender has found herself on the outside looking in.