Women's football

With Chelsea held to a surprise draw by Aston Villa and Arsenal settling for a stalemate with newly-promoted Crystal Palace, the English top-flight already looks set for a season of shocks and upsets

The Lionesses star lit up Chelsea's dominant win over Manchester United on Sunday, a sight that the Blues and England will hope can be consistently familiar in what is a huge year

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?

Injuries at Chelsea mean Beever-Jones is the focal point of the attack for the time being, presenting the England star with a huge opportunity to impress ahead of next summer's World Cup

Italian side Como 1907 have displayed remarkable solidarity by extending striker Roberta Picchi's contract until 2028 following her breast cancer diagnosis. The 34-year-old forward is preparing to begin immediate medical treatment, with the Serie A outfit guaranteeing full institutional backing to ensure her professional future remains completely secure.

Emily Fox helped Arsenal start with a win, but Chelsea and Manchester United stumbled as USWNT stars returned to club action across England and France.

Alexia Putellas captained London City Lionesses to a dominant 2-1 victory over Manchester United in their opening Women's Super League fixture. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner impressed on her English debut, promising fans that her star-studded team will only get better.

Andree Jeglertz's side were crowned champions of England for the first time in 10 years back in May and are now aiming to kick on and build a dynasty over the next decade

After signing the likes of Alexia Putellas and Mary Earps in the summer transfer window, London City Lionesses justified all the hype in victory over Man Utd in the WSL season opener, though the result rang alarm bells for the Red Devils

The road to European glory has been mapped out following the UEFA Women's Champions League league phase draw in Nyon. England's elite representatives have discovered their fate, with several mouth-watering ties confirmed for this campaign.

More and more big names have arrived into England's top-flight this summer, with many of them expected to have a big impact

After a transfer window that has brought Georgia Stanway, Ona Batlle and more to the club, the Gunners look extremely well-placed to fight for their first domestic title since 2019

Now a regular in Chelsea's first team squads, this talented 17-year-old also happens to be a left-back, which is a position of serious need for Sarina Wiegman and the Lionesses

England has one of the best women's national teams in the world and perhaps the best women's league on the planet, too, but the lack of opportunities for young players domestically is a real concern

For the second straight summer, the league's only independent club have pulled off some stunning transfers, leading to a belief that they can break up the established order at the top of the table

For the first time since 2019, the Blues kick-off a new season having fallen short in the WSL during the previous campaign, and Sonia Bompastor is keen to get back to the summit as soon as possible

The 41-year-old led Hearts from the bottom of the Scottish top-flight to title glory over the course of five years, and has now stepped into Marc Skinner's shoes in Manchester

The Australia international talks to GOAL about her time away from the pitch, taking positives from her time out injured, the "poetic" moment in her comeback and how City retain their domestic crown

Sarina Wiegman will be picking her squad to travel to Brazil in around eight months' time, but which players need a big domestic season to force their way into her thinking?

The midfielder established herself in Sarina Wiegman's thoughts over the past 12 months after a remarkable rise from the lower leagues

FK Žalgiris have invited Jason Sudeikis to channel Ted Lasso and coach a game, hoping his presence can bring global attention to their women's team.

Brighton have been rocked by the sudden departure of manager Dario Vidosic just one week before the new Women's Super League campaign begins. The Australian tactician departs after a historic tenure that saw the Seagulls achieve a record fifth-placed WSL finish and reach their first Women's FA Cup final, leaving a major void ahead of their opener.

Next week, the first notable FIFA tournament since Gianni Infantino's controversial FFE proposal will kick-off, with European teams set to be involved despite threats to the contrary

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

Football's global governing body has confirmed the full 64-match schedule for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. The legendary Maracana in Rio de Janeiro will take centre stage, hosting both the opening fixture and the grand finale. All eight host cities across the vibrant South American nation are set to welcome knockout-stage football as anticipation builds for the historic tournament.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has sacked Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu after the team failed to qualify for the Women's World Cup for the first time in history. An investigative committee has been launched to examine the collapse, while the NFF leadership faces potential removal ahead of September's elections.

Cameroon have crowned a historic WAFCON 2026 campaign by sweeping past surprise finalists Malawi 3-0 in Rabat to lift their maiden title. FIFA president Gianni Infantino hailed the expanded 16-team tournament as a "huge success" after both nations qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Liverpool Women have confirmed that Danish midfielder Sofie Lundgaard has completed a permanent transfer to Frauen-Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt for an undisclosed fee. The 24-year-old departs Merseyside after an eventful three-and-a-half-year stay, bringing an end to a challenging period heavily disrupted by significant injury setbacks.

Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have all learned their opponents for the third qualifying round of the Women's Champions League, with victory in the final round of the preliminary stage to secure passage through to the league phase of the 2026-27 edition of the UWCL. With the likes of Ajax and Inter lurking as potential opposition, Tuesday's draw threw up some interesting ties.