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?
France Football has officially revealed the shortlist for the 2026 Men's and Women's Coach of the Year awards, highlighting the tactical masterminds who defined the last season. The nominations for the Johan Cruyff Trophy are heavily dominated by Spanish talent, reflecting a golden era for the nation’s coaching exports across Europe’s top leagues.
The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or honors has officially heated up with the unveiling of the nominees for the prestigious Club of the Year awards. Back-to-back European champions Paris Saint-Germain are looking to defend their men's crown against a resurgent Arsenal and a dominant Bayern Munich side, while a treble-winning Barcelona enter the women's category on a fierce mission to reclaim their throne.
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.
With the WSL season and next USWNT camp nearing, GOAL looks at what’s ahead for Alyssa Thompson, Naomi Girma, Sam Coffey and the other Americans abroad.
The 2026 summer transfer window promised to be an extremely eventful one in the women's game, with several huge stars on the move, and so it proved. Alexia Putellas, Georgia Stanway and Sam Kerr were just some of those who completed transfers as some of the biggest names in the sport found themselves new clubs over the past three months or so.
Spain forward Salma Paralluelo has officially joined French powerhouses OL Lyonnes on a four-year contract following her departure from Barcelona. The 22-year-old free agent ends a glittering four-year spell in Catalonia, where she won 14 major trophies, to embark on her first career adventure outside of Spain under former manager Jonatan Giraldez.
Tottenham Hotspur Women have completed the marquee signing of France international defender Alice Sombath from Lyon for an undisclosed club-record fee. The highly-rated centre-back arrives in north London following a trophy-laden spell in France, providing a significant defensive boost to head coach Martin Ho's evolving squad ahead of the new campaign.
Kadidiatou Diani has become London City Lionesses' sixth signing of the summer, following Alexia Putellas, Mary Earps and more to a club that could be a serious threat for the Women's Super League title in just its second season in the division. Diani joins for a fee reported to be in excess of £500,000 ($670,000) from Lyon, the eight-time European champions also owned by London City owner Michele Kang.
Lionesses star Georgia Stanway has opened up on her decision to join Arsenal, after the Gunners' announced her arrival on Friday morning. It's a move that ends Stanway's four-year spell in Germany with Bayern Munich and she has now explained why she wanted to return to England and what made her choose Arsenal, amid interest from both Chelsea and Lyon.
Barcelona have confirmed that Salma Paralluelo, scorer of two goals in the Champions League final win over Lyon last month, is leaving the club. The European champions had been trying to negotiate a new deal with the Spain international but an agreement has not been reached, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Lyon all among those interested in securing her services on a free transfer.
Jude Bellingham has proven once again why he is considered one of football’s most genuine characters after sending a touching farewell gift to departing Real Madrid star Caroline Weir. The Scotland international is bringing the curtain down on a historic four-year spell in the Spanish capital following the expiration of her contract.
It's officially transfer season. Europe's biggest competitions have concluded, new champions have been crowned and now attention turns to who will be on the move ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, with there plenty of big names in the women's game set for summer switches in what promises to be an entertaining and exciting few months.
What a season it has been for European women's football. The Champions League campaign was certainly a memorable one, with some thrilling ties throughout the knockout stages and an enthralling introduction to the league phase format, with stars aplenty shining on the biggest stage before Barcelona beat Lyon in the final.
Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas has officially been named the 2025-26 UEFA Women's Champions League Player of the Season. The Spanish midfielder reclaimed her status as the finest player on the continent following a sensational knockout campaign that saw the Blaugrana secure their fourth European title.
Redemption. That's what Barcelona were looking for in Oslo on Saturday. After losing the Champions League final last year, the Catalans were back in the showpiece event 12 months on and they got what they were after and then some, beating eight-time winners Lyon 4-0 to emphatically reclaim the status of champions of Europe.
Barcelona claimed their fourth Women's Champions League title on Saturday evening, as two goals apiece from Ewa Pajor and Salma Paralluelo allowed the Catalans to beat eight-time winners Lyon 4-0 in Oslo. It was Pajor's sixth final, with her having lost the previous five. But the Poland international finally got her hands on that UWCL trophy this year, grabbing the headlines in the process.
Melchie Dumornay has always had something special. After catching the eye of then-Reims manager Amandine Miquel at the 2018 Under-20 Women's World Cup, the Haitian prospect would sign for the French club three years later, when she turned 18. Within weeks, Miquel had no doubts. "This is going to be one of the best players in the world in the next few years," she declared. Fast forward to today and Miquel has already been proven right.
For the fourth time in seven years, Lyon and Barcelona will go head-to-head in the Women's Champions League final on Saturday. The eight-time winners and three-time winners, respectively, are developing something of a rivalry in Europe's premier competition, with this season providing further support to the belief that they are the two best teams in the women's game right now.
Sam Coffey lifted the WSL trophy with Manchester City, Lindsey Heaps scored as OL Lyonnes won the Coupe de France, and Emily Fox helped Arsenal cruise past Aston Villa.
With 20 goals across the four games, and late drama at the end of both ties, it's fair to say the 2025-26 Women's Champions League semi-finals delivered. Out of them emerged Lyon, the eight-time winners, and Barcelona, the three-time champions, to set up a truly mouth-watering final in Oslo on May 23, in which there will be so many fascinating storylines.
Lindsey Heaps and Lily Yohannes starred in Lyon's win over Arsenal, and Emily Fox, while Sam Coffey, Alyssa Thompson, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and more USWNT regulars made their mark across a busy weekend in Europe.
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
OL Lyonnes
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
