How much every Women's Super League club will be impacted by losing players to the Asian Cup - ranked

The Women's Asian Cup began on March 1, kickstarting a month that was set to see two of the major tournaments in the women's game take place, with the Africa Cup of Nations to follow on March 17. Incredibly, the latter was postponed just 12 days before it was due to start, but the impact the Asian Cup will have on the continuing club competitions will still be fascinating, as teams across the women's game say goodbye to some of their best players for a few weeks.

• Getty Images

  12Aston Villa

  Number of absentees: 1 - Maya Hijikata (Japan)

  Aston Villa will only lose one player to the Asian Cup, as their young creative midfielder Maya Hijikata links up with the Japan national team. After missing most of the first half of the season due to injury, following a summer move from Tokyo Verdy Beleza, the 21-year-old has had a good run of games in the team lately, starting all of Villa's last seven league fixtures.

  Natalia Arroyo's side will miss her creativity, for sure, but they have enough in the squad to get by without her, especially as others start to return from injury.

• Getty Images

  11Manchester United

  Number of absentees: 1 - Hinata Miyazawa (Japan)

  Manchester United will be sad to lose Hinata Miyazawa this month as the Japan midfielder has been exceptional for the Red Devils this season. However, in terms of numbers, United are one of the least impacted teams in the WSL and should not have serious trouble replacing Miyazawa in the middle of the park.

  The 26-year-old has been consistently impressive this season and has played every single minute in the WSL, something only captain Maya Le Tissier has also achieved within the United squad. It won't be easy for someone to fill her shoes in the line-up, then, but between Simi Awujo, Lisa Naalsund, Julia Zigiotti Olme, Jess Park and, if needed, Dominique Janssen, head coach Marc Skinner should be able to find the combinations necessary in midfield to cope.

• Getty Images

  10Leicester City

  Number of absentees: 1 - Emily van Egmond (Australia)

  Leicester will only lose one player in March but that one player is Emily van Egmond, one of Leicester's most experienced and, as such, one of their most important players when it comes to trying to lift the club off the foot of the WSL table and away from the threat of relegation.

  It's not just Van Egmond's leadership that Leicester will miss. The midfielder has played the fourth-most minutes in the league for the club this season and she is one of only four players in the squad to have contributed more than one direct goal involvement, such is her ability to make things happen from a variety of roles. The all-action Aussie will be sorely missed by the Foxes as they tackle some must-win games.

• Getty Images

  9London City Lionesses

  Number of absentees: 2 - Saki Kumagai (Japan), Alanna Kennedy (Australia)

  London City Lionesses will lose two extremely experienced players during the Asian Cup, as Saki Kumagai leaves to represent Japan and Alanna Kennedy turns out for host nation Australia. However, with the squad depth that has been built by the newly-promoted side, they should be one of the least impacted by absences during March.

  Kumagai will be a particularly big loss. The five-time Champions League winner has started 14 of London City's 16 league games so far this season and has offered consistency at the base of the midfield. But this team has enough options in that area of the park to cope without her for a few games.

  Kennedy, meanwhile, has only made five WSL starts this term, but three of those have come in the last four games, with new head coach Eder Maestre evidently impressed with the Aussie in defence. Still, with the depth available, London City should be okay.

• Getty Images

  8Manchester City

  Numbers of absentees: 4 - Ayaka Yamashita, Aoba Fujino, Yui Hasegawa (all Japan), Mary Fowler (Australia)

  One could assess the impact of the Asian Cup on Man City's women's team in a similar way to how the impact of AFCON on its men's team was viewed earlier this year: While the quality of players that City are losing is perhaps greater than any other club in the WSL, it doesn't necessarily mean they are going to be hit hardest by their absences.

  In January, City signed United States star Sam Coffey, one of the best holding midfielders in the world. That's Yui Hasegawa's position covered exceptionally, then. Khiara Keating can be erratic at times as a young goalkeeper being asked to play the style she is, but she still provides quality back-up to departing goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita. Aoba Fujino, meanwhile, has been in and out of the team this season because of injuries and City have coped with that, with similar to be said of Mary Fowler, the Australia forward who has only recently returned from an ACL tear.

  City's squad is by no means the deepest in the WSL and so there is certainly concern around four players departing for a few weeks, especially if others pick up injuries. But Andree Jeglertz's side are also eight points clear at the top of the table with only six league games to play. Even if they have a hiccup this month, in the grand scheme of things, they should be fine.

• Getty Images

  7Chelsea

  Number of absentees: 2 - Ellie Carpenter, Sam Kerr (both Australia)

  The impact of these next few weeks at Chelsea depends largely on the availability of others in the squad. On paper, Lucy Bronze fills in for Ellie Carpenter at right-back, while all of Aggie Beever-Jones, Catarina Macario and Mayra Ramirez can play the centre-forward role that Sam Kerr's absence weakens. However, in recent weeks, none of those four players have been fit.

  Bronze returned from a few weeks on the sidelines earlier this month in a huge boost for the Blues, particularly given Carpenter's looming departure, while Beever-Jones is also slowly getting back to full fitness after an ankle knock. There is no timeline for the returns of either Macario or Ramirez, though, and having that central striker on the pitch feels important for the balance of Chelsea's attack.

  One would assume the Blues should be okay, as they do still have a big and talented squad that is slowly getting back to fuller health. Still, given the injury woes Sonia Bompastor's side have had to contend with so far this season, it's far from a safe bet to bank on players staying fit throughout March to minimise the impact of departures.

  Overall, they will be better off than most, but more negatively impacted than some of their biggest rivals for those Champions League spots.

• Getty Images

  6Liverpool

  Number of absentees: 2 - Fuka Nagano, Risa Shimizu (both Japan)

  Liverpool are not losing as many players as some of their WSL rivals, but they are losing two very important individuals.

  Fuka Nagano has played more minutes for the Reds in the league this season than any other player and her consistency on the ball in midfield has impressed ever since she arrived in England. Risa Shimizu, meanwhile, has been a reliable performer at right-back since returning from injury at the start of 2026, in a period that has coincided with a serious upturn in results for the relegation-threatened side.

  Liverpool were very active in January and have improved the depth in the squad to be better-placed to deal with this situation than they were at the start of the campaign. Injuries have alleviated, too, after hitting the team hard in the first half of the season. That will all help, but the quality Nagano and Shimizu have provided will still be dearly missed.

• Getty Images

  5Brighton

  Number of absentees: 3 - Moeka Minami, Kiko Seike (both Japan), Charlize Rule (Australia)

  Brighton will lose three of their most impressive and consistent performers in the 2025-26 season over the course of this month. Nigeria international Chiamaka Nnadozie, their starting goalkeeper and one of the best in her position in the world, looks set to stick around at least, but there are still several other key departures.

  Further concern in the back line comes as Moeka Minami and Charlize Rule both head off to the Asian Cup, and the Seagulls are also set to be without top-scorer Kiko Seike, whose six goals in the WSL this season puts her joint-fifth in the Golden Boot race. All in all, it's going to be a tough month for Brighton.

  Fuka Tsunoda does remain in England though, having failed to make the cut in a very competitive Japan squad, and the club will hope the young midfielder can build on some promising recent performances and step up while others are away.

• Getty Images

  4Arsenal

  Number of absentees: 3 - Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross (all Australia)

  Arsenal will be the most negatively impacted of the WSL's 'big four', and it is the Gunners who find themselves chasing in the race for those Champions League spots, with two postponed fixtures leaving them four points adrift of third-placed Chelsea as they await the chance to play their games in hand.

  That's because Arsenal will lose Steph Catley, a stalwart at centre-back all season, and Caitlin Foord, who has been in flying form as of late, as well as Kyra Cooney-Cross to the Asian Cup. The latter has not been a key figure in recent weeks after flying home amid the devastating news of her mother's cancer diagnosis, but she is a top quality player whose presence in midfield will be missed.

  The Gunners don't have a very deep squad either. Katie Reid's ACL injury means there is one fewer option at centre-back, and although Leah Williamson's recent return is good news there, she is still building her fitness back up after some time on the sidelines. Out wide, Foord's departure is combined with Beth Mead suffering a hairline fracture to her shin, with Chloe Kelly another only recently back from a prolonged absence.

  There are enough players in Arsenal's squad who are versatile and can adapt to cover for three important losses, but it could get a little tricky for the Gunners at times - and they don't have much room for error in the race for European football.

• Getty Images

  3West Ham

  Number of absentees: 2 - Katrina Gorry (Australia), Riko Ueki (Japan)

  Yu Endo's omission from Japan's Asian Cup squad limits the impact this month's events could have had on West Ham, as does the fact that AFCON's seemingly imminent postponement will keep Ines Bellomou around, but the London side are still set to lose two key players, in Katrina Gorry and Riko Ueki.

  Gorry is West Ham's captain and has been a consistent and crucial performer in this side ever since she arrived at the club two years ago. Ueki, meanwhile, has more assists than anyone else in the Hammers' squad and is only behind Shekiera Martinez, their top-scorer, for most direct goal involvements. It's also worth noting that the pair rank among the top four outfielders in this team for minutes played in the WSL.

  New head coach Rita Guarino does have options to replace both Gorry and Ueki, particularly after a lively January transfer window, but both leave significant voids in a team firmly in a relegation fight. That they are in a precarious situation in their season only adds to it all.

• Getty Images

  2Tottenham

  Number of absentees: 3 - Clare Hunt (Australia), Toko Koga, Maika Hamano (both Japan)

  Given Spurs are going to be without both of their starting centre-backs during the Asian Cup, there are not many teams who are going to be more negatively impacted this month. Toko Koga will be a key player for Japan, Clare Hunt will have a similar role for host nation Australia, and Martin Ho will need to figure out how his Spurs side adjusts.

  Only once in the league this season have the north London outfit started with a centre-back pairing not made up of Koga and Hunt, when Molly Bartrip was given the nod for the win over Aston Villa. In every other game, in a season that has been outstanding for a team that finished second-from-bottom in the WSL last term, Koga and Hunt have been crucial in the heart of that defence. Bartrip will offer a solid option for one of those centre-back slots, but what else Ho does will be interesting.

  On top of it all is the departure of Maika Hamano, the young attacking midfielder on loan from Chelsea who will join up with the Japan squad. That is something Spurs will have been very aware of when signing the forward in January but it does further deplete them, even if it is in an area of the field they are better-stocked in.

  Charli Grant, 38 times an Australia international, will not go away with her national team as she is only just back in full training after sustaining an injury in November. The defender will at least offer a necessary personnel boost while others are absent in the coming weeks, even if she will be disappointed not to be off to the Asian Cup.

• Getty Images

  1Everton

  Number of absentees: 4 - Rion Ishikawa, Honoka Hayashi, Hikaru Kitagawa (all Japan), Clare Wheeler (Australia)

  Prior to the 2025-26 season kicking off, everyone knew Everton were going to be hit hard in March. The Toffees signed three Japan internationals in the summer, taking the total number of players who could potentially be away for the Asian Cup up to six, with Toni Payne also likely to head off to AFCON with Nigeria. In the end, it seems the club will only lose four of those seven players, though no other side in the WSL is set to be without more.

  What makes Everton's case more drastic than others is that they don't have the depth to cope with so many absentees, especially not when they are already dealing with a long enough injury list. Add in the importance of the players they are going to be without - such as Clare Wheeler and Honoka Hayashi, who rank fourth and fifth, respectively, among minutes played for Everton in the league this season - and it's going to be a tricky period for the team to get through.

  Fortunately for the Toffees, Yuka Momiki, another vital cog in their side, didn't make the cut for Japan while Maz Pacheco is still awaiting her Philippine passport, so cannot play for the national team yet. Payne, meanwhile, looked set to remain with the Toffees even before the AFCON news because of an injury that has not seen her feature for over a month now. Everton will hope she can return at some point in the coming weeks to provide a necessary boost and help keep the club away from that dreaded relegation zone.