GOAL's World-Class Club 2026: Alessia Russo among six new members of women's football's most elite superstars

After emerging as both Barcelona's and Spain's first-choice goalkeeper three years ago, Cata Coll has been steadily working her way towards world-class status. The 25-year-old has used her big experiences well to help iron out some of her proneness to errors and has now become a much more dependable shot-stopper behind two defences that are rarely breached, making her ability to deliver big saves in big moments all the more impressive.

That's been especially notable in the last year or so. Coll was excellent as Spain made the Euro 2025 final, she shone in La Roja's run to Nations League glory in the months that followed, and again as Barcelona won a fourth Champions League crown back in June, with her making a number of very good saves to keep Lyon at bay in the final.

Boasting wonderful distribution as well, which is no surprise given her roots in La Masia, Coll is a world-class, all-round goalkeeper.

It was always going to take a special kind of goalkeeper to follow in the shoes of Mary Earps as the Lionesses' No.1, and Hannah Hampton is certainly that. Having been Chelsea's first-choice shot-stopper for a while, Hampton became the go-to for her country ahead of the Euros last year, and she justified Sarina Wiegman's decision with her title-winning performances.

A dependable presence with lightning reflexes, great footwork and confidence in commanding of her area, Hampton is one of the world's best. Indeed, for many, she is the best.

Over the last five years, there’s been no goalkeeper in the NWSL as consistently brilliant as Kailen Sheridan. First with Gotham, then the San Diego Wave and now the North Carolina Courage, the 31-year-old has not only excelled in every area of her game, but improved, too, to reach new levels.

Well-rounded with great shot-stopping, technical qualities and presence between the sticks, Sheridan is one of the best goalkeepers in the game.

Another player who ascended to world-class status at a very young age, Selma Bacha continues to be a consistent and game-changing performer for one of the best teams in the world.

Primarily a left-back for Lyon while playing her part in four Champions League triumphs, that the 25-year-old can also excel further forward only adds to her quality. There are few, if any, with a more wicked left foot than the France international.

Starring in the Women’s Super League with Manchester United for three years, Ona Batlle asserted herself firmly into the ‘best right-back in the world’ conversation in her early twenties, and she backed it up when she moved back to Catalunya.

A product of Barcelona’s youth set-up, she slotted in perfectly with the Blaugrana and also thrived on the international stage with Spain to underline her world-class status at 26 years old. Versatile enough to play on the left as well, Batlle is now back in England with Arsenal; that her signing pushed many to pick the Gunners as favourites for the WSL title says it all.

Those who saw Ellie Carpenter break through as a 15-year-old in Australia knew she was something special from the get-go. For them, her ascension to world-class status will be no shock.

How Carpenter performed consistently well for Lyon, despite suffering a devastating ACL injury in the middle of her five-year stay, was incredibly admirable, with her somehow hitting an even higher individual level after returning from that setback. She's continued that into her time at Chelsea, so much so that head coach Sonia Bompastor often readjusts Lucy Bronze's position to allow Carpenter to take up the right-back role she is so effective in.

Emily Fox had been right on the brink of world-class status for a couple of years before her induction into this club in 2025. The full-back exploded into the NWSL and quickly caught the eye of clubs abroad, with her exposure to different styles at Arsenal only helping to round out and refine her game into that of an elite player.

An asset in defence and attack, the consistency the United States international brings to the table, for club and country, is outstanding, playing a key role in Olympic and Champions League triumphs.

That Naomi Girma joined the World-Class Club off the back of her rookie year in the NWSL says everything you need to know about how quickly she has assimilated into the senior game. The centre-back has shown maturity beyond her years since then, with USWNT boss Emma Hayes declaring her the best defender she's ever seen.

That's thanks to her superb passing, great positioning and an ability to intervene at just the right time. However, those are all talents that Chelsea fans have seen surprisingly little of since her move to the club in January 2025. Niggling injuries have proven a problem for Girma since she crossed the Atlantic, and getting on top of that will be a serious priority for the 26-year-old.

Arguably the very best centre-back in women’s football for several years now, Mapi Leon’s technical ability is what most focus on when it comes to discussing her quality, but her defensive nous shouldn’t be overlooked either.

That’s even more impressive given, in some games with former club Barcelona, she might have only been tested once or twice – but she always managed to come out on top. Those qualities will likely be put to the test more often since her move to London City Lionesses, though most will back the 31-year-old to rise to the challenge.

Though her 2025-26 season was hampered by a broken leg, there’s not much justification needed for the inclusion of a player who has won the last three Ballons d'Or. Be it for Barcelona or Spain, Aitana Bonmati always delivers when it matters - and not just in an attacking sense.

There is arguably no more well-rounded midfielder in the women’s game, such is her tendency to come up big defensively and desire to contribute at both ends.

Not many would have grumbled had Mariona Caldentey won the 2025 Ballon d'Or ahead of Bonmati. The Arsenal playmaker has been world-class for a while, but it was sometimes hard for her to stand-out in a Barcelona team packed with stars of the same ilk.

Since moving to north London, Caldentey has not had that issue. The Spain international has proven herself as an incredible game-changer in various positions while also demonstrating off-ball qualities that saw her inspire Arsenal to Champions League glory and finish second in the running for that Golden Ball.

Melchie Dumornay's quality has long stood out. In 2018, as a 14-year-old, she was given special permission to play at the Under-20 Women's World Cup, and her performances for Haiti would catch the eye of some key scouts, not least those at Lyon. Reims manager Amandine Miquel also spotted Dumornay at that tournament, and it was via the club in the north that her route to France's most dominant women's team would come, with Reims giving her the opportunity to play and develop into a more well-rounded world-beater.

That is what Dumornay is today. Her game-changing qualities are incredible and always on show on the biggest of stages in particular. The 2025-26 season, which helped propel her into the World-Class Club, is a great example of as much. The 23-year-old led OL's charge to the Champions League final with five goals and several stand-out displays, while also scoring a hat-trick in their title-deciding win over Paris Saint-Germain after netting the only goal in the Coupe de la Ligue final against the same opponent.

Anybody who has played with Patri Guijarro understands that the Spain star is one of the most intelligent footballers in the game. As a holding midfielder, earning widespread plaudits is always tricky, but that she is trusted to play that position in Barcelona’s all-conquering team speaks volumes of her skill as, given the incredible brand of football the Catalans’ play, there is arguably no more difficult role to fill.

For anyone still in doubt about Guijarro's quality, the 2025-26 season was a great one. While she spent several months on the sidelines, Barca's performances dropped slightly from their usual very high level. When she returned, the impact was impossible to ignore.

There are not many players in the world who can change a game at the very highest level quite as effectively and devastatingly as Pernille Harder. The Bayern Munich star brings dynamism, goal-scoring prowess and creativity to a variety of different attacking roles, and is also a remarkable leader, with it no coincidence that she has won a league title in each of the last 11 years.

While that Champions League title somehow still eludes her, as does a Ballon d'Or she would've surely won had it been awarded in 2020, Harder's performances in Bayern's run to the European semi-finals in 2025-26 suggest she could still add one, or both, of those accolades to her CV.

In 2022, when Manchester City signed Yui Hasegawa to replace Keira Walsh following her move to Barcelona, eyebrows were raised. The Japan international had made a name for herself as an excellent No.10, but she wasn't proven in a deep-lying role.

She is now. Hasegawa has spent the last four years marking herself out as one of the best players in the world in a very different position, first as a more traditional holding midfielder under Gareth Taylor, and then more recently as someone with more freedom to get forward under Andree Jeglertz.

The 29-year-old's experience in different roles means she is able to excel in every area of the game, whether it is in attack or defence, in-possession or off the ball, or in control of a game or in transition. That helped City win a first WSL title in 10 years in 2025-26 and allowed Japan to be crowned Asian champions back in March.

The last five years of Alexia Putellas' career say a lot about her as a player and a person. After rising to a level capable of winning back-to-back Ballons d'Or in 2021 and 2022, an ACL injury ruled her out of most of the 2022-23 season. But if anyone doubted her ability to clear the high bar set after that difficult time, she has hit back with aplomb.

In fact, there is an argument that the midfielder has spent the last two years playing at an even greater level than before. She would've been a worthy winner of the Ballon d'Or in 2025 and is the front runner to claim her third Golden Ball in 2026 after another stellar year, on a team and individual level.

Many already believed that Keira Walsh was a world-class talent before she joined Barcelona in the summer of 2022 - and those that didn’t think as much then, surely do now. The England midfielder unsurprisingly got even better while playing for the Catalans, fine-tuning her game to become a key member of the most technically gifted club side in the sport, before returning to Chelsea to show everyone just what she learned.

Walsh is adding new strings to her bow even now, aged 29, as a recent spurt of goals show. Shooting more regularly has been a discussion point with the Chelsea staff and it is paying dividends, with the Lionesses star finding the back of the net rather brilliantly from range becoming a regular sight.

Until her move to the Orlando Pride, Barbra Banda was something of a luxury for women's football fans. She'd light up major tournaments with Zambia, then return to the low-profile Chinese Women's Super League until the next big event.

However, the striker's presence in the U.S. top-flight means her quality is now on show to a huge audience every week, and what she exhibits for club, as well as country, reminds everyone on a regular basis that she is indeed one of the best players on the planet.

When Sport asked Aitana Bonmati who would be her dream signing for Barcelona's all-conquering team, that she picked out Klara Buhl says all you need to know about the Bayern Munich winger's ability. A dangerously two-footed and consistent forward, Buhl has racked up incredible numbers when it comes to goals and assists in recent times, and yet that she believes she can still improve her end product should be of concern to defenders across the game.

Direct, positive and willing to take any opportunity to drive at opponents, Buhl is not just an asset in possession but also a player who works hard off the ball, making her a well-rounded and world-class individual, one deserving of her induction into this exclusive club.

Since arriving in the United States in January 2024, Temwa Chawinga has simply dominated the NWSL. Collecting the MVP and Golden Boot awards in her first two seasons, as well as being named to the Best XI on both occasions, her deadly finishing, and an ability to also create for team-mates, has been absolutely devastating for defenders.

It's not just with the Kansas City Current that she shows such unstoppable form, either. Indeed, Chawinga's Golden Boot-winning goal tally at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations this past summer helped Malawi stun the tournament on debut as the Scorchers reached the final, toppling Nigeria, the reigning champions, en route.

The 27-year-old is one of the best players on the planet and her incredible consistency, year-to-year but also game-to-game, makes her an easy addition to the World-Class Club.

Consistently one of the most outstanding wingers in the women’s game for so many years now, Caroline Graham Hansen has finally started to get some long overdue individual recognition. In 2024, she finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting, and she secured a top-15 finish the following year, too. That might seem like a bit of a drop, but given 2024 was somehow her first nomination, just to see her back on the list was great.

That spotlight is not what Graham Hansen is after though, as team success is paramount for Barcelona’s tricky forward, whose value has always been well-known among team-mates.

It's not been easy on the injury front for Vivianne Miedema of late, but when she does get on the pitch, she shows that those setbacks have not impacted her status as a world-class talent. The Manchester City star is cold as ice in front of goal, with no man or woman having scored more for the Dutch national teams, and she is also a genius when it comes to creating for others.

That's the case as a No.9 but also as a No.10, which is the position Miedema played as Man City won their first WSL title for 10 years this past season. It said a lot about her quality that when she spent a few weeks unavailable at the end of that campaign, City were not as potent, even with all the talent in their squad.

It was no shock when Barcelona paid a massive fee to bring Ewa Pajor to the club in 2024, and what she has done in the two years since has only served to justify it to anyone who was surprised.

The Poland international had already marked herself out as a world-class centre-forward during a nine-year stint with Wolfsburg and a goal-getter is exactly what the Catalans needed to round out their team. She's lived up to that billing and more in the last two seasons, racking up a staggering 99 direct goal contributions (75 goals, 24 assists) in her first two seasons.

That deadly finishing and ability to create for others has helped Barca remain the dominant force in Spain while also adding another Champions League trophy to the cabinet, with two goals in the 2026 final allowing Pajor to take centre stage as she ended her own long quest for her first European crown.

Previously, the biggest criticism levelled at Alessia Russo was a lack of goals. The quality of her all-round centre-forward play could not be disputed, with there perhaps no better striker on the planet at holding the ball up and linking the attack. It's what allowed her to establish herself as England's No.9 as well as Arsenal's. In the last couple of years, though, Russo has become much deadlier and more prolific in front of goal, paving the way for her induction into the World-Class Club.

That's been especially evident in the Champions League, which says a lot about her ability to rise to the occasion. Russo has netted 16 times in 23 appearances in the competition across the past two seasons, helping Arsenal to win the big prize in 2025. That triumph came just a few weeks before she then scored in the European Championship final against Spain, to add another continental crown to her collection.

In the last seven seasons, with Bordeaux and now Man City, Khadija Shaw has started 114 league matches and scored 115 goals. Those are world-class numbers.

The 29-year-old is an incredibly clinical goal-scorer but, again, that’s not the only element to her game; Shaw’s defending from the front sets the tone and showcases the hard-working attitude that makes the Jamaican such a top quality team-mate.

Those qualities were on show to a particularly high-level in the 2025-26 season, as Shaw helped fire Man City to a first WSL title in 10 years as well as a first FA Cup triumph in six.