English women's football enters a new era this weekend as the Women's Super League returns for its 2025-26 campaign, expanded to 14 clubs and promising one of the most unpredictable title races in recent memory. The opening fixture sees Manchester United host London City Lionesses on Friday night, kicking off a season shaped by significant transfer activity, a reshuffled League Cup format, and a rare summer without a major international tournament disrupting preparations.
For the first time in more than five years, managers have enjoyed a full preseason with all their players available, following a run of tournaments including the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, Euro 2022, the 2023 World Cup, the Paris Olympics and Euro 2025.
Defending champions Manchester City arrive with arguably the league's most stable squad, built around Bunny Shaw, winner of three consecutive Golden Boots. Yet City face a demanding campaign balancing WSL and FA Cup defenses with a return to Champions League football, having missed out on the competition last season.
Arsenal, under Renée Slegers, have overhauled their roster and lowered its average age, bringing in established names such as Georgia Stanway, Ona Batlle, Géraldine Reuteler and Selina Cerci. After two underwhelming campaign starts tied to congested schedules following major tournaments, the Gunners are expected to challenge strongly from the outset.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are undergoing their own transition after saying goodbye to several key figures, including retired defender Millie Bright, along with Guro Reiten, Sam Kerr, Catarina Macario, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Niamh Charles. New arrival Melvine Malard, reunited with manager Sonia Bompastor from their time together at OL Lyonnes, has already made an impact off the bench with two goals in a 5-2 Champions League qualifying win over Real Sociedad. That European fixture schedule, often viewed as a burden in past post-tournament seasons, could instead give Chelsea useful match sharpness heading into their title defense.
Manchester United, by contrast, find themselves outside the traditional title conversation this year. Sitting nine points behind Chelsea last season and facing a modest transfer window, the club also underwent a managerial change, with Marc Skinner departing after five years. His successor, Eva Olid, arrives with a strong reputation for developing young talent, having guided Hearts to the Scottish Women's Premier League title after previously helping them avoid relegation through league restructuring. Still, questions remain about whether United's four new signings can replace the quality lost from last season's squad.
Behind the leading contenders, a competitive chasing pack has emerged. Tottenham, under Martin Ho, are considered strong dark horses after a promising debut campaign was followed by shrewd recruitment, including midfielder Kirsty Hanson and club-record signing Alice Sombath from OL Lyonnes. Brighton, despite losing manager Dario Vidosic to NWSL side Angel City, have added promising young coach Arturo Ruiz and strengthened their squad considerably.
Everton, Liverpool and West Ham are also tipped as potential surprise packages following productive transfer windows, while Aston Villa face the challenge of replacing key departures such as Hanson, Ebony Salmon and Gabi Nunes despite bringing in ten new players.
Among the newly promoted sides, Birmingham City and Crystal Palace have made notable additions—Millie Turner and Lisa Naalsund for Birmingham, and Bethany England for Palace—as they attempt to secure their WSL status. Charlton, working with more limited resources, have added eight new players as manager Karen Hills bids to defy relegation predictions.
With London City Lionesses backed ambitiously by owner Michelle Kang and now led by new manager Eder Maestre following a squad overhaul of 13 departures and eight arrivals, even mid-table sides carry genuine ambition this season. Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas headlines their revamped squad as they begin life under new leadership against Manchester United.
With heavy investment across the division and genuine competitive depth from top to bottom, this WSL campaign promises to be one of the most closely contested and unpredictable in the competition's history.
Based on reporting from The Guardian (Moving the Goalposts).