The Womens Super League (WSL) returns this week with reigning champions Chelsea hosting Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Friday to kick off the 2025-26 season.
City may have a new manager, new players and star names returning from long-term injuries but could not have been given a more difficult start to their campaign.
Chelsea not only won a sixth consecutive WSL title last season, they did so going unbeaten 19 league wins, three draws and the first WSL team to record 60 points. There was the FA Cup and League Cup, too, to make it a treble-winning campaign. History was made and the bar has been raised.
Has anyone else got any hope, especially as Chelsea are strengthened by the return of Sam Kerr from injury, the signing of Ellie Carpenter from OL Lyonnes and Alyssa Thompson set to join too? What about Arsenal, last seasons Champions League winners? Or London City Lionesses, the WSL newcomers and disruptors in chief with the signings of Danielle van de Donk, Nikita Parris, Katie Zelem and Alanna Kennedy, to name just four of their acquisitions?
We asked our experts, Megan Feringa, Cerys Jones, Tamerra Griffin and Caoimhe ONeill, the questions everyone wants answered ahead of the season.
Cerys Jones: Every year I wonder if this will be the year Chelsea slip up, and every year I wish I hadnt bothered. A little voice in the back of my head says Arsenals Champions League win could give them the edge mentally, but it feels foolish to bet against Chelsea at this point. They have made winning this league a routine practice.
Megan Feringa: Betting against Chelsea feels anatomically dumb. They are good. They have gotten better. Winning the WSL is what they do. But Arsenal are Champions League winners. They have Olivia Smith, Mariona Caldentey, Alessia Russo, an in-form Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly. One of the reasons Arsenal failed to challenge for the title last season is because of their bad start under Jonas Eidevall. It doesnt feel like that would happen under Renee Slegers. Idk. Please dont keep this as a receipt.
Tamerra Griffin: All respect to the dynastic Blues, but I need someone else to take the league this season. I see in Chelsea a squad bursting with individual talent, but what remains unclear is whether they can form a whole greater than the sum of their parts.
I do not have that concern about Arsenal, the only ones who have a chance of unseating Chelsea. Theyre going to be full of verve considering how many of their players either won or had excellent individual performances at the Euros, plus there are the splashy signings. Few things bond a team like winning a Champions League, and no doubt Slegers has them laser-focused. Please, Arsenal if nothing else, do it for the plot.
Caoimhe ONeill: Lets not bet against the big, whirring machine that is Chelsea. I cant see past them, you cant see past them and there is a reason for that. We are all willing for more of a scrap and less of a procession, but I can already see the CHEL7EA graphics after making it seven in a row and nine titles overall. Does CHEL9EA work?
Jones: Last season showed how tough it is to keep a clean sheet against Chelsea they have so much attacking depth that they will wear you down eventually so it becomes a question of who can outscore them. Arsenal actually scored more goals than Chelsea last season and have reinforced their forward line with Smith and Kelly, so I think they could do it.
Feringa: Arsenal. Mostly because (see above) but also because if Chelsea are mentality monsters, then Arsenal are capable of overcoming that. Their constant comebacks in Europe last season felt more in the ilk of classic Chelsea. The key factor is consistency. Chelsea have mastered the art of the consistent grind. Arsenals ability to do the same is where their season will be won or lost.
Griffin: The thing about achieving an unbeaten season is that you unintentionally gift your opponents reams of notes to study during the offseason, which makes repetition exponentially more difficult. I see Chelsea dropping some points this season not many, and certainly not often and I can see them falling not only to Arsenal (who I agree are most likely to beat them), but to Manchester United or City, and maybe even a team like Brighton & Hove Albion if the stars align.
ONeill: It is Manchester Uniteds time for revenge. They have never beaten Chelsea in the WSL (10 losses, one draw) and have had to watch Chelseas title celebrations up close on three separate occasions.
Chelsea clinched the title last season, and the season before, with victories over United. It also happened in May 2022. And in May 2023, United took the title race to the final day but beating Liverpool 1-0 was not enough as Chelsea defeated relegated Reading 3-0. Who is playing each other on the final day this season? You guessed it. Thats Marc Skinners team talk sorted nine months in advance.
Jones: Same as last season: Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United.
Feringa: Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City.
Griffin: Im with Megan.
ONeill: Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United.
Jones: With her crucial goals at the Euros, Michelle Agyemang has set out her stall as the WSLs next superstar forward. Last season, she rounded out key aspects of her game at Brighton and now that she is returning there on loan, I hope she will get starting opportunities to improve her stamina and game intelligence. She has talent and potential in abundance, and this season could be a great stepping stone for her towards competing for regular minutes at Arsenal, her parent club.
Feringa: Olivia Smith. Theres hype because of her world-record £1million fee, of course. But Smith is a delight to watch. Shes a player that alchemises grace and brawn into a blur dribbling down the touchline. The pressure will be heavy, but it is in pressured moments that she has always thrived.
Griffin: Victoria Pelova, with a close second going to Kyra Cooney-Cross, sort of for the same reason, which is I am ready to lift the curtain on Arsenals next-gen midfield. But back to Pelova. I hadnt expected the 26-year-old to get as many minutes as she did with the Netherlands at the Euros, given she was returning from an ACL injury, and was relieved to see shes maintained that ferocity and technical ability.
ONeill: Thompson, should her transfer from Angel City to Chelsea go through. The 20-year-old is familiar with pressure, having been the youngest player in history to be drafted into the NWSL. It will be interesting to see how the USWNT star fits in and fares at a Chelsea squad bursting with talent.
Jones: Leicester City worry me. They have finished 10th for three consecutive seasons and have not made improvements in the same way other struggling teams have. For instance, Brighton and West Ham United finished 11th in 2023 and 2024 respectively; they finished fifth and ninth last term. Leicester are standing still, while those around them are improving and they cannot rely on newcomers London City to roll over and finish bottom.
Feringa: Leicester. The end of the season was a struggle, winning just once in their last five matches, finishing 10th in the league. The summer has brought new signings and movement for the clubs who finished around them, but Leicester have not similarly bolstered, instead bringing in two players (25-year-old defender Heather Payne and 31-year-old midfielder Celeste Boureille) on frees and 19-year-old goalkeeper Katie Keane.
Griffin: Leicester, for the reasons already mentioned. You cant afford to stay stagnant in this game.
Beyond them, though, I know they recently beat Arsenal 4-3 in a friendly, but in terms of expectation versus execution and results, Im yet to understand the Tottenham project. We know Beth England is going to find the back of the net as she always does, but what else and who else are they building around. They were winless in their last five matches last season, so theyve got a steep hill to climb to build back some momentum.
ONeill: You are hearing Leicester a lot for a reason.
Jones: Im very excited about Manchester Citys Iman Beney. The 19-year-old was a delight for Switzerland at the Euros she combines pace and agility with physicality exceptionally well for someone who is 5ft 3in. Her ball-carrying and technique are fantastic, but a major asset to City will be how well she defends from the front and helps break down attacks early. Her positional versatility will also be helpful to a City squad that struggled with injury last term. I expect to see her get plenty of minutes in spite of her youth.
Feringa: Kelly is still technically a new signing, despite the fact she now feels inextricable from Arsenals modern history. Im going to say Kelly, from a footballing and marketing perspective. There are few other players around the globe as immediately recognisable as Kelly at the moment.
Griffin: Jade Rose. I started following her in the middle of her collegiate career and if anyone is to make the leap from Harvard to Manchester City, especially as a young centre-back, its the 22-year-old Canadian. I love that shell be playing and studying alongside Alex Greenwood, and I think theyll make an excellent pairing, with Greenwoods sharp vision and distribution complimenting Roses physicality and smart decision making.
ONeill: Smith. As an avid watcher of Liverpool, Smith felt like the kind of player you build an entire franchise around. Fans will switch the telly on or get to a stadium to watch her. Her last season at Liverpool feels like it will be a short, yet glorious, subchapter in what will likely be a terrifyingly good career. She is a superstar. Arsenal know that and Smith will take no time proving it.
Jones: London Citys squad-building ahead of entering the WSL is certainly the most impressive I can remember. Theyve got the WSL experience from players like Parris and Van de Donk, as well as younger faces they can build around for the future, like Poppy Pattinson. Elena Linari is a smart defensive signing, too. On paper they have what they need to stay up my only concern is getting the new signings to work cohesively immediately. The WSL season is short and they have to be on it from the start.
Feringa: London City are carving a space out for themselves as a disruptive force and it feels compelling. Theyve come into the English top flight with plenty of hype and have managed to amplify it with experienced signings, like Van de Donk, English defenders Teyah Goldie and Pattinson, and Finnish striker Sanni Franssi, among others. All of them have spoken about the long-term project, which (youd expect) does not have relegation written anywhere in it.
Griffin: Disruption is the perfect description for what London City are setting out to do at least this season, though publicly I dont think the ownership will settle for anything less than winning. Theyll get results, partly because of the marquee signings already mentioned, and lets not forget that players like Kosovare Asllani, at 36, still have plenty of mileage left, if her Euros performance for Sweden is any indication. With all the new faces, the leadership of players like Alanna Kennedy and Katie Zelem fresh off the plane from Los Angeles after spells at Angel City can offer a lot, given their previous WSL experience.
ONeill: Theyll stay up and might even cause the odd upset along the way. Theres far too much experience in that side for them to finish last. A late Parris winner will bowl at least one major team over this season, surely.
Jones: Andree Jeglertz has everything he needs to succeed at Manchester City. Players like Lauren Hemp, Greenwood, Vivianne Miedema and Bunny Shaw returning from injury (the former three all featured at the Euros) should go a long way towards fixing their form. For much of last season, absences meant they were fighting with their hands tied. Theyve also added some excellent depth and competition so their squad should be ready to compete at the top again.
Feringa: Martin Ho. The Tottenham Hotspur head coach has already disrupted the WSL with his arrival, looking to recruit familiar faces, such as analyst Lawrence Shamieh, from his days at Manchester United. Ho is highly regarded among his former players, and his time at Norwegian club Brann was successful. Tottenham struggled last season, finishing second-bottom. Ho was a statement acquisition.
Griffin: Im bending the rules a bit here. I know Natalia Arroyo was appointed head coach of Aston Villa in January and spent the second half of the season with them, but its different when a manager can begin afresh with a team. Given what she accomplished with Real Sociedad, leading them to the Champions League and the Copa de la Reina final before joining Villa, Im curious what shell be able to do with more time. Ive seen coaches struggle to properly utilize 24-year-old forward Ebony Salmon, and if Arroyo can figure it out Ill be sold on that alone.
ONeill: How about a new manager bounce for Gareth Taylor at Liverpool? Feels unlikely but stranger things have happened. A first win against Everton at Anfield could be in the offing this weekend, which would certainly help. But it wont be easy. Everton have ironically made Anfield (which was Everton mens original stadium before they moved to Goodison Park, now the home of Evertons womens team) a real home away from home given their 100 per cent record there.
Jones: That we eliminate the Mexican Wave from our stadiums.
Feringa: That the trains run on time.
Griffin: That there are more upsets and plot twists than the last few seasons.
ONeill: For certain clubs to stop using mens players to advertise and promote WSL games when said mens players rarely attend WSL games themselves.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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