If Bethany England had not come to Tottenham Hotspur in January 2023 the club would likely have been relegated from the WSL. She scored on her debut away at Aston Villa, a game that Spurs lost, and kept on scoring after that. That season her 12 goals in as many games were the critical difference for a struggling side.

It’s hard to overstate the impact of England’s recruitment not just on the pitch but in terms of how fans – and no doubt players – felt about the club.

England arrived as one of the WSL’s leading goalscorers, a player who had plied her trade at Liverpool and Chelsea, and won four WSL titles. This move wasn’t a post-maternity-leave, post-Covid short-term contract as was the case with Alex Morgan in 2020. This was the club stumping up a record fee (at the time) of £250,000 to bring in a star of the WSL on a long-term contract.

She also became the first current Spurs player to play for England, getting minutes and converting a penalty in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, thereby allowing the club to benefit from a small glimmer of the Lionesses lustre. In fact, England remains one of only three players to have got senior minutes with the national team while playing at Spurs, alongside Jessica Naz and Grace Clinton.

Since joining Spurs, England has played under four managers: Rehanne Skinner, Vicky Jepson (interim), Robert Vilahamn and most recently Martin Ho. She has been club captain under the last two head coaches.

England has scored great goals and important goals for Spurs. There were fun ones where she rounded the keeper and shot from the edge of the box, following it up with a knee slide. There were perfectly placed headers and there were last-gasp goals like her 96^th-minute equaliser against Manchester City that kept the tie alive and kick-started Spurs’ run to the Women’s FA Cup final in 2024.

In a nice bit of symmetry, England almost perfectly repeated that achievement this season when she again scored in the 96^th minute to tie an FA Cup game that Spurs went on to win, this time converting a penalty against London City Lionesses – and then converting another in the shootout that followed.

Across three and a half years at Spurs, England has scored 38 goals, 32 of them in the WSL. In doing so she became the first player to score at least 25 goals at two different WSL teams. And while her output has slowed a little, this season England has to-date scored seven goals in the league, more than any other Spurs player, and has one assist. That is 0.56 goal contributions per 90 minutes, which puts her third in the team, just below Cathinka Tandberg (0.63 per 90) and Olivia Holdt (0.58 per 90).

England’s time at Spurs has not all been plain sailing. Two and a half years ago she had hip surgery, which she later described as saving her from retirement. This caused her to miss the early part of the 2023-24 season. In her absence Martha Thomas took up the mantle but as Thomas’ scoring streak came to a halt and England regained her fitness, England demonstrated once again that she was Spurs’ most important attacking threat, scoring in five of the final six games of the season.

As a long-time Chelsea player before arriving in north London, it was not obvious that England would easily gel with the Spurs support, but she’s become fully “COYS” in her relatively short time at the club, creating excellent relationships with fans, including the Proud Lilywhites, the club’s LGBTQ supporters’ group, who she mentioned “standing alongside” in her tearful leaving video.

As a match-going supporter one of the things that most sticks in the mind are those times when England has come over to the side of the pitch to talk after frustrating losses, which most Spurs fan have witnessed lots of. She’s usually seen shaking her head with frustration and saying something like “it’s not good enough.” It was clear she hated losing and demanded better of herself, her teammates and of supporters.

During games, you could see her corralling teammates to keep going, to get back and defend, to press or challenge for the ball. She was always the first one to congratulate others too, most recently celebrating Ella Morris’ return from an ACL injury. She was eloquent at public or fan events and did a huge amount of promotion and outreach for the club.

It has been reported by The Guardian that the club has not renewed England’s contract because they are looking for young attacking targets this summer. This has become a theme – the six players recruited on permanent contracts under Martin Ho have an average age of 21.2. Meanwhile, the six players who left in January or have been announced to be leaving this summer average 29.3 years. Amongst the remaining squad only Drew Spence (33) is over 30. Tottenham’s list of departures so far also include Charlie Grant, Kit Graham, Amy James-Turner, Luana Bühler and Josefine Rybrink. Ash Neville, who had been at the club since 2015, left in January.

Obviously, there are times when you need to refresh a squad. Moreover, no player can maintain the levels expected in the WSL indefinitely. But there is also a risk when you lose experience and as some fans have noted there are worrying parallels with the Spurs men’s team, which saw a raft of senior players being ‘moved on’ to make space for bright young prospects. We can see how well that is going.

Hopefully, this will not be the fate of the women’s team. Certainly, some of the young incoming players demonstrate huge maturity and exciting talent, Toko Koga (20) and Signe Gaupset (21), most obviously. But others are still somewhat raw in Cathinka Tandberg (20) and Hanna Wijk (22)), or yet to demonstrate how they might contribute usefully to the team, Matilda Nilden (21).

In this context, might the club live to regret disposing of England’s goals and leadership? At least until these young talents have fully blossomed?

Undoubtedly, there is another team in the WSL or farther afield more than happy to recruit a player with England’s rarest of attributes: consistency in front of goal.

“Ohhhh, Bethany England”. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to watch you. A true professional, a fabulous captain and proper Spurs legend.

On 27 March, Angel City captain Sarah Gorden posted a video to TikTok set to the tune of “Ordinary Girl” by Miley Cyrus—er, Hannah Montana. “How people look at me bc I’m 33 in the NWSL” reads text across the first clip, where Gorden’s face is put through a filter that adds wrinkles. The video cuts to a clip of her voguing for the camera, filter off: “Vs how I actually look, feel and move physically.”

Gorden’s TikTok comes off in good fun, but it speaks to something real: the NWSL is filling up with young players, and that leaves veterans like Gorden seeming older and older in comparison, at least on the stats sheet.

Gorden has been playing in the league since 2016, which makes her a bonafide veteran. But she’s more than a figurehead to the public and a leader in the locker room, great as she is at those roles. She’s a beast of a centre back, with the kind of pace that sends a shiver down strikers’ spines.

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Coming off an abysmal five-game stretch to open the season, Gotham FC knew they would have to come out of the international break in top form.

As the defending NWSL champions reflected on their 1W-2L-2D start, Jaedyn Shaw expressed optimism, saying the team’s vibes were high and training sessions had gone well.

Gotham showed that progress by dismantling Bay FC in a 3-0 win on Saturday, during their first league game in 21 days. It was a crucial victory for Gotham to remedy their poor start to the season, which had put them 13th in the NWSL before the game.

With the defeat, Bay dropped to 2W-3L-0D, 11th in the league table.

Gotham outshot Bay 25-3 after an especially dominant first half and generated 3.24 expected goals compared to Bay’s 0.43 xG.

Gotham started on the front foot, finding the breakthrough score via a Karlie Lema own goal in the 20th minute. Rose Lavelle cut a ball back to the center of the box for Savannah McCaskill, who directed a shot on frame, which Bay goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz saved. But chaos in the box led to Lema and Silkowitz colliding, and the ball finding the back of the net.

Gotham doubled their lead in the 40th minute when Jordynn Dudley found Lavelle for a tap-in finish. Dudley was superb with her final third vision all afternoon, creating three chances, two of which FotMob qualified as “big chances.”

Gotham made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time when Esther González put away a penalty kick off Silkowitz’s fingertips.

“We’ve kind of been waiting for a game like that and a performance like that,” Lavelle said post-game. “We had a lot of joy in the final third.”

Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós said he missed training for most of the week due to the birth of his second child, crediting the team’s technical staff for their work done to secure victory. He praised his fellow coaches post-game as he sat alongside lead assistant Shaun Harris and head of analysis Zoë Mattheson during the press conference.

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José Barcala’s Bayern Munich faced another challenge from Barcelona after a heavy defeat on the opening matchday of the league phase of the Uefa Women’s Champions League. After a 7-1 defeat in that game, the Bavarian giants went on to score multiple times in every game since then - a run that ended against Barcelona themselves last night.

With a 1-1 draw against the Catalan side, Bayern Munich continued to be unbeaten since that loss and gave a much better account of their quality in this semi-final tie. Despite conceding early again, the German champions stuck to their game plan and restricted Pere Romeu’s side as much as could be expected.

The numbers in the game are still heavily in favour of Barcelona, but the German side managed to control the threat they posed. Romeu's side had the same number of shots as the last time the two sides met (21), but they had fewer shots on target (7 to 13) and a lower xG (1.48 to 1.9). Their touches in the opposition box were down from 53 to 42, despite their final-third entries being up from 57 to 93.

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Arsenal have drawn first blood in the Uefa Women’s Champions League semi-final against OL Lyonnes at the Emirates Stadium. In a match that ebbed and flowed, Arsenal were ultimately the beneficiaries of some Lyon defensive gaffes, just as they were in the away leg of this tie 12 months ago. On this occasion, it was Olivia Smith who scored the winner after an own goal from Ingrid Engen had drawn Arsenal level.

Before a chaotic second half, it was the visitors who took the lead in the tie, benefiting from some sloppy Arsenal play. As had been the case when the two sides met in the league phase of the competition in October, it was the French side that capitalised from a high turnover. After Caitlin Foord had dribbled into trouble midway inside the Arsenal half, Jule Brand, starting on the left ahead of Tabitha Chawinga, danced through the defence, selling Kim Little a dummy on the edge of the box before firing the ball into the bottom corner.

That moment of individual brilliance aside, the first half was defined by its caginess, with Arsenal’s best chance coming when Foord’s header across the face of goal was not met by Alessia Russo for what would have been a tap-in.

Perhaps wary of Lyon’s threat in behind, Arsenal were fairly restrained in their pressing, with their wing pairing of Smith and Foord dropping back out of possession rather than pushing forward.

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Bayern Munich and Barcelona are at the crossroads again fighting for a place in the Uefa Women’s Champions League final. The German side are looking to finally reach their first ever European final while Barcelona are aiming for their sixth consecutive UWCL final appearance.

Barcelona thrashed domestic rivals Real Madrid 12-2 in the quarter-finals, scoring six goals each in both the legs. The Spanish champions’ statement win came despite early season doubts surrounding their depth. The German side had to battle their way against debutants Manchester United who provided a stern test across two legs. Bayern won the first leg 3-2 and secured a win in the second leg by 2-1 margin, thus securing their second semi-final appearance in the UWCL.

Both the teams were recently crowned domestic champions, wrapping up the leagues and shifting focus to the European crown. In their league stage meeting in the UWCL this season, the Catalan side ran riot winning 7-1 in the process. It was an utterly dominant display of quality that has seen the Spanish side reach five back-to-back titles.

Pere Romeu’s Barcelona opened the scoring inside five minutes and scored four times in the first half. The Bavarian giants played into their hands with some mistakes at the back and conceded possession 51 times in their defensive 40% of the pitch. That heavy loss, however, was a turning point in their season.

Since that loss, Bayern have scored multiple goals in every single game in all competitions and showcased resilience in the face of adversity, staging comebacks in the rest of their European campaign. Their impressive season has led them back to where they started.

They enter the same video-game boss fight, although this time with a little more XP. Can Jose Barcala’s side win this fight?

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For the second season in a row, Arsenal are set to lock horns with Lyon at the semi-final stage of the Champions League.

In what has become something of a classic fixture, this will be the third time in the space of 12 months that the two sides have faced each other, and the sixth in the competition’s history.

When the teams met at the same stage of the season this time last year, Renee Slegers’ side came into the tie as clear underdogs. This time around, they approach it as European champions. Whether this shifts the dynamic on the pitch remains to be seen, but something that may have a more tangible effect on proceedings is the evolution that Lyon have taken under Jonatan Giraldez.

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If you’re a sports fan, you’ll know that when it comes to big business, the US market is way ahead of the game.

With a population of over 340 million and a media landscape that includes several national networks and pay-TV broadcasters, it’s not surprising that the country is so much more advanced than the rest of the world.

When it comes to women’s sports, the US is held up as the gold standard for growth. Part of that is down to all the above, Title IX - which transformed college sports with legalised investment for women’s sports programmes - and the closed league model.

However, the investment and creativity applied to brands is also having a huge impact on the growth of women’s sport.

At the recent Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment conference in New York, Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer at Ally, the US financial services firm, spoke about the impact of the company’s aggressive investment in women’s sport.

Ally is lead sponsor of the Unrivaled three-on-three women’s basketball league, banking partner of the NWSL, as well as golf’s US Open. When Ally entered the space in 2022, just 10% of its sponsorship and marketing spend was on women’s sport, it pledged to reach equal spend on men’s and women’s sports media by 2027. The company recently revealed it had hit that target a year ahead of schedule.

The investment hasn’t just been about aligning Ally with the positive messaging that women’s sport offers, which is often what brands look to when they enter the space. Ally has looked to embed itself in the emerging fandom of women’s sport.

Brimmer shared the strategy behind Ally’s investment at the BOWS summit last week, saying: “I think for us, a lot of what we thought about is this is a completely evergreen space.

“These are places where we could invest in one 30-second football NFL game on Christmas day, or we could buy an entire season of WNBA media. What makes more sense? There was a lot of discomfort in that for the team”.

Brimmer expanded to say that she wanted to work directly with the leagues on something more meaningful than traditional partnership.

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Last week, women’s football podcast Daly Brightness, hosted by Chelsea’s Millie Bright and Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly, was forced to issue an apology after posting an episode with a thumbnail image of Bright’s Chelsea teammate Lauren James stepping on an opponent during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The episode in question - titled ‘The Nigeria game broke us’ - featured Bright and Daly talking about some of the biggest matches in their career. James’ red card at the World Cup featured in around 30 seconds of the discussion. Both Bright and Daly referenced the game as being “one of the hardest games” of their career.

James was sent off for the incident on Michelle Alozie, which happened in England’s round of 16 clash against Nigeria. The Lionesses went on to win the game in a dramatic penalty shootout, but James was targeted with racist abuse after the game, something she has experienced throughout her career.

After many fans noted on social media the pointed decision to include the image of James as the podcast promotion image, Daly Brightness, which is owned by Gary Linekar’s media company GoalHanger, changed the thumbnail and issued an apology.

The statement said: “The Daly Brightness production team would like to apologise for the image used on one of today’s episode thumbnails.

“We always aim to consider the full context of the content we share, but we missed the mark on this occasion and are sorry for the upset caused.

“This was a production decision, and not something Millie and Rachel had any control over. We have removed the thumbnail from all platforms. Thank you for watching and listening.”

The problem with the Daly Brightness thumbnail was not that it was clumsy. It was that it was familiar for many women of colour.

The image was an odd editorial choice on its own terms, because it had little to do with the bulk of the episode content. But, it also carried a weight that should have been obvious to anyone working in women’s football media. The photo depicts a moment that led to a wave of racist abuse towards James. Yet the podcast reused it as a chance for clicks.

That is what made the backlash to the podcast so immediate. It was from one of the most inflammatory moments attached to James’ public image, and one that had already led to extensive racist abuse.

When speaking to media after Euro 2025, England defender Jess Carter, who was the victim of racist abuse during the tournament, spoke of her fear around James taking a penalty during England’s quarter-final victory over Sweden, and the possible racist abuse that would follow if she missed.

She told ITV News in August: “It’s horrible to say but it’s almost like a sigh of relief when other players that weren’t black missed a penalty, because the racism that would have come with LJ [Lauren James] being the only one that missed would have been astronomical.

“It’s not because we want them to fail - it’s about knowing how it’s going to be for us [black England players] if we miss.”

James’ case matters because Black women in sport are so often understood through narratives of aggression. The recurrence of an image depicting a disciplinary moment as an illustration of a player of James’ calibre codes Black women as threatening before they are gifted.

James has experienced racist abuse throughout her career. When playing for Manchester United at just 19, to then becoming an even bigger star with Chelsea, its followed her her whole career journey.

Ahead of Euro 2025, the England team spoke about avoiding social media, with James herself saying that the online abuse “never really stops”. James and Carter aren’t alone, in the past year, Manchester’s Khadija “Bunny” Shaw has received online racist abuse as has Tottenham’s Jessica Naz, which led Spurs to abandon taking the knee before WSL games.

The racism James has faced is not simply online abuse. It also operates through media framing. Former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has explicitly described James’ treatment as racial profiling by both fans and the media. What is at stake, then, is not only what is said about James, but how the media is making her visible.

The media landscape rarely treats racialised women’s sports stars with complexity. They are scrutinised when they do not fit expectations, yet overlooked when it comes to celebration and narrative depth. They are frequently positioned as outsiders to the imagined default of women’s sport and read through assumptions about culture or belonging before simply being athletes.

Last year, a report by the charity Women in Sport labelled the media as a limit to Black girls accessing sports, arguing that the Eurocentric images projected of sports players are fundamentally damaging to girls of colour. If all we see of Black women in the WSL and beyond are stories of their abuse and discrimination, we risk a deeply negative perception of access to football for girls of colour, particularly Black girls.

The treatment of James cannot be dissolved into a generic story of ‘women of colour in sport’ if that phrase obscures the particular workings of anti-Blackness within the WSL. Black female footballers are so often the target of racial violence and discrimination, especially where the language of aggression and physicality is concerned.

Racial abuse is becoming commonplace in a game deemed progressive and welcoming. Media platforms need to challenge the narratives, not reproduce them for engagement. It feels so obvious to say, but white women in women’s football have a duty to create a positive space for women of colour. The women’s game is on the back foot compared to the men’s, but it is in an early enough position of growth to rectify the same institutional errors.

Pressing is arguably one of the most important facets of today’s game. It is a way to keep the opposition as far away from your goal as possible, control the game offensively and defensively, regain possession and create chances. It is an ever-changing game of cat and mouse, as teams are always looking for new ways to press and simultaneously looking for ways to play through that press. Before we look at how teams have played through the press, we have to talk about how teams press in the WSL in general.

Most teams look to start in a high block; Manchester United, for example, set up in a 4–4–2 diamond shape. It is prominent these days, with Manchester City, Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa all having used it at various points in the season.

The aim is to either force play long, so defenders can contest the ball with attackers (teams will look to have at least one more defender than the opposition has attackers), or wide, where the pressing team locks on player-to-player.

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England made sure they finished the April international window top of their World Cup qualifying group after a very tense 1-0 win against Iceland in Reykjavík.

The Lionesses were up against it for much of the second half but secured the victory thanks to an Alessia Russo goal in the 21st minute.

Hannah Hampton can take credit for rescuing England in several key moments in the last 15 minutes of the game. The England keeper stepped up to stop Iceland from close range, saving with her feet on multiple occasions.

It wasn’t faultless from the England keeper, there were some nervous moments too. She nearly allowed Sandra Jessen to score in the dying minutes after a rare moment of hesitation. Hampton came out of her goal to try and close down the Iceland striker, but the forward easily tapped it around the keeper, who got away with it after Jessen ended up on a tight angle and wasn’t able to find the equaliser.

Hampton had another shaky moment when she spilled a shot from distance and somehow collected the ball in just enough time to stop Sveindis Jonsdottir from tapping in the rebound.

Russo praised her goalkeeper’s performance, telling ITV after the game: “She [Hampton] was amazing. I just spoke out there about big moments keeping us in it and she showed up three or four times to keep that clean sheet and keep the three points.

“It was massive and sometimes you need someone to step up like that”.

This performance contained all Hampton’s multitudes: brilliant individual shot-stopping moments as well as potentially costly errors.

The 25-year-old has had a difficult season, missing a chunk of the campaign through injury and generally struggling to return to the sort of form we saw from her during Euro 2025.

She joked to ITV after the game that it was her “job” to rise to the occasion and pull of big saves for her team.

However, Saturday’s performance was a reminder of Hampton’s talent for brave goalkeeping. She is a player who is willing to take risks, can read the game exceptionally well and without her England would have likely drawn or even lost this fixture.

Sarina Wiegman’s bigger concern will be England's lack of control in the second half.

The Lionesses had over 70% possession in the first half, but that dominance dropped in the second period, as possession fell to 65%, but on the pitch, England struggled to manage the rhythm of the game.

Wiegman’s typically reliable midfield of Walsh and Stanway struggled to gain control of a choppy and messy second half. Every spilled pass or heavy touch was pounced on by Iceland, who more than deserved an equaliser for all their second-half efforts. They also hit the woodwork on two occasions.

England were forced deeper into their own half as Iceland's pressure grew, which prevented the usually aggressive Lucy Bronze at right-back from bombing up the channel and providing an outlet for England’s attack.

The Lionesses created very little outside of Russo’s brilliant finish, her 30th in an England shirt, and that will be cause for concern for the European champions.

Plenty of attacking moves resulted in a shot snatched or sent over the bar. In total, England chalked up 11 shots with just four on target, one fewer than Iceland. Three of England’s attempts were hopeful shots outside the box.

Perhaps it’s unsurprising that England delivered a lacklustre second half after the intensity and discipline of Tuesday night’s 1-0 victory over Spain.

This international window has also fallen in the most critical point of the players’ domestic seasons. Arsenal are just days away from their Champions League semi-final against Lyon, so you’d be forgiven for thinking this game is less than ideal for many.

The most important thing is that England got the job done. They are four from four in World Cup qualifying and sit three points clear of Spain heading into a rematch in Mallorca on 5 June.

Emma Hayes couldn’t stop raving about how excellent the USWNT’s training sessions had been all week in the lead up to playing Japan.

The USWNT boss said she watched her squad raise their level through competitive, fast-paced practices. According to her, they had improved tremendously from when they won gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In a trio of matches against Japan over the past seven days, the USWNT showed that progress, winning two of the games against their in-form opponent. Hayes rolled out an “A” Team for the first and third matches, which they won, while she rotated her squad in the second contest, which they lost.

Japan arrived to this series after winning the Asian Cup, outclassing their opponents with a combined score of 29-1 across the tournament. But the USWNT dismantled them in the final fixture winning 3-0.

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When England beat Spain 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in February last year, Sarina Wiegman took the opportunity to coin the term “Proper England” after the match. On that night, England showed all the hallmarks English footballers are typically typecast with – grit, passion and determination – as they held on to a first-half lead to secure a win that laid the foundations for their Euro 2025 final triumph.

On Tuesday night, it was a similar story. Once again, England took a first-half lead – this time as early as the third minute, after Lauren Hemp poked home a loose ball in the box following a brilliant piece of improvisation from Alessia Russo. Over the remaining 87 minutes, England were largely able to keep their Spanish counterparts at arm’s length. Across the 90 minutes, England had less than 40% possession and, while Wiegman said afterwards that she would have preferred to see her side do more with the ball, this match was further proof that using possession efficiently and effectively trumps the sterile domination Spain displayed.

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There would be no score to settle for Spain. In the first meeting between England and Spain since the Euro 2025 final, the Lionesses came away 1-0 winners at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday night.

The win keeps England top of their qualifying group for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with a perfect three wins from three, and nine points. Crucially, England are now three points ahead of their Spanish rivals.

The Lionesses scored with their first chance of the match in the third minute. After Spain failed to clear the initial corner kick by Alex Greenwood, Alessia Russo got creative by hooking the ball up to Lauren Hemp after falling onto the Wembley grass. Hemp, inspired by Russo’s ingenuity, swivelled and struck the ball on the spin in mid-air. Neither goalkeeper Cata Coll nor Alexia Putellas could do enough to prevent the ball from squeaking over the line.

After thunderous fireworks and nerves ahead of a big night for England, the 62,306 at Wembley quickly relaxed into the game. The early lead allowed confidence to bristle from England and their fans.

Quickly, the match assumed a somewhat predictable rhythm. Spain had the ball, and England closed down the space. The hosts were calm and composed with their task at hand.

Spain probed and probed, but the best of their first half chances came in the shape of Ona Batlle blasting over from the centre of the box and Patri Guijarro stabbing a shot at the near post into the hands of Hannah Hampton.

Despite long spells parked in their own half, England had the best chance of the first half and could have made it 2-0 when Hemp hit the post after a stunning end-to-end nine-pass counter attack started by Lauren James intercepting a pass on the edge of her own box.

After half-time, Spain continued to turn the screw. After 45 minutes of near-perfect defensive work, the gaps in England’s lines did start to appear. The visitors smashed the woodwork twice between the 51st and 57th minutes. First, Olga Carmona’s shot slammed down off the crossbar and just the wrong side of the line. Then, Vicky Lopez saw her curling effort kiss the outside of the post with Hampton beaten.

Hampton would be called upon one final time, dramatically parrying away a header from Edna Imade in the 90th minute to help England cling on and secure the impressive 1-0 win.

What defined England’s night

Bodies in the box, compact lines. You know what you’re going to get when you face off against Spain. And, to the Lionesses’ credit, this was a dogged display where every player knew their role.

England had just 37% of the ball but looked unfazed out of possession. England manager Sarina Wiegman’s decision to start a midfield three of Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Lucia Kendall worked a treat. The trio pressed as a unit to disrupt Spain’s rhythm and dropped into place when needed to provide a wall for Spain to try and pass or shoot around.

So much of England’s best defensive work, breaking up the play, came from the midfield, or Kendall stepping up, as well as Lauren James on the left wing.

Extra credit needs to go to England for defending cleanly, they only gave away six fouls despite having just 37% possession and defending for 86 mins.

While James and Kendall were both subbed off, in the 72nd and 81st minutes respectively, Wiegman stuck with her goalkeeper, back four and two deepest midfielders to dig in and get the job done.

Wiegman praised how England managed to execute the game plan, saying after the game: “I think the game plan worked in both halves, although we would love to have the ball a little bit longer in moments and press a bit higher in moments. I thought we made them uncomfortable”

“Against Spain you need to defend as a team really well…I think at moments, we tried not to step in and not let them drag us out of position, let them make mistakes and frustrate them.

“As a team we really fought today. We’re always ready to fight, but this demanded something different from us than we have recently shown and we did that really well.”

What defined Spain’s night

Rattled woodwork, an anonymous Alexia. Spain needed more verve, tempo and penetration to try and wear England’s defence down. Especially during the first half, the Lionesses looked comfortable shuttling their shape as Spain moved the ball and withstanding a soft press when possession briefly changed hands.

There’s certainly an argument to be made that Spain did do enough in the second half to get on the scoreboard. Spain were inches away from scoring shortly after the interval and that could have changed the game.

Putellas could also be accused of failing to command on a night when Spain needed her to take centre stage. The Barcelona star was the least threatening of Spain’s midfield stars, alongside Guijarro and Caldentey. When Guijarro came off injured in the 81st minute, it felt like the wind left Spain’s sales.

Something you might have missed

Deja vu? The game flow on Tuesday night at Wembley was very reminiscent of the last time these two nations met at the very same venue 14 months ago, in the 2025 Uefa Women’s Nations League match. That night, Jess Park scored the only goal of the game in the 33rd minute as England also won 1-0.

Comparing the statistics between the two 1-0 Wembley wins over Spain, England had less possession this time around, with 37% compared to 41%. Similarly, they endured 18 total shots, compared to 15 shots 14 months ago.

With England scoring so early, this was, arguably, an even greater defensive performance, as the Lionesses held off Spain for 87 minutes.

England blocked seven of Spain’s 18 total shots at Wembley on Tuesday night. That number is up from three in that last 1-0 win. Truly a night for bodies on the line.

What next?

England will head to Iceland to close out this Fifa window with their fourth match of World Cup qualifying in Reykjavík on 18 April. That same day, Spain will host Ukraine in the other meeting in the group.

Revenge for Spain against England will have to wait until these two sides meet again in the reverse fixture on 5 June.

England-Spain is a fixture women’s football has seen almost too many times in recent years.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup final, last summer’s Euro 2025 final, and in the Uefa Nations League, England have faced their European rivals in games across three consecutive years. Those matches have all delivered drama in their own right, with penalty shootouts, narrow victories, and plenty of bite.

This is a game that gets fans excited, with over 70,000 tickets sold for Tuesday night’s clash at Wembley. When it comes to drawing up matches for the neutral, there’s nothing better than two of the best teams in the world meeting for a competitive clash.

This fixture also gets the media energised. Given the likelihood of these two meeting in a major final at some point again in the next few editions of any World Cup or Euros, any game they play allows us to draw widely over-the-top conclusions about both teams.

England’s 1-0 win over Spain in February last year, almost served as the blueprint for how England navigated the Euro 2025 final. While Spain’s 2-1 victory in June 2025 was more of a cautionary tale about the way they can punish any team in a flash, primarily through the sheer quality of Claudia Pina.

Lotte Wubben-Moy summed up the status of this fixture perfectly when she referenced the “talent”, “weight” and “competition” that an England-Spain match-up presents.

However, this latest edition, which comes in 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying, has taken on its own identity.

Not only does this game serve as one of two straight shootouts for World Cup qualification - as only the winner of this group will automatically qualify for the tournament in Brazil - it could feature some more unfamiliar names on both sides.

Spain head into this game without Ballon D’or holder Aitana Bonmati, who fractured her left fibula in November last year. The midfielder is aiming to work her way back to full fitness in time for Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.

Barcelona defender/midfielder Laia Aleixandri is also a long-term absence after tearing her ACL in February.

Spain manager Sonia Bermúdez still has plenty of midfield depth with Mariona Caldentey, Clara Serrajordi, Alexia Putellas and Patri Guijarro all included in the squad for this international window.

Spain are very much in cycle reset mode, having recovered from the heartbreak of the penalty shootout loss to England in the Euro 2025 final by beating Germany to claim a second Uefa Nations League title. That victory was the first significant moment for Bermúdez, who replaced Montse Tomé in August.

Bermúdez’s appointment continues Spain’s run of promoting coaches internally into the head coaching role. She had been leading Spain’s Under-23s until Tomé departed after the Euro 2025 final.

In her pre-match press conference on Monday, Wiegman acknowledge that Spain’s “DNA” has remained the same despite the change of coach.

“They really want to have the ball, they play very dynamically and they really want to go forward. Whether that’s in possession or out of possession. I don’t think that’s going to change because that’s in their DNA.”

For Spain, this Wembley encounter is not just about stamping authority on this World Cup qualifying group; they need to claim some revenge after a Euro 2025 final which they firmly believe they didn’t deserve to lose.

Sarina Wiegman’s side have a similar objective when it comes to World Cup qualifying, but this cycle almost feels like more of a “try before you buy” moment for the Lionesses.

Since the end of last year, Wiegman has called up several uncapped players into England’s senior squad. Lucia Kendall, Freya Godfrey and Katie Reid - who unfortunately tore her ACL in November - have all joined Michelle Agyemang in making the recent step up into England’s top group.

This camp, Wiegman made even more of a statement with the call up of 17-year-old Erica Meg Parkinson. The young midfielder has been catching plenty of attention in the Portuguese top tier and had only just stepped up into England’s Under-23s in November.

Parkinson’s inclusion is much more of a chemistry test than an expectation of minutes. History tells us Wiegman often doesn’t give England’s next generation minutes instantly. Instead, they have to sometimes wait patiently to get on the pitch, albeit Lucia Kendall broke the mould when she started against Australia during her first England senior camp. But what these recent call-ups reveal is who Wiegman thinks may be able to make the step up with just over a year to go until the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

England have an ageing starting line-up with many of the squad heading into what will be their last World Cup. Lucy Bronze leads the list at 34, but Alex Greenwood (32), Leah Williamson (29) and Keira Walsh (29), Chloe Kelly (28), could all realistically have called time on their international careers before the 2031 World Cup comes around.

Wiegman also needs to ensure she beds in the younger squad players who are no longer just the “kids” but are in their 20s and struggling to claim a regular spot in the England starting line-up.

Much of that is down to a gap in quality. Bronze is still England’s best right back and the same can be said for many of England’s most experienced names.

Wubben-Moy is someone who has been looked to as a regular deputy for Williamson, but in the midst of a good season for Arsenal, could be trying to stake a claim for something more consistent, especially given the England captain’s ongoing injury issues. Williamson is part of this latest England squad but she hasn’t featured for Arsenal since the middle of March. Wiegman said on Monday that the England captain’s inclusion at Wembley was a “question mark".

In Monday’s pre-match press conference, Wiegman also highlighted how much her squad are “developing” and “improving” at the moment.

Speaking alongside Wiegman on Monday was Walsh, who is set to make her 100th appearance for England if she features at Wembley.

The England coach praised her “vision” and “talent” ahead of a huge milestone. Walsh has personified England’s ability to match Spain on the ball, something very few sides are able to achieve.

Wiegman will want to give England the advantage in this World Cup-qualifying chase and therefore her strongest team available will be starting. It’s not a time for experimentation. However, the new names that we see in and around this England squad are ones for the future.

With absences and new dynamics playing out across both teams, it’s hard to know what version of England-Spain we’ll get on Tuesday night at Wembley. What is clear is that this rivalry will continue to deliver.

Fuka Nagano is a player who doesn’t gather lots of attention.

In a Japan side stacked with big Women’s Super League names, the Liverpool midfielder has become the quiet core of the team.

She recently helped steer her country to a third Asian Cup title in Australia, starting four of Japan’s six games in the tournament. This month, she’s part of a Japan squad taking on the US in three friendlies.

Operating at the base of Liverpool’s midfield, Nagano is not the type of player who dominates matches through spectacular moments. Her influence instead comes from quicker, subtler actions, offering passing lanes, circulating the ball efficiently and anticipating defensive situations before they fully develop. As she grew into a new role, going from playing in a double pivot to being a lone No 6 in a three-player midfield, those qualities started to play a more visible role in Liverpool’s ability to control phases of the game.

Liverpool’s season has been shaped by a search for balance, especially in midfield. Injuries and constant adjustments early in the campaign often forced the team to reshuffle its central unit, making it difficult to establish clear roles and consistent connections in possession. One player, has always been a nailed on starter and has quietly grown into a reference point: Fuka Nagano.

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Since Emma Hayes arrived as US boss in 2024, she has experimented heavily with rosters, bringing in uncapped players into nearly every camp.

But as the November World Cup qualifiers come into focus, that phase appears to have concluded for now. Set to face Japan in three April friendlies, starting Saturday, the USWNT squad features zero uncapped players for the second straight window and just the second time under Hayes.

Japan enter this trio of fixtures coming off a dominant run to win the Asian Cup, in which they outscored opponents 29-1, including a 1-0 victory over host country Australia in the final. But just 12 days later, they parted ways with coach Nils Nielsen, declining to extend his expired contract, so Michihisa Kano will serve as Japan’s interim coach against the US.

“Playing the same country three times in a row, and especially a team that is as dedicated to their style as Japan, will be a massive test for our team,” Hayes said in her pre-match media, “and I’m looking forward to seeing how our team handles the numerous challenges these games will present.”

The USWNT has historically dominated Japan, with a 32-2-8 record. But the two sides have met in numerous consequential matches, including the 2011 and 2015 World Cup finals, which they split. Last year, Japan took home the 2025 SheBelieves Cup crown with a 2-1 victory over the USWNT, securing just its second outright win ever against them.

Japan have already qualified for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, doing so with a 7-0 victory over the Philippines in the Asian Cup quarter-finals. They rank eighth in the Fifa’s world rankings, compared with the US who sit in second.

The games will take place on Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday 14 April at Lumen Field in Seattle, and 17 April at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.

US Women’s National Team roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)

DEFENDERS (9): Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC; 67/3), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Naomi Girma (Chelsea), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Emily Sams (Angel City), Emily Sonnett (Gotham), Gisele Thompson (Angel City), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Sam Coffey (Manchester City), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton (Bay), Rose Lavelle (Gotham), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes)

FORWARDS (7): Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns)

Sophia Wilson and Tierna Davison return as Rudd’s excluded

Forward Sophia Wilson and centre back Tierna Davidson have both returned to national team camp after prolonged absences.

Wilson last featured for the USWNT in October 2024 before going on maternity leave, while Davidson previously featured last March and is coming back from an ACL injury.

The 25-year-old Wilson scored three goals during the USWNT’s 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal run, becoming a mainstay in the ‘Triple Espresso’ frontline that also includes Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson. While Hayes included both Wilson and Rodman on the April roster, Swanson remains on maternity leave after the birth of her first child in November 2025.

Wilson, who recorded 18 goal contributions in 20 games in the NWSL in 2024, has yet to find the back of the net for the Portland Thorns this season. However, she has built up her minutes across the first five matches of 2026. Last weekend, the 25-year-old played her first full 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw against the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, creating two chances and putting one shot on target.

San Diego Wave’s Catarina Macario has often played as a No 9 in Wilson’s absence, and Utah Royals’ Ally Sentnor assumed that spot during the 2026 SheBelieves Cup, while Macario dealt — and still deals with — a heel injury.

It’s difficult to predict which No 9 will start on the 2027 World Cup roster, with lots of time for the team landscape to change, but the April camp is an opportunity for Wilson to re-acclimate to the USWNT environment and rebuild on-field relationships with the squad.

Davidson, who started in the 2024 gold medal match, has been slowly building minutes since returning to Gotham’s lineup on 21 March. She has played 114 minutes in four appearances this season, reaching a season-high 43 minutes in a 2-1 defeat to the Kansas City Current on Saturday.

As Davidson re-integrates into the squad, Washington Spirit defender Tara Rudd’s exclusion from the roster - despite being a regular since receiving her first call-up in 2024 - was notable.

Rudd has seemingly been jumped, at least for now, by other defenders in a competitive group that includes Chelsea’s Naomi Girma, Gotham’s Emily Sonnett, Wave’s Kennedy Wesley, Angel City’s Emily Sams and Davidson.

“As our team continues to evolve, it will be great to welcome back Sophia and Tierna, who are not only great players but also contribute positively to our team environment,” Hayes said on the defensive decisions.

Campbell has chance to demonstrate form despite ageing national team window

The Houston Dash appear much improved since finishing 10th in the NWSL last season, sitting fifth after four games so far this season.

A large part of their success has been the form of goalkeeper Jane Campbell, who ranks third in goals prevented among NWSL goalkeepers this season (FotMob).

When Hayes selected the roster, the Dash’s wild 4-3 victory over Racing Louisville had yet to occur, a blip on Campbell’s resume, even though two of Racing’s goals came from the spot. But Campbell’s body of work remains strong as the Dash started the season with clean sheet victories over the Wave and expansion-side Boston Legacy, contests in which Campbell made 11 saves.

Manchester United’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Seattle Reign’s Claudia Dickey appear to be locks for Hayes squad at the goalkeeper position. But with Utah Royals’ Mandy McGlynn unavailable with a finger injury, Hayes has provided Campbell with a chance to prove her form, notably not selecting for a younger talent like Bay FC’s Jordan Silkowitz, whom she has turned to in the past.

“Last year, I think there were a lot of ups and downs,” Dash coach Fabrice Gautrat said after the Wave match. “For her to start the season the way she has, it’s huge and we need her. I’m most pleased with how much she’s grown and how she not only leads by example, but she’s really a bridge between staff and team.”

How formidable will Japan be with an interim manager?

The timing of Japan’s decision not to offer Nielsen a new contract is curious following the team’s victory at the Asian Cup last month. But according to Japan Today, his contract had expired and the national team director Norio Sasaki called him “lax,” saying Japan would not be able to win the World Cup under his charge.

It’s unlikely Japan will change much tactically under the interim coach Kano, but Nielsen’s departure could be a blow nonetheless for the visiting side during this window. Kano has served as the country’s U-20 coach, leading the team to a second-place finish at the 2024 U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Japan’s success, employing their quick, technical and tenacious style, is often driven by their talented midfield, which includes Manchester City’s Yui Hasegawa. But after their triumph at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, they later suffered losses to Brazil, Spain and Norway during a six-game winless stretch.

An in-form Japan side could be filled with confidence after their Asian Cup victory, and they shape up to be a formidable foe for the USWNT.

“Japan is undoubtedly one of the top teams in the world,” Hayes said, “and they are performing at a very high level coming off their Asian Cup title, which was impressive to watch.”

After two consecutive 5-2 defeats to "big four" clubs and with a game against Manchester United coming up in the next few weeks, is Spurs' exciting new season beginning to crumble?

The loss away to Manchester City was bad, but for Spurs supporters inured to successive seasons of heavy away losses – and four Bunny Shaw hat-tricks in four seasons – it was far from a surprise. Conceding five to Arsenal was worse. They may not (yet) be footballing rivals in the women's game, but no Spurs supporter enjoys a big loss in the north London derby.

Signs of progress

Irrespective of how frustrating it is to watch, there were, however, signs of progress both in terms of the eye test and if we look at the numbers.

First, Spurs now have players who have the ball skills to dribble at and past opponents and threaten the goal. Most obviously Signe Gaupset, who was close to scoring after a solo marauding run against Arsenal when the game was at 4-2, and Olivia Holdt, who did score against City to equalise at 1-1. For anyone who has watched Spurs' games against City and Arsenal over the years it is novel to watch a game in which Spurs have competed for, won, and held onto the ball as effectively as they did – at least in the second halves of these games.

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Welcome to the latest edition of The Cutback’s Business of Women’s Football Insider newsletter.

This is where we fill you in on all the big deals and headline moments from the previous month, including media rights, sponsorship and more.

In this month’s issue: Summit break records, UWCL marketing issues, a new Mercury13 club and NWSL expansion

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1. NWSL attendance record smashed at Summit’s home opener

Matchday attendance could be the most important business metric in women’s club football right now.Broadcast rights deals in women’s football offer cents on the dollar compared to the men’s game and are locked in for years, making short-term revenue growth almost impossible unless additional deals are struck.

Sponsorship is often measured as by far the most important revenue stream for clubs in Europe, but as long as revenue is allocated from club-wide sponsorship deals, nobody will ever really know how much these clubs would earn as independent organisations.

Matchday attendance and revenue is the single biggest growth opportunity for most women’s football clubs, as well as being the purest measure of a club’s commercial success and potential. If a club or competition is drawing fans to leave their house and spend money, they’re almost certainly drawing more television viewers, more eyeballs on socials, and thus more sponsorship cash.

That’s why the home attendances for the NWSL’s two expansion teams – the Denver Summit and Boston Legacy – are massively encouraging for the league. The Denver Summit smashed the league’s attendance record at their first home game on March 27 by drawing over 63,000 fans to Empower Field, while the Boston Legacy drew over 30,000 to Gillette Stadium for their home opener on 14 March.

The Summit and Legacy have likely set high watermarks for their seasons, given these games were high-profile events played at their cities’ respective NFL stadiums.

The Summit will play games at the wonderfully-named Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, which usually hosts the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, before moving to the 12,000-seater Centennial Stadium in July. The Legacy will play a total of six home fixtures at Gillette Stadium before a summer run at Centreville Bank Stadium, home to the United Soccer League’s Rhode Island FC.

The Legacy’s second home game at Gillette Stadium pulled in just over 10,000 fans – an amount that would fill their White Park stadium that will be in use from the 2027 season onwards.

If the Summit and Legacy can average anywhere close to 10,000 fans over the course of their first NWSL seasons, it would immediately put them at the league average. That, more than any sponsorship allocation or broadcast rights allocation, will prove the Summit and Legacy are viable sports businesses.

2. Does the UWCL have a marketing problem in England?

Alarm bells should be ringing at Uefa about the fact their premium women’s club competition isn’t cutting through in England.

Attendance figures did not look good for the first leg of the quarter-finals compared to WSL fixtures. Arsenal drew 18,087 for their Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Chelsea at the Emirates on 24 March. Three days later, they attracted 46,123 fans for the north London derby against Tottenham in the WSL.

Likewise, Manchester United drew 7,513 for their quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on 25 March, only to attract 24,983 fans for the WSL Manchester derby at Old Trafford on the following Saturday.

A couple of things went in favour of those WSL games. Both were played during a men’s international break, which always helps boost attendances and viewing figures. The games were also played during the day on weekends, which helps attract families with young kids.

However, neither of those mitigating factors should entirely save Uefa’s blushes. There are no circumstances in which anyone should be happy with Manchester United playing a Champions League quarter-final at Old Trafford that draws just a third of the following weekend’s crowd.

Luckily for Uefa, the problem is largely confined to England. Bayern Munich broke their attendance record for the second leg against United as 25,000 fans attended the Allianz Arena to see their side go through to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s home leg against Real Madrid drew over 60,000 fans at the Camp Nou, the highest attendance at the stadium for a men's or women’s game since it reopened in November.

Much of this has to do with Uefa’s choice of broadcast partners – previously DAZN and now Disney+. DAZN enjoyed widespread distribution in Spain and Germany as it has been a primary broadcaster for LaLiga and the Bundesliga over the past several years. In the UK, however, it has been little more than a niche boxing streaming service.

Now, with Disney+ showing the majority of matches, the UWCL continues to be hidden from UK audiences aside from the hardest of the hardcore that have subscribed specifically for the competition.

A free-to-air window each matchweek seems to be doing very little to help the UWCL’s case and, likely due to poor viewing figures, UWCL matches have been finding their way onto YouTube in a bid to get more exposure for the competition.

Fans have also seen billboard advertisements pop up around grounds that hosted quarter-final fixtures, a move that feels a little bit too little too late. Not only did the ads target fans that were already going to the match and not watching at home, but they’ve arrived when the competition is at its halfway point. This has also been followed with the first digital ads that Disney have delivered with tie-ins across Stick to Football and other podcasts on social media.

It’s too late to change things for this season, but Uefa needs to figure out how to get these matches in front of English audiences. At present, the UWCL looks to be an afterthought for the majority of match-going fans.

3. Mercury13 moves into Spain with Badalona Women deal

Mercury13’s majority investment in FC Badalona Women showed the group is still in motion after the departure of co-founder Victoire Cogevina Reynal.

The multi-club ownership group bought a controlling stake in FC Badalona, taking its multi-club network into Spain after earlier moves into Italy’s FC Como Women and England’s Bristol City. Badalona is a women’s only football club that was formally reorganised into a public sports company last year after attempting to relocate. Disputes with local municipalities over stadium lease agreements led to the club playing the 2025-26 season 100km away on the Costa Brava.

Mercury13’s announcement on March 10 said that these issues were now settled and that the club would move into the Estadi Municipal de Badalona from the 2026-27 season after renovation works are completed. Ticketing and events portal Fever will become the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor, with Nike acting as kit supplier.

Mercury13 also said former Fifa and Olympique de Marseille executive Pedro Iriondo would join as chief executive of the club, while Lauren Holiday, now chairwoman of Mercury13, would join the board.

4. NWSL expansion process rumbles on towards 18th team

The NWSL’s expansion process gathered pace in March with an announcement that the league expects to reveal its 18th team this year, with a 2028 launch date. League commissioner Jessica Berman said that “a dozen or so” ownership groups were in talks over investing in a new franchise. The Associated Press reported the same week that the league plans to award the franchise this year, with the 2028 launch aligned to the beginning of its next domestic media rights deal.

The team is likely to land somewhere in Ohio, with Sports Business Journal’s report on 27 March detailing a bid to place the franchise in Columbus. The proposed Columbus group is led by Haslam Sports Group, owners of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew. The bid proposes that the team would place at a ‘soccer-specific stadium’, with a training facility at McCoy Park.

The bid also seeks around $50 million in taxpayer money for that facility, as is tradition for billionaire sports team owners in the US.

5. TransferRoom launches women’s marketplace

TransferRoom, a football player-trading marketplace used by smaller clubs and agents, launched a women’s football edition in March.

Sports Business Journal reported that the platform had signed about 50 clubs worldwide within its first 20 days and had already landed its first league-wide agreement with the USL Super League. Clubs signed up to the platform can access squad lists with contract information and projected transfer valuations, and can also make players available for loan or permanent transfer via the platform. SBJ also reported that agencies were due to be added in April.

TransferRoom’s growth in men’s football has largely taken place at lower levels of the game or in more obscure leagues and markets where communication and information is scarce. Women’s football is similar to lower-league men’s football in many ways, with fewer specialised staff and weaker inter-club networks.

The early club sign-up figure suggests there is early demand for a more formalised player marketplace, especially in smaller nations and at lower levels. Just don’t expect NWSL and WSL clubs to flood the platform.

The FA Cup campaign this season hasn’t provided many major upsets, but Brighton’s win over Arsenal was definitely the biggest shock so far.

Fresh off progressing to the Champions League semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate win over Chelsea, it seemed a simple task on paper for Arsenal to beat Brighton at Meadow Park.

However, Brighton, who are currently sixth in the WSL table, immediately put pressure on the Gunners, and their high press disrupted Arsenal’s attack. The score was goalless at halftime, but switching from a back five to a back four in the second half allowed Brighton to move higher up the pitch, and Madison Haley and Caitlin Hayes took the chances that came their way.

It was sluggish performance from a much-changed Arsenal team following the midweek Champions League game. The result means Arsenal’s wait for a 15th FA Cup trophy continues. The Gunners haven’t reached the semi-finals since 2022 and their last win came back in 2016.

Brighton’s results this season have been inconsistent, but the squad produced a fantastic performance at a crucial moment. Now they’re dreaming of a first FA Cup final at Wembley, but first they need to get past Liverpool in the semi-final.

Teenage heroics

Two teenagers delivered when it mattered most in the quarter-finals: 18-year-old Zara Shaw for Liverpool and 19-year-old Veerle Buurman for Chelsea.

Liverpool-Charlton was goalless for 115 minutes, but Shaw was the one to break the deadlock.

Her goal came from a scrappy finish from a corner kick but it was enough to send Liverpool through to the semi-finals. It was Shaw’s first appearance in 414 days since suffering a second ACL injury of her career.

Coming on in extra time and scoring the winner was a special moment for Shaw. she told TNT Sports after the game: “For those who have been close to me over the past few seasons, it has been really tough. I've gone through things that I didn't think I would ever have to go through, not once but twice. This makes it all worth it, this is why you go through the hard times.”

In Chelsea’s clash against Spurs, they were looking for a late winner to avoid going into extra time at 1-1 and despite the Blues having many forwards with the ability to score goals in pressure moments, it was a young defender who stepped up. Buurman, who has had excellent performances and has shown maturity all season, got her first goal in a Chelsea shirt in the 85th minute from the edge of the area.

Manchester City see it through

Manchester City secured a 1-0 victory over Birmingham City to advance to the semi-finals, but the lack of goals was unusual for a team that has so dominant in the WSL this season.

The match was a tight contest between the current leaders of the WSL and WSL2, and overall, City lacked the clinical edge in the final third, a sentence that has rarely been said this season given the 54 goals they’ve scored across 19 league games.

Bunny Shaw’s goal in the eighth minute was enough to see City through. Despite controlling possession and creating plenty of opportunities, only four of City’s 15 shots were on target. Man City’s set pieces have been a key asset this season , but they struggled in this match and were unable to convert any of their five corners into goals. Birmingham’s keeper Lucy Thomas made some important saves to prevent the scoreline from being greater, but her team also did not find a way to break through and level the score.

The magic of the FA Cup is that it allows lower teams to prove themselves on bigger stages, and Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic, who are first and second in WSL, respectively, have demonstrated that they are more than capable of competing against the top teams. As it stands, both sides will be promoted from WSL2 as the WSL expands to 14 teams next season, but the title race hasn’t been decided yet. The two teams will face off on the final day of the season on 2 May.

The FA Cup semi-finals line up is set as Chelsea taken on Manchester City and Liverpool host Brighton will take place on 9 and 10 May.