England successfully defended their title, despite coming close to elimination several times during the knockout stages. It was, however, just one of many defining stories of the year.
Bigger stadiums, bigger audiences
As women’s football grows, so does investment. One of the clearest indicators has been the increasing use of major stadiums, particularly in England. Arsenal have led the way, regularly staging women’s home matches at the Emirates Stadium, alongside the men’s team.
At the start of the season, Chelsea announced that its women’s side - champions of the Women’s Super League for six consecutive seasons - would play four home matches at Stamford Bridge over the course of the WSL season, whilst still playing most home games at Kingsmeadow Stadium.
While Chelsea and Arsenal are among the country’s biggest clubs, a significant shift came when Everton, a mid-table side in the women’s league, made a similar move. The trend has not been confined to England. In Germany, Bayern Munich opened the season at the Allianz Arena, drawing a crowd of 57,000 and setting a new Frauen-Bundesliga attendance record.
Transfer records rewritten
Rising investment has also been reflected in the transfer market. In 2025, the record fee for a women’s player was broken several times. Chelsea were the first to push the bar higher, having previously set a record in 2020 by signing Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg for £300,000.
Five years later, the next milestone arrived. Chelsea paid one million dollars for American defender Naomi Girma, an Olympic champion widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the world. Emma Hayes, Chelsea’s former manager and now head coach of the United States national team, described Girma as the best defender she had ever seen.
Arsenal responded differently. Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey arrived as free agents, while England forward Chloe Kelly joined permanently after a loan spell from Manchester City. Following their Champions League success, Arsenal then made a statement signing, paying Liverpool £1m for Canadian forward Olivia Smith - briefly setting a new record.
That record did not stand for long. In the United States, Orlando Pride signed Mexican winger Lizbeth Ovalle for $1.5m.
The summer ended with another surprise. London City Lionesses, owned by Michelle Kang and preparing for their first season in the Women’s Super League, invested heavily. Signings included Danielle van de Donk from Lyon and Alanna Kennedy from Angel City, but the most striking move was the capture of PSG captain Grace Geyoro for $1.6m, once again redefining the market.
Arsenal’s European fairy tale
Arsenal’s Champions League campaign delivered one of the standout stories of the season. In the final, they defeated Barcelona 1–0, ending the Spanish side’s dominance and returning the trophy to England for the first time since 2007. Arsenal remain the only English club to have won the competition.
Few had expected them to go all the way. Barcelona reached the final with ease and were chasing a third consecutive title, while Arsenal’s own path to Lisbon had been far from straightforward.
They survived multiple scares in the knockout rounds. A 2–0 defeat away to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals was overturned by a 3–0 home win. The semi-final followed a similar pattern, as Arsenal recovered from a home loss to Lyon by producing a decisive performance in France.
The final took place in Lisbon on 24 May. Barcelona arrived as domestic champions, while Arsenal came off league defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton. Under head coach Renee Slegers, however, Arsenal imposed themselves early. After a goalless first half, substitute Stina Blackstenius scored the decisive goal in the 74th minute.
Celebrations followed at full-time. For vice-captain Leah Williamson, the moment was especially significant. She joined Arsenal at the age of nine and had watched the 2007 triumph as a child mascot. In 2025, she captained the side and was named Player of the Match.
Follow the 2025/26 Women's Champions League here.
England defend their crown
England’s European title defence was built on resilience. During the knockout stage, the Lionesses did not lead for a single minute in regulation time. Yet they still became only the second team, after Germany, to retain the European Championship.
The success came under manager Sarina Wiegman, who claimed her third consecutive European title, having previously won with the Netherlands in 2017 and England in 2022.
The final against Spain was finely balanced. After a 1–1 draw over 120 minutes, England prevailed on penalties, with Chloe Kelly converting the decisive kick. Earlier in the tournament, Kelly had also scored the extra-time winner against Italy in the semi-finals.
England began the tournament without the status of clear favourites. Spain, the reigning world champions, were widely tipped to win, while England were missing several key players, including Mary Earps, Fran Kirby and Millie Bright. An opening defeat to France only deepened doubts.
Those doubts faded as the tournament progressed. England recorded emphatic wins over the Netherlands and Wales in the group stage before showing their trademark resilience in the knockout rounds. In the final, goalkeeper Hannah Hampton played a crucial role in the shootout victory.
The Lionesses’ triumph underlined a recurring theme of the year: success in women’s football is increasingly shaped not just by talent, but by depth, belief and the ability to endure under pressure.
