Best player
There is little question that Khadija “Bunny” Shaw is the best striker in the world right now. The Jamaica international capped off her league campaign in style with a double against West Ham, bringing her tally to 21. In doing so, she became the first player in WSL history to score over 20 goals in three different seasons. Sophie Downey
Streets ahead of the rest of the field with 21 goals in 22 games, the answer has to be Khadija Shaw. Kerstin Casparij and Yui Hasegawa were also standouts in Manchester City’s title-winning season but Shaw has been the difference-maker where it matters most: in front of goal. She has deservedly won the Golden Boot for a phenomenal third consecutive year. Tom Garry
Khadija Shaw. Can it be anyone else? A third successive Golden Boot, 21 goals in the league alone this season, and now a WSL champion. It will be a monumental loss for City if she leaves on a free transfer this summer. Emillia Hawkins
Khadija Shaw. After breaking the hoodoo of injury-laden seasons in the past two campaigns, which saw City’s place in the title race slip away, Shaw finally had the stars align for her. She was a habitual force to be reckoned with, earning a third consecutive Golden Boot award and finally the trophy that had eluded the club for 10 years. Renuka Odedra
Khadija Shaw, the best goalscorer in the league. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Shaw is that she always steps up when needed, even on an off day. Her strength, precision, power, and ability to win aerial duels are second to none and in a season where she scored the fastest hat-trick in WSL history there is no denying that she is the best striker in the world right now. Réshma Rao
It can only be Khadija Shaw. A staggering 21 goals in 22 WSL games speaks for itself, but Shaw is so much more than just a goalscorer, it’s her movement, her hold-up play and her defensive work that make her arguably the best centre-forward in the world. Suzanne Wrack
Best manager
When Denmark crashed out of the 2025 Euros at the group stage, there were a few questions swirling about whether Andrée Jeglertz was the best choice to be the new Manchester City manager. Despite an opening-day defeat to Chelsea, he soon silenced any questions as his team began to tick with a dynamic, exciting brand of football. He empowers his players to play with freedom. SD
Andrée Jeglertz’s calm manner has rubbed off on his Manchester City side during what might otherwise have been a stressful title chase. He instilled great confidence in the team that they would always “find a way” to win, and he has won the title while working with a smaller budget than their closest title rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea. TG
Andrée Jeglertz. Like with Shaw, can it be anyone else? He came to Manchester City last summer with a big job on his hands and he has certainly delivered. The mentality shift in the squad, sparked by the Swede, delivered the title. EH
Arriving at Manchester City in the summer, Andrée Jeglertz had a multitude of issue to contend with, including the side effects of a team that was often nearly there and in contention but never quite made it past the finish line. But, in his debut season, he managed to cultivate a system and tactical tinkering that brought out the best in the likes of Vivianne Miedema and Yui Hasegawa. RO
Andrée Jeglertz took Manchester City to win their first WSL title since 2016 in his first season. The players have praised his ability to change their mentality and create unity within the squad. They won all 11 of their home games and he has improved their finishing, especially from set pieces. RR
Having transformed Manchester City, Andrée Jeglertz gets my vote. City are stacked with elite talent but it took a change and someone capable of managing the demands of ambitious individuals and creating a harmonious dressing room. A first league title in 10 years is the reward. Beyond Jeglertz, Martin Ho has also done an incredible job with Tottenham. SW
Best goal
You will not see many better finishes than Oona Siren’s long-range volley to equalise for West Ham against London City Lionesses in March. The Finland midfielder’s strike on the dropping ball could have not been any sweeter, a special way to score her only goal of the campaign. SD
Jess Park’s swerving strike against London City Lionesses in February – because I don’t think there are many other players who could pick the ball up where she did on the left-hand side mid-flow, cut inside and fire into the far corner like that. A special mention also to Olivia Smith’s debut goal for Arsenal, which was a scorcher. TG
Olivia Smith v London City Lionesses. When you make history as the first £1m player in the women’s game, the expectations are going to be high. Smith’s first Arsenal goal was one to remember – the run, the skill, the strike. What a way to introduce yourself to the Emirates faithful back in September. EH
We all love a long-range strike and Yuka Momiki’s stunning goal for Everton against Chelsea was a textbook lesson on why it’s always a good idea to see where the goalkeeper is. The ball was laid off to Momiki in the middle of the pitch and, from over 30 yards, she chipped the ball beautifully over Hannah Hampton, who had strayed away from her line. RO
Spurs’ Cathinka Tandberg scored a screamer against Everton early on in the season. Her quick reaction after her teammate Bethany England regained possession meant the goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan was caught completely off guard. A long-range, first-touch goal of class. RR
Kirsty Hanson’s beautifully worked corner with Lynn Wilms for Aston Villa against West Ham. Hanson took the short corner, played a one-two with Wilms and hit a rising effort into the far corner. It’s the movement, the power and the precision that make it the season’s best. If I could pick an assist of the season it would be Alessia Russo’s turn and flick for Frida Maanum’s goal against Aston Villa. SW
Best match
Manchester City 3-2 Arsenal. October served up a WSL classic as two heavyweights with strong title hopes went head-to-head. It was an enthralling encounter that saw momentum constantly swing between the two. This was epitomised by the final 10 minutes when Chloe Kelly first levelled against her former side to put Arsenal back in control before an 87th-minute winner from Iman Beney that was celebrated with gusto in the rain. SD
Manchester City’s 3-2 win at home to Arsenal in October was not only a high-quality, five-goal thriller, it also ultimately proved pivotal in the title race, as the best two teams in the league served up a treat. Iman Beney’s late goal that day helped Mancester City believe this could finally be their year, as it settled a match that could easily have gone either way. TG
Brighton 3-2 Manchester City. Brighton gave City quite a title scare at the Broadfield Stadium last month. After weathering the storm in the early stages they completely turned the match on its head, handing the eventual champions their third defeat of the season. EH
Brighton 3 -2 Manchester City. If there’s one team you can count on to provide late-season drama, it’s Brighton, and that’s exactly what they did when they faced Manchester City at the end of April. A five-goal thriller produced some tense moments, agonising misses and fantastic strikes as Brighton edged out the eventual champions. RO
Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City. It ended City’s 13-match winning streak and blew the title race wide open. Olivia Smith scored the only goal of the game in front of 39,000 people and the result made the final weeks more interesting and showed that the leaders actually had weaknesses that could be exploited. RR
I really enjoyed Brighton’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal that handed Manchester City the WSL title. I loved seeing a heavily rotated Brighton, who made seven changes ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool, step in and deliver an exceptional performance. The joy of those on the bench for those who had stepped in and stepped up was palpable. SW
Best signing
Toko Koga, Tottenham. The 19-year-old Japan international joined Martin Ho’s side in July and has been almost ever present ever since. Cementing her spot at centre-back, she started 19 of Spurs’ 22 league matches. Composed and calm at the heart of Spurs’ defence, she scored her first goal for the club against Liverpool and added a spectacular second on the final day. SD
Olivia Smith, Alyssa Thompson and Toko Koga have all been great signings for their respective teams but I’m going to give this to a January signing who perhaps single-handedly made the greatest difference to their new team and that’s the Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk. She has been inspired for Gareth Taylor’s Liverpool side since her loan move in January and there is an argument to say they might have been in the relegation playoff place without her saves. TG
Jess Park. Signing Park in exchange for Grace Clinton last summer was a brilliant move from Manchester United. She has added so much creativity to the United attack and always seems to be one of the most exciting players on the pitch. EH
Jess Park has been a joy to watch for some time now and her summer move to Manchester United and football under Marc Skinner proved fruitful. She has been allowed to perform in a more free-roaming position, which has played to her attacking strengths, resulting in six goals and five assists. At 24 years old, it will be fascinating to see how she grows into this role more. RO
Jess Park to Manchester United. A high-profile swap deal for Grace Clinton on deadline day, Park has become the most important force in the team. She has often dominated midfield with her aggression and skill and proved to be a real threat to other teams. You can sense the excitement in the ground every time she gets the ball. RR
We’re often drawn to the impact of newly signed forwards, but Jade Rose’s impact in defence for Manchester City has been hugely impressive. She has provided stability and consistency in a position that City have struggled with in recent years. Her first City goal in their final WSL game of the season was the cherry on top of a magnificent debut season. SW
Biggest flop
Midday kick-off times have not worked. While it is understandable (if frustrating) that the sport has to fight for visibility and limited broadcast slots, the timing on Sundays has done it a disservice. Away travel for fans has been made more difficult and more expensive, attendances have been affected, while widespread coverage of the league has become much harder. SD
Sadly it can only be Grace Geyoro, who arrived amid so much anticipation and excitement when she moved for a new world record fee of £1.43m to London City Lionesses from Paris Saint-Germain, but unfortunately it just has not worked out for her. Hopefully for WSL viewers, next year can be a year when she is more settled into the English game. TG
Aston Villa. They finished the season just one point above West Ham and three above Liverpool – two teams that struggled significantly at the start of the campaign. Without Kirsty Hanson, I do wonder if they would have finished even lower. EH
Leicester City have been tiptoeing around the relegation zone for the past few years now but instead of opting for stability they sacked the manager, Amandine Miquel, 10 days before the start of the campaign. There were early results but they petered out, and in 2026, they didn’t get a single win in 11 games, cementing them at the bottom of the table. It’s now all eyes on Saturday when they face Charlton in the playoff to decide who will be the 14th team in the WSL. RO
WSL games took place in the regular Sunday 12pm slot this season for the first time and it has been a huge point of contention. Fans have not been happy, especially away supporters who have faced challenges trying to make it on time for kick-off. More importantly, scheduling all matches at the same time makes it difficult for fans (and media) to watch the entirety of the games every week. RR
Please can we lose the noon kick-offs? I get it, we need a broadcast slot for women’s football and the WSL and Sky et al are all trying to find the best fit. I applaud those efforts and I’m all for experimentation, but women’s football deserves a prime time broadcast slot and we need to come down harder on clubs and the Premier League, who have the power to give women’s football a clear run at a top slot. Isn’t a 50-year ban and chronic underfunding enough to justify it? SW
Biggest gripe
Rescheduling of fixtures. The Arsenal-Leicester City game that was originally scheduled for January was never a possibility due to the Gunners featuring in the Champions Cup. The postponement came late meaning that the rescheduled fixture had to be played in between their Champions League semi-final legs against Lyon, contributing to Renée Slegers’ side having to play seven times in 20 days, the first time that lsuch a burden has been placed on a team in WSL history. SD
The continued scheduling of the Women’s Champions League semi-finals on weekends is exasperating. It is increasingly inconvenient for supporters – even for those who do no support teams in Europe – because such a large number of domestic matches have to move, or might need to move and then end up staying put, with fans finding out at very short notice. TG
I love that Sky Sports is investing so heavily in the women’s game and showing 90% of live matches, but I’m still not sure about having four-plus games (usually) kicking off at 12pm on a Sunday is the best way to maximise viewing figures and the number of match-going fans. EH
A congested fixture list is not only a challenge for players but for fans, too. It’s quite a task and some commitment to get to games week in week out, often at noon on a Sunday. But add multiple games in a week into the mix and it can become a mountain to climb. Arsenal’s busy schedule has been a good example of that this season, with their involvement in the Champions League, resulting in rescheduled WSL games. RO
It comes up every season but the misogyny and sexism never seems to stop. The worst one for me was seeing the comment sections of posts by clubs announcing new, young signings objectifying the players and taking the attention away from what should have been a celebratory moment for them. Fans on social media frequently share their stories of facing harassment and abuse by other spectators, causing them to fear for their safety. It ultimately ruins the experience for everyone. RR
Is it cliche to say refereeing? Probably. However, there have been some big mistakes in key games, again. I don’t blame the referees for these errors, I blame the fact that refereeing is playing catch up, with players and clubs professionalising at a faster rate. We need greater investment in refereeing and, if the refereeing isn’t good enough in the WSL, maybe VAR can help the officials make the right decisions. Those could be famous last words, however, given the constant VAR controversies in the Premier League. SW
