England's Football Association wants to overhaul the Women's FA Cup — and the proposals are drawing sharp criticism from across the women's football pyramid.
Three main changes headline the FA's 2024-28 growth strategy. First, the top four clubs from the previous WSL season would receive seeding. Secondly, the traditional draw would give way to a World Cup-style bracket starting from the final 32 — the round where WSL clubs enter the FA Cup. Lastly, tier seven clubs would lose the right to compete entirely.
The FA argues the bracket format creates clearer narratives, helps broadcast planning, and builds fan anticipation en route to Wembley. They also claim the seeding system produces higher-quality late-round FA Cup matches.
Supporters groups have subsequently pushed back, saying the reforms erode sporting merit in favor of elite clubs.
"The FA has repeatedly committed to expanding the women's football pyramid and ensuring ‘football is for all,’" a source told The Athletic. "Removing tier seven clubs from the FA Cup feels like a step backwards from this mission."
Lower clubs also list grievances. The FA Cup entry fee tripled from £25 to £75, a significant financial burden for grassroots clubs. Four lowest-tier sides reached the FA Cup's first-round this season: Leyton Orient, South London Women FC, Maidstone United, and Millbrook. One source went so far as to describe the proposed ban as pulling up a drawbridge on the women's game.
According to the Greater London Women's Football League chairman, just one of the region's 50 tier-seven clubs was consulted before the proposal circulated. The FA declined to comment on this claim.
The Women's FA Cup final is set for May 31st at London's Wembley Stadium.
NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo is buying into the women's soccer game, with the Milwaukee Bucks forward purchasing a stake in reigning six-time WSL champion Chelsea FC over the weekend.
The 2021 NBA champion and two-time MVP joins an investment group that includes Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian — husband of tennis legend Serena Williams — after Ohanian purchased a 10% stake in the top-flight UK club last year.
Calling Chelsea FC "a historic club built on passion, excellence, and a winning culture," Antetokounmpo wrote on social media that the team's "history speaks for itself."
"I'm excited to contribute to the future by supporting continued growth and impact in women's sport," the 31-year-old said in his Saturday announcement. "This is about ambition, legacy, and pushing the game to new heights. Up the Chels!"
Blues double down on Bompastor
While Antetokounmpo was buying into Chelsea, the WSL powerhouse made an investment of their own, extending manager Sonia Bompastor's contract until 2030.
Bompastor had an "immediate and significant" impact on Blues, leading Chelsea to a domestic treble in her debut WSL season, with sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley saying in last week's club statement that "renewing her contract reflects our belief in her leadership, her vision, and the stability she brings to the club."
Given that Paul Green exited the club after 13 years as the head of women's football on Monday, the front office will hope that Bompastor's "stability" can lead the third-place Blues up the 2025/26 WSL table, where Chelsea currently sits nine points behind league leaders Manchester City.
How to watch Chelsea FC in 2025/26 WSL play
Now entering the final third of the 2025/26 WSL season, the Blues will look to make up ground with a win over No. 11 Liverpool on Sunday.
The clash kicks off at 7 AM ET, airing live on ESPN+.
Women's soccer clubs are shelling it out, as the 2025 Global Transfer Report from FIFA showed that women's pro team spending reached record highs last year.
Clubs spent a total of $28.6 million on a total of 2,440 international women's soccer transfers, marking a 6.3% year-over-year increase in the number of athletes, but a massive 83.6% bump in spending over 2024 — even without accounting for intra-league deals.
England led the pack on the 2025 FIFA Global Transfer Report, dropping $11 million in fees while taking in $2.1 million in sales, followed by the NWSL's $7.9 million spent.
Notably, US players were in the highest demand at 240 transfers — more than double the 108 British athletes comprising the nationality coming in second.
Reigning WSL champions Chelsea FC sit atop the spending list, racking up high-profile signings like USWNT stars Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson.
US billionaire Michele Kang's London City Lionesses trail the Blues at No. 2 in just their first WSL season following last spring's promotion, with the also-Kang-owned French side OL Lyonnes clocking in at No. 3 on the transfer fee list.
Six NWSL teams made the Top 10, led by the Orlando Pride at No. 4, Utah Royals at No. 5, and Washington Spirit at No. 6 — with the Spirit also falling into Kang's portfolio.
Chelsea FC and USWNT star Alyssa Thompson is letting fans in on her pregame vibes, linking up with EA Sports and Spotify to drop a playlist as part of her GEN / EA SPORTS partnership with the video game giant.
Initially named to the first GEN / EA SPORTS athlete class in September 2024, Thompson released the 49-song "Good Vibes" Spotify playlist on Tuesday in the latest move in her collaboration with the gaming brand.
"This playlist is great music that fits a lot of moments for me," the 21-year-old said on Instagram, with her playlist packed with songs by SZA, Frank Ocean, Adele, Childish Gambino, Beyoncé, and Erykah Badu, as well as classic artists like Al Green and Marvin Gaye.
According to EA Sports, the collab spotlights "the personal soundtracks of the next generation of sports icons through a series of official playlist drops curated by GEN / EA SPORTS athletes."
Originally launched with four athletes "who are carving their own paths and influencing sport, in, and out of, the game," the GEN / EA SPORTS partnerships aim to "co-create content," as well as "partner on initiatives personal to each of [the athletes], and engage sports fans where they are."
How to listen to the playlist by Alyssa Thompson
Stream Alyssa Thompson's GEN / EA SPORTS playlist on Spotify.
Arsenal delivered a season-defining performance on Saturday, defeating Chelsea 2-0 to blow the WSL title race wide open.
The London Derby victory marks the Gunners' first away win against Chelsea since 2018, ending the Blues' 10-match unbeaten streak.
After a scoreless first half, Arsenal broke the deadlock in the 54th minute. Alessia Russo drove through the midfield to find Beth Mead, who clinically slotted a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner.
Arsenal doubled their advantage six minutes later. Mead claimed the assist, threading a pass to Spain international Mariona Caldentey inside the penalty area. The 2023 World Cup winner took one touch to set herself, before drilling the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton to make it 2-0.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor's team struggled to find their usual rhythm. Despite introducing Lauren James and Keira Walsh as second-half subs, Arsenal limited the hosts to long-range efforts and just one shot on target.
Anchored by Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy, the Arsenal defense remained disciplined, securing the clean sheet.
“We figured out where we could hurt them and we did that in the second half especially,” Mead told BBC Sport. “We put our chances away.”
The result has serious implications for the WSL standings.
Afterwards, Bompastor admitted Chelsea's "title race is probably gone," as the defending champions now sit six points behind league-leaders Manchester City. Meanwhile, Arsenal moved within a single point of Chelsea, bolstering their chances for a ticket to the 2026/27 Champions League.
How to watch Arsenal this week
Arsenal now prepares for Wednesday's Women's Champions Cup semifinal, going up against Moroccan powerhouse ASFAR in London at 1 PM ET, live on DAZN.
More NWSL stars are jumping ship, as both the San Diego Wave and North Carolina Courage saw respective key players Delphine Cascarino and Denise O'Sullivan sign with WSL clubs over the last few days.
Former Wave forward Cascarino inked a deal through the 2029/30 season with the London City Lionesses on Monday, one day after San Diego announced they had mutually parted ways with the French international despite her contract running through 2026 with an option for the 2027 NWSL season.
"I'm really happy to be here," said the 28-year-old in a statement. "London City is the only independent women's club in the WSL, which excites me."
North Carolina midfielder and captain O'Sullivan made a similar move on Saturday, as the Ireland international signed with Liverpool following more than eight seasons and a club-record 186 appearances for the Courage.
The last-place WSL team reportedly shelled out a club-record transfer fee of approximately £300,000 to roster the 31-year-old two-time NWSL champion and three-time Shield-winner, who called Liverpool "a new challenge" that will see her "only a 40-minute flight away" from her family in Cork, Ireland.
Though the NWSL departures of Cascarino and O'Sullivan mark a kind of homecoming for the European standouts, they are just the latest to exit the US league, after USWNT star Sam Coffey joined WSL-leaders Manchester City last week.
"England — for men and women — is the country of football," noted Cascarino. "It's always been a goal of mine to play in this league."
The WSL is cashing in on the women's game, with two UK clubs surpassing €25 million in annual revenue for the first time, according to the Deloitte Football Money League report on the 2024/25 season that dropped this week.
Reigning UWCL champions Arsenal topped the list for the first time after taking in €25.6 million last season, followed closely by WSL title-holders Chelsea FC's €25.4 million.
Meanwhile, Perennial European contender FC Barcelona (€22 million) dropped to third after leading the group in 2023/24, outpacing WSL titans No. 4 Manchester City (€12.9 million) and No. 5 Manchester United (€12.8 million).
Due to a lack of revenue data, the yearly study did not include major women's leagues in the US, Sweden, or Australia, giving the rankings a European bent as the total sum crossed the €150 million mark for the first time — a 35% increase over the previous season's Top-15 Money League clubs.
Commercial income was the biggest revenue driver for many top clubs, with sponsorship deals and brand partnerships leading the charge.
Arsenal also benefitted from increased revenue on the men's side, allowing the women's team to up its investment while avoiding running at a loss.
How to watch the top Deloitte Football Money League clubs in action
Deloitte Football Money League leader Arsenal will take on No. 5 Man United while revenue runners-up Chelsea will face the WSL-leading Man City in the 2025/26 Women's League Cup semifinals on Wednesday.
The concurrent clashes will kick off at 2 PM ET, streaming live on YouTube.
USWNT star Sam Coffey has sealed the deal, with WSL side Manchester City announcing on Wednesday that they've signed the 27-year-old through 2029.
Manchester City reportedly paid $875,000 in transfer fees for the midfielder, after Coffey led the Portland Thorns to one NWSL title in her four years with the NWSL club.
"Sam's reputation as one of the world's best speaks for itself," said Man City director of football Therese Sjögran in the WSL club's announcement. "We're delighted she's chosen to come here ahead of other potential suitors."
"Sam is playing at the top of her game, and I think her decision to come here shows the incredible progress we've made as a Club and the ambitions we have moving forward," added Sjögran.
City's ambitions are rising alongside their place on the WSL table, where the Citizens currently sit six points clear atop the standings thanks to global stars like Bunny Shaw and Vivianne Miedema.
Coffey's move, however, continues to tip the USWNT's scales away from the NWSL, with over half of the starting XI from the 2024 Olympic gold-medal match now playing club football in Europe — at least for now.
"For as long as I've kicked a ball, I've always dreamed of playing professional soccer in Europe," Coffey said in an emotional letter to Portland on social media. "I would never forgive myself if I didn't go try."
How to watch Manchester City this weekend
Though the date of Coffey's European debut is still unknown, Manchester City will next take the pitch against third-flight club Bournemouth in the fourth round of the 2025/26 FA Women's Cup at 8 AM ET on Sunday before facing a top-tier battle against WSL champion Chelsea in the League Cup semifinals next Wednesday.
WSL action for the Citizens will then resume on Sunday, January 25th, when Man City takes on the London City Lionesses at 6:55 AM ET on ESPN+.
This month's USWNT roster featured one notable gap, as the absence of Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey stirred up rumors that the 27-year-old is finalizing a move to the WSL to join the top-tier UK league's frontrunners, Manchester City.
First reported by The Guardian, ESPN added on Thursday that Manchester City will ante up a base transfer fee around $800,000 to add Coffey to the Citizens' roster — though the number could rise as negotiations continue and parties finalize a deal.
The national team stalwart will reportedly travel to Manchester in the near future to ink a potential contract, but Coffey currently remains under contract with Portland until 2027, having signed an extension with the Thorns in 2024.
Coffey has been a mainstay for her NWSL club since Portland drafted the Penn State alum in 2021, but the UK league's pull could persuade her to join her USWNT teammates Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), and Naomi Girma (Chelsea) in making the leap to the WSL.
Currently sitting six points clear of six-time reigning champion Chelsea atop the 2025/26 WSL table, Manchester City has reportedly been searching for "the right defensive midfield option" as they pursue their first league title since 2016.
Mercedes-Benz is getting into the women's game, with the luxury car giant becoming the official automotive partner of England's WSL and WSL2 this week.
The deal showcases Mercedes-Benz's growing commitment to women's sports, with the auto giant also signing on as the presenting sponsor of the WTA Tour last month — adding to a resume that includes serving as the official patron of the LPGA Tour's AIG Women's Open.
"The Mercedes-Benz story began 140 years ago with a bold idea," said Mercedes-Benz UK CEO and managing director Olivier Reppert in the WSL's Wednesday press release. "Now, that same spirit of innovation and ambition drives our partnership with WSL Football."
While financial terms of the partnership are not public, Mercedes-Benz is just the latest big-name sponsor to back WSL Football, with some reports saying that the two-league outfit has tripled its commercial revenue since splitting with the FA in 2024.
"Bringing a brand of this calibre…will help us elevate the game, deepen engagement with fans and players, and accelerate long-term growth across both leagues," said WSL Football CRO Zarah Al-Kudcy.
Mercedes-Benz will also present this spring's inaugural interleague playoff, in which the third-place WSL2 club will battle the last-place WSL team for a chance at promotion as a part of the top flight's planned 14-team expansion for 2026/27.