Arsenal is officially losing a club legend this summer, as the club announced on Monday that forward Beth Mead will be leaving the Gunners after nine years with the team.
Mead scored 86 goals in 263 games for Arsenal in her career, winning the 2025 UEFA Women’s Champions League title as well as multiple domestic cups.
"For me, it's always been about more than just trophies, it's about the people you share it with," Mead said in Arsenal's Instagram announcement. "The friendships I've made here go far beyond football and I know that they'll last a lifetime."
"Beth has made a huge contribution to our football club over nine years, and will go down in history as one of our best forwards and a legend of the club," Arsenal’s director of women’s football Clare Wheatley said.
"Beth is such a special person and will always be welcome at Arsenal. I know our supporters will join me in wishing Beth happiness and success in her future endeavours."
Mead is reportedly close to a move to 2026 WSL champions Manchester City, as a busy offseason could reshape the hierarchy of numerous top English clubs.
Elsewhere in the WSL, Chelsea legend Millie Bright has already announced her retirement, while Manchester City striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw and Chelsea legend Sam Kerr both have not yet signed extensions with their current clubs.
Manchester City claimed its first WSL championship since 2016 on Wednesday, after Arsenal could only manage a 1-1 draw at Brighton — ending Chelsea's six consecutive title streak.
The Manchester City WSL triumph came without the team even taking the field. City entered the UK league's home stretch with a six-point lead over second-place Chelsea, while Arsenal's dropped points at Brighton mathematically clinched the title despite the Gunners having games in hand.
"I knew the ambition from the club, what they put into the women's programme, the quality of players and also the hunger to win," manager Andree Jeglertz told the BBC. "Definitely, I had a feeling already from the beginning that it was possible."
Jeglertz became just the second manager in WSL history to win the title in a debut campaign, following Chelsea's Sonia Bompastor in 2025. Manchester City dominated throughout the season behind league-leading scorer Khadija "Bunny," Shaw alongside top-scoring forwards Vivianne Miedema and Karolin.
Coming off a tough Champions League loss, Arsenal fought to keep the title race alive against Brighton & Hove Albion. However, Brighton's Fuka Tsunoda stunned the visitors with a deflected 43rd-minute strike, before Frida Maanum equalized in the 62nd minute. Despite bringing on Katie McCabe, Beth Mead, and Stina Blackstenius late in pursuit of a winner, the Gunners could not break through.
"This wouldn't have been possible without the incredible effort, belief, passion and dedication of my colleagues, the players and the fans," Jeglertz said. "But this isn't the end of the road — we still have plenty to fight for this season and in the coming years."
Manchester City now shifts focus to Sunday's FA Cup semifinal against defending champions Chelsea.
The race for Champions League qualification will likely come down to the WSL's final day on May 16th.
Sam Kerr etched her name into Chelsea history Sunday, surpassing club legend Fran Kirby to become the Blues' all-time leading scorer in WSL competition with 64 goals.
The 32-year-old Australian striker reached the milestone with a towering first-half header in Chelsea's 3-1 victory over Leicester City . Lauren James added a second before halftime, as Chelsea secured the win and clinched a 2026/27 Champions League berth.
"It's a big achievement," Kerr said after the match. "Every goal for me is really important, and to do it for a big club like Chelsea is really special."
The record comes as welcome news for Sam Kerr after enduring years of injury struggles. The milestone demonstrated her continued importance to Chelsea, despite physical setbacks limiting her availability.
Kerr now faces a pivotal summer as her Chelsea contract expires at season's end. The striker's future remains uncertain, with the Blues falling short of a seventh consecutive WSL title.
Chelsea currently sits six points behind league-leaders Manchester City with just one matchday remaining. The Blues will close out the season on May 16th against Manchester United, deeming the 2025/26 title race effectively over.
Manager Sonia Bompastor's side needed Sunday's win over already-relegated Leicester to secure their Champions League spot for next season. The three points send the team into Europe's top-flight club competition regardless of the final weekend's results.
Kerr joined the WSL in 2019 from the NWSL's Chicago Red Stars, quickly establishing herself as one of the league's most prolific scorers.
Brighton announced plans to build England's first purpose-built women's football stadium, a £75 million to £80 million project projected to open by the 2030/31 WSL season.
The Brighton women's stadium will sit on Bennett's Field, directly next to the men's team's Amex Stadium. The venue will hold a minimum capacity of 10,000, while connecting to the Amex via a bridge walkway.
Chairman Tony Bloom is funding the project, though the club remains open to government contributions. Brighton is targeting a 2030/31 WSL season opening, pending approval.
The facility becomes just the third purpose-built women's stadium globally, following the NWSL's Kansas City and Braga's Amélia Morais Stadium in Portugal. No English has a newly built dedicated women's football stadium, while teams like Chelsea and Arsenal opted to move games to their men's stadiums.
Brighton designed every aspect through a women's football lens — from pitch surfaces that could prevent certain injuries to dressing room configurations and family-friendly amenities. The club currently draws 2,000 to 3,000 fans per match.
"It will help us push forward our ambitions to compete consistently both domestically in the Women's Super League and also in European club competition, while helping us to attract key staff and grow a passionate fan base," managing director Zoe Johnson said in a team statement.
Former Chelsea and current Brighton star Fran Kirby called the stadium a "big attraction" for retaining and recruiting elite talent.
"We strongly believe it will strengthen our ability to attract elite talent, help develop our younger players for the future, support the growth of our fan base and create a genuine sense of belonging around the women's game," Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said.
The club plans to still shift bigger matchups to the 33,000-capacity Amex, while also building long-term fan engagement at its dedicated women's venue.
Manchester City is making a bold play for Arsenal veterans Beth Mead and Katie McCabe as both players enter free agency this summer, The Athletic reported Monday.
Mead and McCabe, both 30, hold contracts that expire at the end of the 2025/26 WSL season. No deals have been finalized, but sources expect City to secure both signings once the WSL transfer window reopens on June 1st.
McCabe has drawn interest from reigning WSL champions Chelsea as well. The versatile defender celebrated her 300th Arsenal appearance Sunday before the Gunners' 2-1 Champions League victory over Lyonnes.
Beth Mead has delivered more than 250 appearances and 78 goals for Arsenal since joining from Sunderland in 2017. Despite questions about her playing time following Arsenal's record £1 million signing of Olivia Smith last summer, Mead has remained crucial this season, registering two goals and five assists in the WSL plus three goals and three assists in Champions League play.
The moves would reunite both players with former Arsenal teammate Vivianne Miedema, who now plays for Manchester City. Mead's partner, Miedema, was unavailable for City's weekend match, as Mead also missed Arsenal's UWCL clash due to personal reasons.
Manchester City leads the WSL table by six points with two matches remaining and has all but secured Champions League qualification for next season. The club seeks depth ahead of European competition, particularly at fullback where options remain thin beyond Alex Greenwood and Kerstin Casparij.
Arsenal sits fourth in the WSL with three games in hand and trails Manchester City by 11 points. The Gunners have entered advanced talks with Barcelona defender Ona Batlle, viewed as McCabe's likely replacement.
World Sevens Football (W7F) is staging its first-ever London Edition next month, as May's three-day tournament marks the seven-a-side women's soccer tournament's third iteration — and second with Manchester United.
The famed UK team finished as runners-up in the inaugural 2025 W7F in Portugal. Aston Villa joins the Red Devils as the first two clubs confirmed for the London Edition, with six additional WSL teams expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
"Everyone is looking forward to returning," said Manchester United Director of Football Operations & Women’s Football Ameesh Manek.
"Al of our focus right now is on finishing our WSL campaign strongly, but we hope that this tournament will provide an exciting finale."
W7F features 30-minute 7v7 matches with rolling substitutions. Germany's Bayern München won the first title in May 2025, before the San Diego Wave claimed the second the following December.
This year, organizers adjusted the prize pool from $5 million to $1.5 million. The decision came as they analyze the best spending strategies in the growing women's football market. The winning team receives $500,000 while runners-up earn $250,000 each.
"World Sevens Football London Edition is the next step, showcasing one of the game's leading leagues," said tournament co-founder Jen Mackesy.
How to See Manchester United at W7F London Edition
The event features a festival-style atmosphere with back-to-back fixtures, live entertainment, and family-friendly programming. The Brentford stadium previously hosted UEFA Euro 2022 matches.
Tickets are on sale now via worldsevens.com, with both day passes and three-day packages available.
England's Barclays Women's Super League will become the first football league to use sensor-equipped Sportable match balls when it launches Connected Ball technology in 2026/27.
The Nike-backed partnership brings heightened performance data to women's football, combining sensor-embedded match balls with player-worn GPS devices and sideline beacons to create real-time 3D mapping of every match.
The technology tracks ball speed, spin, flight trajectories, high-intensity efforts, tactical patterns, and off-ball movements. Players, coaches, and training staff subsequently gain access to comprehensive data previously unavailable in domestic competition.
"It is a privilege to work with Nike and support WSL Football on a project that will meaningfully impact the progression of the women's game," said Sportable CEO Dugald Macdonald.
"The opportunity to create a consistent, data-rich view of performance, from training pitches to stadiums, is truly groundbreaking and we are excited to help unlock the next level of insight for teams across the league."
FIFA introduced sensor technology at the 2022 Men's World Cup, but the WSL will become the first domestic league to adopt it via a multi-year deal with Nike. The Connected Ball technology has earned FIFA certification under the Electronic Performance & Tracking Systems Quality Programme.
While several WSL clubs already tested the system during training sessions and match preparation, the league plans deployment across all teams when the 2026/27 season kicks off.
"[Nike's] desire to elevate the role of the ball through Sportable’s technology will enable us to provide enhanced performance data to our clubs as well as tell richer stories to our fans," said WSL Football Chief Revenue Officer Zarah Al-Kudcy. "We are excited to be the first football league in the world to use this technology.”
Arsenal captain Kim Little signed a one-year contract extension on Thursday that takes her into her 16th season with the club, with the 35-year-old midfielder set to remain with the Gunners through 2027.
Manager Renee Slegers praised the club legend after the announcement.
"I just feel very privileged to work with Kim," she said. "We are creating something and Kim is a big part of it."
Little has made 405 appearances for Arsenal and scored 177 goals, winning every available trophy during her time with the London club. Last season, she led the team to the 2024/25 Champions League title.
The now-retired Scotland international remains a crucial part of the squad, making 19 starts across all competitions this season. As such, Slegers emphasized her ongoing importance to Arsenal's future.
"I think what we do at the moment is a lot of collaboration with the captain's group, with Kim, our captain, and get as much input as possible on things," explained the second-year manager. "She's such an important part of what we're building."
Arsenal is coming off last week's commanding 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the UWCL quarterfinal's first leg. The win puts them in strong position to advance to the semifinals.
The midfielder joined Arsenal initially in 2008 before departing for the NWSL's Seattle Reign in 2013. She returned to the WSL in 2017, and has anchored the team ever since.
Little's contract extension ensures continuity in the Arsenal midfield as the team chases domestic and European silverware.
How to Watch Kim Little Captain Arsenal in Champions League
Little will next take the pitch on Wednesday, as Arsenal takes on Chelsea for the second leg of the UWCL quarterfinals at 3 PM ET, live on Paramount+.
Arsenal strengthened its position in the Champions League qualification race with a 2-0 victory over London City Lionesses on March 16th.
The Gunners moved within striking distance of the WSL's top three allotted spots as Manchester City drew with Aston Villa while Chelsea and Manchester United competed in the Subway Cup final. The result leaves Arsenal fourth in the WSL standings with crucial games in hand.
City holds an 11-point advantage over Arsenal, while Manchester United sits two points ahead and Chelsea leads by a single point. Arsenal has one game in hand over Chelsea and United, plus two over City.
On Sunday, Arsenal manager Renee Slegers selected Anneke Borbe in goal ahead of Daphne van Domselaar despite the Dutch keeper not playing for the Netherlands during the international break.
"Anneke's been doing really well and it was about readiness, who was most ready to perform," Slegers told reporters.
Olivia Smith opened scoring for the Gunners in the 15th minute. 2024/25 Champions League hero Stina Blackstenius subsequently sealed the deal with a second-half strike.
Arsenal avoided injuries during the international window, despite dealing with long-term absences and three Australian players competing at the Asian Cup.
Slegers went on to acknowledge defensive concerns, after London City created dangerous three-on-three and four-on-four situations on the pitch.
"We want to have a look at to defend those moments better when teams go vertical against us," she said.
What's Next for 2024/25 Champions League Winner Arsenal
Arsenal now faces four straight London derbies, with West Ham visiting in league play before twin Champions League quarterfinals against Chelsea and a North London Derby against Tottenham at Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea FC launched a celebration for March 8th's International Women's Day under the slogan "Every woman. Every girl. Every season." this week, announcing multiple initiatives focused on gender equity and women's empowerment.
The Chelsea Foundation kicked off the festivities with the #GiveToGain campaign at Cobham Training Centre. The event brought together 25 women and girls from the Foundation's Inspire Her program and Adapted Sports walking football team, alongside students from St Mary's University Twickenham.
Participants engaged in an intergenerational mentorship workshop, writing two pledges — one offering advice and another reflecting on how someone helped them succeed. Surprise guests Sam Kerr and Kadeisha Buchanan then joined to offer their own insights.
The day concluded on the pitch, where walking footballers taught younger players the game before everyone, including Kerr and Buchanan, competed together.
The Foundation plans to expand #GiveToGain across its additional programming, aiming to reach more participants while celebrating women's football.
Chelsea also marked the first anniversary of its Women's Empowerment Network this week. The club launched the event for International Women's Day 2025 as a space for women to connect and discuss workplace issues.
Later this week, Chelsea will host a panel exploring other football issues, hoping to create a more inclusive working environment through increased discussions surrounding women's health.
"The path of womanhood holds different cycles, phases, seasons. Empowering women through the different stages of womanhood and enabling them to shape this game is what we are about," Chelsea wrote in this week's statement.
"March is a time to celebrate the women who shape our game, our communities and our future — and to recognise that progress towards gender equality requires action from us all."