The new Women’s Super League (WSL) season kicks off on Friday with a huge game between champions Chelsea and title rivals Manchester City, before UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) winners Arsenal host newly promoted London City Lionesses (who are backed by the cash of Washington Spirit and OL Lyonnais owner Michele Kang) on Saturday.

The WSL transfer window ends on Thursday at 11 p.m. BST / 6 p.m. ET, so clubs still have a bit of time to do some deals. But what do we need to know about the upcoming season? Here are some burning questions.

What’s more important to Chelsea and Arsenal: the WSL or UWCL?

Having fallen short for the past six years as Chelsea have won every WSL title since 2019-20, Arsenal’s priority must be proving they can genuinely compete in the league. While retaining their European crown and reaching another final will be high on their agenda, their league form has been disappointing for three consecutive seasons.

Being two-time European champions is a remarkable achievement, but their inability to sustain a title challenge and keep pace with Chelsea remains a major concern. They have been out of the title race well before the final weekend for several seasons, and defeats to teams like Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa can’t happen again. The signings of Olivia Smith, Chloe Kelly and Taylor Hinds are a positive in this regard, but it would also help if the Gunners could beat Chelsea in the WSL for the first time since December 2023.

– Summer transfer window: Grading big signings in women’s soccer
– Keogh: Inside Chelsea’s transfer plan to become ‘America’s team’

Meanwhile, Chelsea have firmly established themselves as the dominant force in England. They’ve lifted the league eight times since 2015 and, amid the turbulence of Emma Hayes’ departure last summer, Sonia Bompastor’s arrival took them to a new level. With a refreshed squad, and strong financial backing, the Blues delivered an unbeaten season without missing a step and will be favorites again after signing Ellie Carpenter, Mara Alber and Livia Peng, with further links to Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson.

Yet for all their domestic dominance, a European trophy continues to elude them, with three straight semifinal exits (including an 8-2 aggregate loss to Barcelona last season) highlighting the gap they still need to bridge.

Both Arsenal and Chelsea will be dreaming of winning the WSL and UWCL, but their immediate priorities differ. Arsenal must show they can win the league again; Chelsea must finally translate their domestic dominance into European glory.

Can Man City, Man United challenge for the title?

There’s renewed energy around Man City as new manager Andrée Jeglertz, formerly in charge of Denmark, has implemented an open-door policy that encourages players to take ownership of plans and tactics. And, with impressive summer additions such as Sydney Lohmann, Iman Beney and Jade Rose, they have addressed the gaps exposed by last season’s injuries.

After a turbulent campaign, the squad now looks refreshed and ready for a new challenge. This shift has given them an edge and, with the return of core figures like Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Vivianne Miedema, Man City look like genuine contenders to mount a serious title push. Two seasons ago they finished second, only missing out to Chelsea on goal difference, and haven’t won the title since 2016. But this could be their year with no European football to balance.

By contrast, Manchester United appear stretched and squad depth is an issue, with only two new signings added so far, and links to Man City’s Jess Park surfacing recently. Their run to the third round of UWCL qualifying (where they face SK Brann over two legs later this month for a place in the league phase) is impressive, but competing consistently with the continent’s elite looks like a tall order.

Furthermore, the negativity around the poor performance of the men’s team and ongoing issues with ownership under the guidance of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has generated headlines aplenty over his treatment of the women’s side, are disrupting Marc Skinner’s plans before the season has begun.

The WSL no longer offers easy fixtures; gone are the days when top clubs could coast against lower-ranked sides and the league is more competitive and balanced than ever. City seem ready for that challenge, but United risk slipping further away from title contention into mid-table, especially if the added demands of a Champions League campaign come into play.

What can we expect from newly promoted London City?

London City aren’t here to settle for midtable, they’re aiming much higher. With a purpose-built squad and an ambitious transfer strategy that has seen them sign 14 players this summer, they’ve become the first newly promoted side to seriously strengthen with top international talent such as Katie Zelem, Jana Fernández, Daniëlle van de Donk, Nikita Parris, Alanna Kennedy and Elena Linari.

Far from relegation candidates, they could actually surprise many who expect them to linger at the bottom. What sets them apart is something we haven’t seen before from a promoted team: genuine competitiveness in the market. Financially, they operate on a different level compared to recent arrivals like Crystal Palace and Bristol City, and that investment makes it unlikely they’ll be stuck in a relegation scrap.

Backed by Kang’s money, bolstered by upgraded training facilities, and supported by a top-tier coaching staff, the Lionesses already look one of the stronger sides on paper. Their baptism in the WSL will be tough, with an opening game away at Arsenal before hosting Manchester United, but if they can navigate those challenges, they have the potential to disrupt the established order.

Which team could surprise this season?

Aston Villa and Everton look sharper this season. Both clubs have invested wisely, making key signings and benefiting from improved budgets. Having struggled to escape the middle-to-lower pack in recent years, this could finally be the campaign where they break through and push into the upper tier. Villa have added some big names like Lynn Wilms, Jill Baijings and Ellie Roebuck, while Everton have gone for young, hungry and versatile talent like Martina Fernández, Rion Ishikawa and Ornella Vignola.

Brighton have also strengthened smartly, securing Arsenal duo Michelle Agyemang and Rosa Kafaji on loan, while adding Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and Japan defender Moeka Minami. They have lost some depth, which could pose problems later in the campaign, but a strong start could set them up for a top-half finish.

West Ham United also have made some impressive additions and though they are unlikely to finish much higher than the ninth place they managed in 2024-25, they could pull off some impressive wins against tougher opponents and held both Chelsea (2-2) and Man City (1-1) to draws last season.

Which young (U21) players do you think will shine?

play

Smith: An ‘honour and privilege’ to play for Arsenal

Olivia Smith discusses her career so far in the Women’s Super League after joining Arsenal.

With Man United’s Grace Clinton, Man City’s Mary Fowler, and Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones now beyond “young player” status, space has opened up for the next wave of talent to break through.

After her heroic Euro 2025 campaign for England, Agyemang will be one to watch. The 19-year-old returns to Brighton following a sensational summer where her two game-saving goals helped England secure a second European crown. Arsenal faced a tough decision: keep her in-house with limited minutes, or send her back on loan for regular football. They chose the latter and her move to Brighton, where she impressed last season, looks the perfect fit: a bigger role, greater responsibility, and a platform to ignite the WSL.

Lexi Potter is back at Chelsea after her loan spell with Crystal Palace, and is highly rated by the champions. Under Bompastor, a former academy manager with a proven record of developing talent, Potter will have the freedom to prove herself. Meanwhile, Veerle Buurman, 19, is already a first-choice centre-back for Netherlands and is now set for her first senior season at Chelsea after last year’s loan at PSV Eindhoven.

Arsenal winger Smith has just turned 21, but needs a mention as she broke the women’s transfer record to become the first £1 million signing this summer. The Canada international arrives from Liverpool with huge expectations but the challenge for manager Renée Slegers will be fitting her into an attack already stacked with Kelly, Beth Mead and Alessia Russo. The Gunners didn’t spend that much to leave her as an option from off the bench, so Smith will certainly get plenty of chances to shine this season.

play

Will this be a breakout season for Naomi Girma?

The Futbol W crew discuss how important this season could be for Naomi Girma at Chelsea.

With the new playoff system, there’s no straight relegation. But which teams will be in the mix to go down?

It’s very different this season to accommodate the WSL being expanded to 14 teams for 2026-27 — two teams will be definitely be promoted from WSL 2 this season. As for relegation, only 12th place in the WSL is in danger of going down — but they will have a chance to stay up by contesting a playoff against the third-placed WSL 2 team. And it could be pretty open to which team that is.

– WSL expansion Q&A: Everything you need to know

It’s often difficult to separate the mid-table sides, but there are real concerns for Liverpool. Key departures, including Smith and Hinds, have left glaring gaps that remain unfilled. The arrival of former Man City manager Gareth Taylor offers experience but, just two seasons on from their impressive top-four finish, fears of a relegation battle are not unfounded due to their limited squad depth.

Leicester City find themselves in turmoil as well. The club parted ways with manager Amandine Miquel just 11 days before the new season, despite her delivering a club-record points total (20) last year in the face of persistent injuries. Massive squad turnover has only deepened uncertainty: seven outgoings have been offset by just three arrivals, leaving a threadbare group of 20 players. Many could be forced into roles that don’t suit them, raising doubts about their ability to compete.

Tottenham Hotspur also remain in danger. After a shaky campaign that nearly ended in relegation, they dismissed manager Robert Vilahamn and brought in former Manchester United assistant Martin Ho. The arrival of Toko Koga has helped, but Rosella Ayane, Hayley Raso and Rebecca Spencer have all departed. The squad still feels like a patchwork project and one that could be dragged into another difficult fight at the bottom.

Give us your final table prediction:

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester City
3. Arsenal
4. London City Lionesses
5. Manchester United
6. Brighton
7. Aston Villa
8. Everton
9. West Ham
10. Spurs
11. Liverpool
12. Leicester City

A.J. Brown pulled up to the “most dangerous gym in America” on a Friday in May, alone in his Honda Accord.

It was just weeks removed from the Philadelphia Eagles‘ 40-22 destruction of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX when Brown reached out to trainer Haddy Abdel on social media. This wasn’t the first time a well-known figure had been captivated by the chaotic, grueling workouts conducted at Diamond Gym in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Most, though, just talk a good game before cooling on the idea of being thrust into an environment where hulking bodybuilders double as drill sergeants, extracting every ounce of effort and discipline from a client list that, according to Abdel, includes men recently out of jail or battling drug addiction. But Brown was different.

“He pulled up … where we train at, in his car by himself, and showed up and said, ‘I’m ready to work.’ It was one of the craziest experiences I’ve had with anybody that’s ever come to train with us before,” Abdel said.

“He’s like, ‘I came here for this. I got all the money now. I have everything I’ve ever wanted in my life.’ And when you get that, and you taste that, it’s easy to get complacent, it’s easy to forget where you came from. He wanted to remember where he came from.”

The closing sequence of the two-hour session looked like something out of Rocky IV. Brown, dressed in black Eagles sweatpants and a black sweatshirt with the hoodie pulled up, lifted a barbell with large chains on either end to his chest and ripped off 10 standing military presses. He released the weight, gripped a block of wood on the floor and did 15 pushups. The crowd circled around him as he rose and walked to the last station. Screams intensified. A boy, maybe 10, commanded Brown over and over to “Lift that s—!” An exhausted Brown stepped to the bar and deadlifted around 600 pounds in one fluid motion, cementing his standing in the room.

“I had to go to a place, I had to go to my childhood, had to think about some s— I went through,” Brown said. “I got everything I ever wanted in life, bro. I had to go back down to my childhood, me living in that trailer, starving bro. Then I thought about [my] son. I’ve got a little boy, he motivated me. I said, ‘I’m not going to give up with my son watching me.'”

The longer Brown stands on the public stage, the more layers he reveals. He is a boxer. A reader. A mental health advocate. A philanthropist. A family man.

He’s part introvert, part performer. A team-first player with the highest of personal ambitions. A leader with style that can be confused for selfish interests. Such complexities make him one of the more captivating, and misunderstood, players in the NFL.

This offseason, he has pulled back the curtain further, opening up about the scars that he carries from his childhood. By tapping into his roots, he is at once bridging the divide between himself and those he wishes to mentor and ensuring he stays close to the flame that fueled his launch to stardom.

Entering his seventh season, the 28-year-old from Starkville, Mississippi, is a three-time Pro Bowl honoree and three-time Associated Press All-Pro. He holds the record for most single-season receptions by an Eagles receiver (106) and is the only Eagle to produce multiple seasons of 1,400-plus receiving yards. He added champion to the résumé in February.

The last accomplishment fell short of personal expectation, with the ecstasy of winning a Lombardi Trophy lasting all of two days. “I thought my hard work would be justified by winning it all,” Brown wrote on Feb. 12. “It wasn’t.”

Shortly after that Instagram post, Brown had a conversation with longtime trainer Joey Guarascio that delved deeper into his psyche.

“It almost made him mad because the feeling after the Super Bowl was like, ‘That’s it? Like there needs to be more. We need to make this thing a dynasty. I need to be a Hall of Famer,'” Guarascio said.

“Every time we talk, it’s, ‘I want to leave a legacy that’s memorable. I want people to talk about the Eagles like they do the New England Patriots in the 2000s.’ He always had an idea and a belief that he could do it, and now that he’s starting to get the physical evidence behind it, it’s just, you know, he’s talking it into fruition.”

All indications are that Brown is “hungrier than ever,” as Guarascio put it, as the Eagles begin their title defense against the rival Dallas Cowboys Thursday night (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). “I truly feel like I’m the best in the league,” Brown said, “and I want to put a stamp on it.” But the mission reaches well beyond football.

---

BROWN TOOK A seat in front of a group of kids inside the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center in Chester, Pennsylvania, earlier this offseason and began to divulge details about his past that he had never shared publicly.

The A.J. Brown Foundation is launching an internship program this October to create a pathway for children in the system. Beyond that initiative, Brown wants to serve as a direct mentor to them, and knew he needed to get vulnerable to earn their trust.

“I didn’t want it to look like I’m this celebrity coming in and just telling those guys what to do,” Brown said. “I wanted to let them know I made mistakes, too.”

He was 11 or 12 when his parents Arthur Brown and Josette Robertson split up, he said, and took the news hard.

“I felt like my mom divorced me, too,” Brown said. “I knew firsthand about losing a first love.”

Brown acted out in the name of getting his parents’ attention. He failed the seventh grade. That same year, he said he joined a gang called Gangster Disciples.

He went on to detail missteps, including transgressions that could have led to his arrest but never did.

“I didn’t get in trouble with the police, God willing, but I made mistakes. And these mistakes that you all have made doesn’t define you,” Brown said. “My path doesn’t define me.”

Brown credits the guiding hand of his father as well as advice from a respected member of the neighborhood for redirecting him. “Go play ball,” he told him while offering his protection. “This s— ain’t for you.”

“I used sports to detach myself,” Brown said.

He threw himself into baseball and basketball. With football, there wasn’t exactly an immediate connection. His former position coach at Starkville, Willie Gillespie, recalls Brown not taking to a Bull-in-the-Ring drill during eighth grade practice, where the player in the middle of a circle of kids crashes into the ball carrier.

“He wasn’t real happy about that. Too much physical stuff going on,” Gillespie said.

Brown declined to play football in ninth grade but gave it another go as a sophomore after not being chosen for the varsity basketball team.

He had grown a couple inches by that point and looked the part in uniform, leading the coaches to agree: “We’ve got to find a way for this kid to play.” Brown was a top-level center fielder — he would go on to be selected in the 19th round of the 2016 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres — so receiver made the most sense since it allowed Brown to use his ball-tracking abilities.

He still didn’t love the contact element of the sport but that started to change when the coaches also began to play him at safety, where he would lead the team in interceptions in 10th grade despite playing the role part time.

But it was on offense where Brown really began to shine. Gillespie remembers a play early in the 10th grade season against West Point where Brown caught a ball on a slant and took it about 40 yards for a touchdown. “I think the confidence at that point really took off,” he said.

Gillespie said Brown and his older sisters Reva and Shareda mainly lived with Arthur, whom he credited with doing “a tremendous job” in raising them. He added that A.J. and Robertson reestablished a connection years ago.

But Gillespie said Brown “carried a lot of baggage” for a long time in respect to his parent’s divorce — an event that Brown said makes him slow to trust to this day.

“He’s such an emotional kid,” Gillespie said. “His emotions run high. I think for a long time, he hid those emotions, and he had so many things that he really didn’t understand and didn’t feel good about it.

“Everybody else was kind of looking at it like football is everything but he was more concerned about family and mom. So, he had those moments where he was really down about those situations. But at the end of the day, he has been truly blessed to play at the top level of football and has been able to change some people’s lives having gone through these experiences. And hopefully it helped to heal him, which I think it has by him opening up and talking about it, mental states and all that type stuff. I think that helped heal him.”

---

CYNTHIA MILONS’ FIRST interaction with Brown was on a basketball court. She was a referee for the Starkville Athletic Youth Basketball League then and Brown, by her memory, was no more than 8 years old.

“I just remember him fouling and getting mad. He would always blame me, that I would foul him out,” she said with a laugh. “I just remember him being so competitive.”

Arthur Brown was the coach, “and let’s say A.J. gets his passion from his dad,” Milons added.

Their paths crossed again at Starkville High School when Milons served as Brown’s 10th grade English teacher. Milons’ family is full of athletes, including brother Freddie Milons, a former standout wide receiver at the University of Alabama who was drafted by the Eagles in 2002, and the two bonded over sports.

Milons remembers Brown as a shy, sweet kid with a bright smile who wouldn’t hang around many people outside of his sisters. Whatever behavior problems did come up, she said, would be handled by discussing with Arthur, working under the philosophy that it “takes a village” to raise a child.

Her influence on Brown first came to light in 2017 when he selected Milons to receive national recognition through the Extra Yard for Teachers initiative, complete with Starkville High School receiving a $10,000 grant. It was seen again in a big way during a wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers in January when cameras caught Brown reading on the sideline while dealing with a quiet day at the office, as he finished with one catch for 10 yards.

“That was just hilarious to me,” Milons said. “It was just one of those things, like, Lord, A.J. is just A.J. It doesn’t matter to him what other people say about it. That’s what I love most about him: He just does this thing.”

Milons and Brown talked earlier this summer about that moment, with Brown explaining to her that reading has a calming, connecting effect on him.

play

The story behind A.J. Brown’s sideline book, ‘Inner Excellence’

A.J. Brown sits down with Sal Paolantonio to discuss the impact his sideline reading has had on the Eagles and the NFL community.

The reactions in Starkville were similar to other parts of the country.

“My wife said, ‘What A.J. doing? What are you doing?” said Gillespie. “I don’t know what he’s thinking. I know I ain’t never read a book on no sideline.”

But Gillespie has a unique insight into Brown’s makeup, having known him since he was a child and sharing a sideline with him. He knows when Brown gets animated on the sideline or vents his frustration or, in this case, picks up a book, it’s rooted in being self-critical.

“It’s all about winning. It’s all it’s all about, I could have done more,” he said. “A lot of times he’s upset with himself, not so much with the organization or with the team or teammates. His expectation for himself, sometimes that’s not being met, and that kind of throws him a little bit.”

Plenty of good came from Brown’s sideline reading, including Brown becoming a prominent figure for reading advocacy, complete with his own book list that he circulated online this offseason.

His act encouraged one of the teachers at Starkville High School to put a poster on the wall that still hangs up there today:

“If A.J. BROWN can find time to read,” it says, “YOU CAN TOO.”

“A lot of people here are really proud of what he’s accomplished,” Gillespie said. “I think that the biggest thing he does is he just gives a community hope.”

---

BROWN’S SUMMER DID not go exactly as planned, as he spent the bulk of training camp practices on the sideline while he dealt with a hamstring injury — now since healed.

He contributed in other ways — most notably by taking a special interest in receiver Darius Cooper, an undrafted rookie out of Tarleton State.

Cooper (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) has a similar build to Brown, who was the rookie’s favorite player growing up. Brown, in turn, has poured his knowledge into Cooper. There were even times when Brown would walk up to the huddle with Cooper before a play, offering last-second instructions.

“Just being in my ear in practices, telling me different techniques and things to do,” said Cooper, who beat the odds by making the 53-man roster. “It’s just a blessing being under his wing and I’m just grateful to be here.”

On a Sunday in mid-August, Brown traded his uniform for a white button down and suit pants for his trip to Boys’ Latin Middle School in Philadelphia. The gym was filled with students awaiting his arrival. But it was more than just an appearance. The “Fresh Cuts For Success & Mission For Heart” event put on by his foundation offered free haircuts for children about to go back to school as well as school supplies for both students and teachers. After being introduced by the DJ and receiving a loud ovation, Brown went around the room shaking hands and taking pictures with Eagles fans who got to see yet another side to the multidimensional talent.

“When I was younger, I wish I had a mentor,” Brown said. “My father did an excellent job but just to see somebody play a professional sport come back in the community, we didn’t really have that growing up. And I said, ‘I’m going to be that person.'”

Brown acknowledges he was more closed off when he first got into the league. He didn’t show his personality, he said, because he didn’t want to be judged.

He has since shed that protection, layer by layer.

“Now I don’t care,” he said. “I’m going to live my life, I’m going to enjoy myself … I just stopped caring about what people say, honestly.”

NEW YORK — Moments after losing in the Wimbledon final in July, and with tears streaming down her face, Amanda Anisimova was resolute as she spoke to the crowd.

She had just lost 6-0, 6-0 to Iga Swiatek in a devastatingly swift 57 minutes, and the fans at Centre Court seemed enamored by her words as she continued to speak and by her confidence that wouldn’t be diminished despite the lopsided outcome.

“I know I didn’t have enough today, but I’m going to keep putting in the work,” Anisimova said. “And I always believe in myself, so I hope to be back here one day.”

The 24-year-old American isn’t quite back to a major final — not yet, anyway — but she had her chance to avenge the loss to Swiatek on Wednesday in the quarterfinals at the US Open. Much like at the All England Club, she entered the match as the clear underdog, but this time, with the vocal support of the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Anisimova found a way to pull off the upset for a 6-4, 6-3 victory to advance to her first semifinal in New York.

When it was over, just 53 days after her disappointment at Wimbledon, Anisimova initially appeared almost expressionless. Or perhaps she was in shock after she won on her third match point. But after she had exchanged a hug with a stunned Swiatek, a large smile appeared on her face and she put her arms on her head and nodded, before gesturing to her team with her clenched fist over her heart.

“Playing here is so freaking special and I’ve been having the run of my life here,” Anisimova said on the court moments later. “I mean, the first day I got here I was like, ‘OK, let’s try and get through one round.’ But yeah, this has been such a dream, and to come back from Wimbledon like that is really special to me.

“I feel like I worked so hard to try and turn around from that, and I mean, today proved everything for me. I can do it, so yeah. This is really special.”

To call Anisimova’s season resurgent would be an understatement. An exciting junior prospect and the 2017 US Open girls champion, Anisimova burst onto the professional scene with a surprise semifinal appearance at the 2019 French Open as a 17-year-old. The hype and endorsements immediately followed.

But her career was derailed by a number of personal and professional setbacks, including the unexpected death of her father and several injuries. After a difficult start to her 2023 season, Anisimova announced she would be taking an indefinite mental health break as tennis had become “unbearable” for her.

She spent eight months away from the tour, taking time to pursue other interests and, in her words, “reset.” She returned at the start of 2024 and reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, but had largely mixed results in her comeback year.

But 2025 has been completely different. Anisimova won the biggest title of her career at the 1000-level Qatar Open in February. She reached her first grass-court final at Queen’s Club in June — and then followed it with her miraculous run at Wimbledon, including a thrilling three-set victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. She subsequently entered the top 10 for the first time. After her win over Swiatek on Wednesday, she’s expected to rise to a new high of No. 5.

After taking about 30 minutes to cry and mope following the defeat at the All England Club, Anisimova said a phone call with a friend almost immediately after helped her find the humor in the loss. She took some brief time off following Wimbledon to spend time with her young nephews and surf on the beach in Montauk, New York, but returned by the end of the month to play the Canadian Open.

In her two tournaments leading into the US Open, she had just two wins, and had never previously advanced past the third round at the tournament. But she still arrived to the year’s final major brimming with momentum and positivity — and with everything she learned from reaching the Wimbledon final.

“I think just having that experience and experiencing what that final was like definitely gives me some thoughts and certain things that I can bring with me going into this tournament, especially dealing with the stress and the tension of it being, like, a home slam, and there is a little bit of pressure on me,” Anisimova said before the tournament got underway. “I think just the way that the final went, it gave me a better perspective on how I should be handling my nerves.”