Canadians Abroad 25/26: WSL & WSL2

The WSL enters its 14th season in 2025/26. It is largely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, women’s leagues in the World. It hasn’t always been that way, but with increased investment since the late 2010s, the excitement around 2x Euro Winners, the Lionesses, and better support from Premier League owners, the league has exploded. Sam Kerr, Lucy Bronze, Viv Miedema, Khadija Shaw, Alessia Russo, Leah Williamson, the list of stars goes on and on. 

One of the big storylines ahead of this season is the recent rebrand, including a new logo for the top flight and a new name for the second division, now named the WSL2 (see above). The new logo was received with mixed reviews from fans and media and comes as part of a larger change of ownership that took place before the 24/25 season. The WSL will expand from 12 to 14 clubs by next season. The league also announced that minimum salaries will be implemented starting this season, but has not yet disclosed what they will be. 

Here’s a quick rundown of our Canucks playing in the WSL in 2025/26:

-          Kadeisha Buchanan is no stranger to winning teams. In her three seasons with the Blues, she’s already won the league three times. Unfortunately, she missed much of the 24/25 campaign due to an ACL tear sustained in the Fall. The good news is that she is back to training with a ball and will be reintegrated to the squad slowly. She has some notable competition for a starting spot including Naomi Girma, Millie Bright, and Natalie Bjorn, but we have no doubts that she’ll be back and contributing sooner rather than later.

-          Aston Villa’s Sabrina D’Angelo goes into her second season with the club as the starting keeper. She started all 22 matches last season but needs to improve in a few areas such as goals conceded (2 per game) and save percentage (only 59%), if she wants to retain her spot. Villa brought in Ellie Roebuck in the off-season which could present a challenge for Sabs. 

- Olivia Smith: world-record breaker. At least for a few weeks. Enough has been written about the young Canadian who will take the pitch for Arsenal this season. She was named the PFA’s Young Player of the Season in 24/25, a meaningful recognition voted by her peers. Only time will tell how she’ll acclimatize to playing a different role than during her time starring for Liverpool. We expect nothing but big things from the Kid from Whitby.

-          Shelina Zadorsky completed a permanent move from the Spurs to West Ham last season. The Hammers extended the 32-yo for another year this summer. The Canadian defender's calm presence in the backline will  be a boon, but it remains to be seen if West Ham can push out of the relegation zone for real this season. The veteran defender (86 WSL appearances) excels in the defensive side of her game and her accurate long balls make her a threat in the offensive phase as well.

- Manchester United is officially in the race to be Canada’s favourite WSL team this year, especially if both our young Canucks can play significant minutes. 24-yo Jayde Riviere is a locked-in starter under coach Skinner and was voted to the PFA’s 24/25 team of the season earlier this summer. Her stats have been incredible (avg sofascore rating: 7.24 across competitions) and she finally managed to stay healthy for the bulk of the season last year (18 matches, over 1400 minutes), despite being one of the most fouled players in the league. 

- Simi Awujo’s situation will be a little different as the former USC Trojan aims to build on a solid but not outstanding rookie season. The 21-yo played just over 650 minutes across competitions and battled a few injuries throughout the year. The dynamic number 8 had her moment at the World 7’s tournament after the season ended, earning the Young Player of the Tournament award. Hopefully, she’ll be relied upon more regularly but rumours of Jess Park’s swap with Grace Clinton may dampen those hopes as does the injury she is currently dealing with that left her out of the UWCL squad.

-          Deanne Rose made headlines this summer with her move to Nottingham Forest. Eyes were on her all summer after her contract with Leicester ended with little fanfare. The WSL2 side were promoted from the National League in 24/25. The team’s topscorers Melissa Johnson (21 Goals) and Charlie Wellings (16 Goals) both re-signed and ex-Chelsea forward Aimee Claypoole joined in the off-season. D Rose will have plenty of competition but if she can stay healthy she should be one of the top players in the league. Canadian fans are certainly hoping for a comeback year as she hasn’t been the same since her first season with Reading in 2021/22.

- The only other Canadian competing in the WSL2 this season is young Frankie Finlayson. The 18-yo from BC played for Fusion FC and Altitude in L1BC before making the move to Charlton’s academy. Stellar loan performances in the National League (3rd tier) for Hashtag United helped her break through to Charlton’s first team this season. The midfielder plays centrally, either as a six or an eight. She’ll be expected to continue to develop in the daily professional environment and soak in everything she can in her first year in the WSL2.

Last but not least, there are four players in the National League this season - Lewes duo Sarah Harvey and Emily Moore, Keeper Nyla Peterkin (Rugby Borough FC), and Sarah Sparrow, who will suit up for Maidenhead United.

In terms of on-field expectations this season, expect the top four clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal, City, and United, to dominate the standings once again. Chelsea won their 6th consecutive title under new head coach Bompastor last season, cruising to first place with a 12-point cushion ahead of runners-up Arsenal. Their roster remains largely the same, other than swapping fullback Carpenter for Lawrence, and rumours of a potential Alyssa Thompson are still swirling.

Arsenal are the reigning UWCL Champions, and will look to seriously challenge for the WSL title this season. The 1-million-pound transfer of Olivia Smith turned heads this summer, as did the permanent signing of Euro’s Hero Chloe Kelly. Both will complement an all-star cast of attackers, including Alessia Russo, Stina Blackstenius, Caitlin Foord, and Beth Mead.  

Manchester City and United are also title contenders, though both would be surprise winners if they were to top the table. City has undergone a few roster changes and have a new head coach in Andree Jeglertz, so they may need some time to gel. They lost Alexandri, Kelly, and Roord, and added Beney, J. Rose, Lohman, and Wienrother. United got off to a strong start with two wins in the second round of UWCL Qualification. United added two high-calibre Swedes this summer in Zigotti and Olmo.

Beyond the top four, all eyes are on newly-promoted London City Lionesses. The Michelle Kang-owned club made several high-impact signings (14 total), including Van de Donk, Kennedy, Zelem, Linari, Pattinson, and J. Fernandez. It’s a bit tough to predict where they’ll end up in the table, given all the new players who will need time to get on the same page, but they’ve certainly splashed enough cash to boast one of the best rosters in the league. 

Brighton & Hove Albion finished “best of the rest” last season, and Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Everton were all within 3 points of 5th place. The Seagulls re-signed 17-yo phenom Michelle Agyemang, who the world got to know as the Best Young Player at the Euros this summer, on loan from Arsenal. 

Other key moves

The WSL is back on Sportsnet as it has been every year since 2020. While last year, many games were inaccessible as they were geoblocked in Canada but not shown on SN’s platforms, it looks like this year all games will be either on the SN TV Channels or SN+. The monthly cost is between $25-35 (going up on September 9th) or $200-250 annually.

As usual, we are collaborating with Northern Lights to run a Fantasy WSL League. Use this link: https://www.aerialfantasy.co/ and code: ANBDFY to join.