The manager of the Lionesses, Sarina Wiegman has announced the England Women's World Cup squad of 23-player who are gonna represent England at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and there are some names that are worth mentioning who will not be able to make it due to injuries.

Also Read : Germany Women's World Cup squad preview.

Notable mention to the injured players

The manager has gone with the blend of experience and newbies. She was very disappointed to leave out some notable names such a Beth Mead, who was the Golden Boot Winner in 2022 European Championship, due to her ongoing recovery from an ACL knee injury she suffered in the month of November while playing for Arsenal against Manchester United.

Leah Williamson, the captain of the squad is also set to miss the World Cup because of a knee injury she suffered in April against Manchester United. The Arsenal player is one of the finest ball-playing defenders in world football and England is surely going to feel her absence in the World Cup. Fran Kirby, the Chelsea midfielder alongside Beth and Leah will also have to watch the World Cup from her TV screens at home.

Ones who are going to Australia and New Zealand

In Leah Williamson's absence the Chelsea defender, Millie Bright is gonna lead the way for England in Australia and New Zealand. She made her debut, last World Cup in 2019 and bagged 5 World Cup appearances with a red card offense to her name against USA.

Lucy Bronze with 104 appearances for the English national team, has been included in the squad because of her experience. The Barcelona right back is going to be England's most-capped squad member.

Another one of her teammate Keira Walsh has got the call up. The Barcelona midfielder has burst onto the scene during the 2022 Euros and became the most expensive female player when she signed for Barcelona. She will have to be at her best, for England to succeed in this World Cup.

Chelsea's forward, Lauren James with only one goal to her name is also set to make her World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand. Alex Greenwood, the 29-year-old defender, is one of the only two players in this squad who will be playing in her third consecutive World Cup, another one being Lucy Bronze.

Among the players who have won the Euro 2022, 16 of them are selected in the England Women's World Cup squad while Niamh Charles, Laura Coombs, Esme Morgan, Katie Robinson, Kaite Zelem and, mentioned earlier Lauren James will be playing their first major tournament making the English one of the favourites to win the tournament and "bring it home" with the help of Sarina Wiegman who just fell short in the 2019 World Cup final for Netherlands against USA.

The ssquad was revealed via a college - style animation, which was created by Alice Isaacs. The short film uses more than thousand individually cut-out elements to portray the 23 players and the other members of the squad, as well as highlighting the journey of the team over the past 12 months.

England is gonna start their 2023 World Cup campaign on July 22 against Haiti. The other two teams in their group is Denmark and China. They have been drawn in Group D.

England Women's World Cup squad

Goalkeeper

• Mary Earps
• Hannah Hampton
• Ellie Roebuck

Defenders

• Millie Bright
• Lucy Bronze
• Jess Carter
• Niamh Charles
• Alex Greenwood
• Esme Morgan
• Lotte Wubben-Moy

Midfielders

• Laura Coombs
• Jordan Nobbs
• Georgia Stanway
• Ella Toone
• Keira Walsh
• Katie Zelem

Forwards

• Rachel Daly
• Bethany England
• Lauren Hemp
• Lauren James
• Chloe Kelly
• Katie Robinson
• Alessia Russo

USWNT Defender Naomi Girma has joined Chelsea Women for a world-record transfer fee for a female footballer. The Women's Super League leaders paid €1 million to San Diego Wave FC to secure the services of the 24-year-old defender.

Girma was officially presented on the pitch by the Women’s Super League champions before Sunday’s 1-0 victory against Arsenal Women at Stamford Bridge.

It's official. ✍️

Naomi Girma plays for Chelsea Football Club. 🔵 pic.twitter.com/hb7OMyhE06

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) January 26, 2025

Girma signs for Chelsea for a world-record fee

The world record for the highest transfer fees paid for a female footballer was held by Bay FC, who paid €685,000 for Racheal Kundananji in February 2024.

Chelsea has broken the transfer world record and also surpassed the British transfer signing record as well, previously held by Mayra Ramirez, who signed for Chelsea for a €384,000 transfer fee.

Girma has also become the first-ever €1M signing in women's football.

Chelsea Women gaffer Sonia Bompastor has made her first January 2025 signing with Girma as she will enter the team roster after Chelsea defender Kadeisha Buchanan suffered an ACL tear injury in November 2024.

World-record signing Naomi Girma was presented at Stamford Bridge 🤩🔵 pic.twitter.com/vqT0XneC0C

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 26, 2025

Naomi Girma played an integral part in USWNT's Olympic Gold-winning campaign in Paris last year and was also named the US Soccer’s female player of the year in 2023. She was also named the NWSL Defender of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

However, Girma has signed a huge 4-year deal until 2029 as Chelsea head of women’s football Paul Green affirmed his confidence in this signing.

Naomi is a world-class defender who is now coming into the prime years of her career.

Girma also expressed her excitement about joining the Blues as she stated to BBC Sport:

I'm so happy and really excited to be here. It doesn't feel real,

There are a lot of things about Chelsea that made me want to come here - the culture, the winning mentality, staff and players.

It's a top environment to learn and grow in. Right now, that's what I'm looking to do.

Record transfers in women's football

East Bengal commenced their Indian Women's League (IWL) 2024-25 season with a commendable 2- 0 victory over Kickstart FC at the historic East Bengal Ground on 10th January 2025. Two brilliant goals scored by Sandhya Ranganathan and Resty Nanzary are enough to take three points for the Red and Gold brigade.

The home side's first goal materialized by another regular starter for India Soumya Guguloth played a crucial role in that goal. She delivered a ball from the right for Sulanjana Raul, whose header struck the crossbar. The rebound was found by Sandhya Ranganathan, who netted it with a beautiful header.

Read Also | Exclusive Shreya Hooda: Best Goalkeeper in IWL & NFC, National team and the World Cup dream

Maintaining their momentum, East Bengal doubled their lead early in the second half. In the 49th minute, Ugandan recruit Resty Nanzari, made a beautiful run from the left side of the pitch and showcased her skill by delivering a precise low shot into the near post, and securing a goal. That was enough to start a season with a commendable victory for the home side.

Kickstart FC, originating from Bengaluru, attempted to penetrate East Bengal's defence but struggled to create promising opportunities in the attacking third. The host's defence was rock solid and effectively neutralized a clean sheet to start their IWL campaign on a positive note.

Read Also | Indumathi, Shilky, Shreya among the winners of IWL 2023-24 awards

The victory provided East Bengal with a solid foundation for positive progress in the IWL season, they were rock solid in defence and also offensively great. Conversely, Kickstart FC will aim to enhance their strategies in the upcoming matches to rebound from the initial setback. 

Debutant Lhingdeikim's four goals along with Simran Gurung's brace helped the Indian Women's Football team thrash Maldives by 11-1 in their FIFA Friendly match in Bangalore. Kajol Dsouza, Pooja, Sibani Devi, and Khumukcham Bhumika Devi were the other scorers for Blue Tigeress. 

After beating Bangladesh by 14-0 in their final match of 2024, the Indian Women's Football team started the 2025 on a great note with an emphatic win over the visitors, Maldives. 

India head coach Joakim Alexandersson made many changes to the team that played against Bangladesh which handed two debutants a chance in the starting XI. Lhingdeikim, who scored four goals (twice in both halves) and Shibani Devi, who last year featured for East Bengal FC in the Indian Women's League were among the changes Alexandersson.

Read Also | Indian Women's Football team crush Maldives 14-0 in FIFA Friendly

Ribansi Jamu, Thingbaijam Sanjita Devi, Juhi Singh, Monisha Singha, Khumukcham Bhumika Devi and Simran Gurung were the players who made their debut off the bench. 

Read Also | Exclusive: Here's how Football giving hope to "Mini-Brazil of India"

Maldives looked good in the early minutes which forced Linthoingambi Devi to make some saves but once the Indian team resolved the issue and found their pace, they were tough to resist.

Lhingdeikim started the onslaught for India with an early goal in the 12th minute before providing an assist for Kajol Dsouza to extend the lead three minutes later. She found the net again in the next minute after receiving a perfect ball from Sibani. In the 17th minute, Sangita Basfore's header was deflected into the goal by Maldives captain Hawwa Haneefa. 

However, right before the halfway mark, Maldives scored their only goal of the match as Mariyam Rifa found the net after a defensive error from the Indian team. 

But, India struck again before half-time with Pooja and Shibani scoring one each. At half-time, India were leading by 6-1 and it looked like we would have the scoreline just like the last match. 

Lhingdeikim started the second half by scoring from a beautiful assist by Pooja in the 56th minute. A minute later she scored her fourth goal of the match by flicking a ball with his right foot for a neat finish. This time, Kajol was the assist provider for her. 

Simran Gurung, who came off the bench at halftime, scored two goals in the 62nd and 68th minutes. A red card for Maeesha Abdul Hannan did not help the Maldives as well as the defender made a deliberate handball inside the penalty box. Bhumika Devi converted the penalty in the 71st minute to complete the riot. 

Scorecard | India vs Maldives | FIFA Friendlies (Women's)

Maldives 1 (Mariyam Rifa 27’)

India 11 (Lhingdeikim 12’, 16’, 56’, 59’, Kajol Dsouza 15’, Hawwa Haneefa 17’ o.g., Pooja 41’, Sibani Devi 45+1’, Simran Gurung 62’, 68’, Khumukcham Bhumika Devi 71’ p)

UEFA has confirmed the title of the second-division women's European football tournament. The new flagship tournament will be called the 'UEFA Women's Europa Cup', which will aim to expand the competitiveness of women's football in continental stages. 

Presenting the 🏆 UEFA Women’s Europa Cup 🏆!

The UEFA Executive Committee has approved the name of the newly created second women’s club competition that will kick off from the 2025/26 season.

🤩 An exciting new era for women's football in Europe!

— UEFA (@UEFA) December 16, 2024

The tournament is set to commence from the 2025-26 season and will adopt a knockout format.

A new era begins

On 2 December 2023, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the post-2025 sporting concept for European women’s club football.

The UEFA Women's Europa Cup will be of similar importance as the UEFA Europa League which is the existing second-divison of men's European football competitions. However, the 'Cup' in the title implies the knockout status of the newly-formed tournament.

UEFA has addressed the new tournament to be "primed for drama and unpredictability". The official logo, branding, and trophy design will be unveiled in 2025.

Format and qualification 

The UEFA Women’s Europa Cup will be played consisting of six different rounds– two qualifying rounds, the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a two-legged final to crown the inaugural champions.

13 teams will be eligible for direct qualification to this tournament; third-placed teams from leagues of the UEFA nations ranked 8-13, and runners-up from associations ranked 18-24.

The UEFA Women's Europa Cup's first qualifying round will primarily feature 11 teams eliminated in the UEFA Women's Champions League second qualifying round. On the other hand, 20 teams eliminated from the UWCL second and third qualifying rounds will enter the Europa Cup second qualifying round.

Significant changes in women's football in Europe

Major boost incoming for Women's club football in Europe from next season onwards, featuring:

👑 A revamped and fully centralised @UWCL
🏆 The new UEFA Women's Europa Cup
💰 A new financial distribution system that will benefit clubs across the continent.

More: ⤵️

— UEFA (@UEFA) December 16, 2024

As the UEFA Women's Champions League will also welcome notable changes from next season onwards, UEFA shows its commitment to expanding women's football to more countries marking a long-standing transformation. UEFA stated the following in its official announcement in July 2024:

Both competitions have been developed with the aim of increasing competitiveness and maximising participation while also considering calendar constraints and player load.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin also stated:

UEFA has placed huge importance on developing women's football in recent years, making enormous strides thanks to a dedicated strategy, solid investment, and a passion to ensure the game is open to everybody. The new UEFA Women's Champions League format and the introduction of a second competition are further demonstration of this commitment and both will be exciting, competitive competitions that allow more players and clubs across the continent to dream of European glory.

The All India Football Federation has released the tentative schedule for the 2024-25 edition of Indian Women's League. Scheduled to be kicked off on 10 January 2025, IWL 2024-25 is going to be the eighth edition of the premier division of women's football league in India. 

8 teams are set to participate in the IWL 2024-25, 6 teams from last season, and two teams that achieved their promotion to the IWL from the IWL 2.

From Complete fixtures to the participating teams, here is everything you need to know about the upcoming edition of the Indian Women's League for the 2024-25 season. 

Teams to participate in the IWL 2024-25

6 out of the 7 participating teams from last season will feature in this edition, as Sports Odisha withdrew themselves from the tournament. The two promoted teams from the IWL 2, Sreebhumi Football Club and Nita Football Academy are the new inclusions this season.  

• Odisha FC Women 

• Gokulam Kerala FC

• Kickstart FC

• Sethu FC

• HOPS FC

• East Bengal FC

• Sreebhumi Football Club

• Nita Football Academy 

Teams to watch this season

1. Odisha FC Women 

Odisha FC Women have already created history as they became the first-ever Indian Club to play in a Champions League group game. They started their AFC WCL preliminary stage campaign against Singapore's Lion City Sailors with a 4-1 victory over them. Coach Crispin Chhetri and his team etched themselves in history by being the first-ever Indian team to qualify for the Champions League group stage with a 2-1 victory against Jordan's top-flight Champions, Etihad Club. 

However, the journey for Odisha FC Women in the AFC Women's Champions League 2024-25 ended up in quite a nightmare as they got knocked out from the group stage after losing all three group games and conceding 24 goals in total! Odisha FC Women faced the worst defeat in their history in the very first game of the WCL as the defending Asian Champions, Urawa Reds Ladies crushed Odisha by 17-0. 

Read Also | Odisha FC crowned IWL 2023-24 Champions after a near-perfect season

But it will be a different story in the IWL because Odisha FC Women will take the field as the defending champions. They finished at the top of the IWL 2023-24 table, winning 10 games out of 12 and collecting 31 points to be crowned Champions.

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 👑@OdishaFCW are crowned Indian Women’s League Champions after a fantastic season filled with dominant performances! 🤩🙌🏻#IWL 🏆 #ShePower 👧 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/acyvchFglI

— I-League (@ILeague_aiff) March 24, 2024

Odisha FC Women scored a total of 31 goals in the tournament while conceding only 4. The Indian Champions will be one of the teams to watch as they will give their all to resist every calamity to defend and retain their title. 

Read Also | Exclusive Shreya Hooda: Best Goalkeeper in IWL & NFC, National team and the World Cup Dream

2. Gokulam Kerala FC 

Gokulam Kerala FC is the most successful Women's football club in Indian football with 3 IWL titles won in 2019-20, 2021-22, and 2022-23. They were also the runner-up last season with 29 points in 12 matches. Gokulam Women won 9 out of the 12 games and scored a staggering 33 goals in total. 

Thankful to the almighty ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0uVBrskHAi

— Fazila Ikwaput (@FazilaIkwaput) March 26, 2024

Gokulam missed out on the Championship by just two points and they will bounce back stronger this season. Gokulam's Forward Fazila Ikwaput became the highest goalscorer of the IWL 2024-25 with 13 goals, and this Ugandan international will again be donning Gokulam's shirt. 

Hemam Shilky Devi will again lead Gokulam's defence who was officially named the Best Defender of last season. Soumya Guguloth and Sandhiya Ranganathan who scored 7 and 6 goals last season respectively will again play for the title this season. 

Read Also | IWL 2023-24 Exclusive: India's top-tier women's football tournament on grounds without a single grass

Previous Winners 

Complete Fixtures