Interest in the WSL continues to explode due to superstars like Arsenal and Lioness hero Chloe Kelly. Arsenal FC via Getty Images Women’s soccer continues to have its moment in England. The Lionesses roared to their second consecutive European championship, defeating world champions Spain on penalties, thanks to impressive performances from Women’s Super League (WSL) stars Alessia Russo, Lucy Bronze, and match-winner Chloe Kelly. England’s EURO 2025 victory is the most-viewed TV moment of the year to date, with a peak viewership in the U.K. of 16.2 million viewers. Such was its significance that Alex Kay-Jelski, BBC director of sport, said,“This final was a landmark moment in sporting history. The kind of moment people will remember exactly where they were when they watched it.” But in the never-ending cycle of sports content, celebration of England’s win will soon give way to a renewed focus on club soccer, specifically the WSL, where 19 of the 23 Lionesses play. The 2025-26 edition of the English women’s domestic league begins in just over a month on September 5th. BASEL, SWITZERLAND - JULY 27: Leah Williamson and Keira Walsh of England lift the UEFA Women's EURO trophy after their team's victory in during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Final match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park on July 27, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) Getty Images WSL Week 1 Matches Friday, September 5 Chelsea FC v Manchester City - 2:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm GMT MORE FOR YOU Saturday, September 6 Arsenal v London City Lionesses - 8:30 am ET / 1:30 pm GMT Sunday, September 7 Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United - 7:00 am ET / 12:00 pm GMT Manchester United v Leicester City - 7:00 am ET / 12:00 pm GMT Liverpool FC v Everton - 7:00 am ET / 12:00 pm GMT Brighton and Hove Albion v Aston Villa - 7:00 am ET/ 12:00 pm GMT WSL History and Audience LEIGH, ENGLAND - APRIL 30: Lucy Bronze of Chelsea celebrates scoring her team's first goal with team mates Wieke Kaptein and Aggie Beever-Jones of Chelsea during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC at Leigh Sports Village on April 30, 2025 in Leigh, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington - The FA/The FA via Getty Images) The FA via Getty Images Established back in 2010, the twelve-team league continues to move from strength to strength. Last season was its first under a new ownership structure: the club-owned independent governing body Women’s Professional Leagues Limited took over regulation and governance from the Football Association (FA). With complete control of its destiny, the WSL has accelerated its growth, becoming one of the premier women’s leagues in the world, alongside the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the U.S. and Spain’s Liga F. It is the breeding ground for England’s most successful generation of female soccer players and continues to provide women with an elite testing ground. Eighty-four WSL players took part in the Women’s EUROs in 2025. Excellent performances on the field have bred commercial success off it, creating a positive feedback loop in which player quality increases, facilities improve, and broadcast deals and revenue continue to grow. According to the WSL, its global audience has gone from just 26% during the 2021-22 season to 62% by the end of the 2023-24 season. Much of the league’s recent success has also come from its new content approach. The talent does the talking on the field, but off it, WSL executives are finding new ways to attract broadcasters and sponsors. WSL matches are now broadcast live on YouTube in many parts of the world, and the league has deals with prominent providers like Sky Sports in the U.K. and ESPN+ in the U.S. Just through the first half of last season (2024-25), the league’s YouTube channel garnered a quarter million new subscribers. The move to digital is also drawing in a more female audience and engaging first-time soccer viewers. According to the league’s stats, 1 in every 5 fans on YouTube is female, compared to 1 in 20 for the Premier League, and a UEFA study shows that “30% of new fans to women’s football are new to football period.” With the success on YouTube, the league has realized it needs to keep pushing to expand its digital presence. According to Zarah Al-Kudcy, the WSL’s Chief Revenue Officer, the league is building a new website which will house the fixture list and latest league news. It is also working on launching an app and empowering its players to share their stories through social media, even granting them the rights to post footage of their goals and assists on their individual accounts. Chief Revenue Officer Zarah Al-Kudcy has been key in the reinvention of the league and helping it find new audiences. Courtesy of the WSL While the Lionesses are a huge draw for domestic crowds, Al-Kudcy says a big driver for the increased international attention is “the influx of international talent.” 78% of the league’s social media views are from the non-U.K. market, and 82% of the WSL’s YouTube views are from abroad. The Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Canada, and the U.S. all boast at least ten internationals playing in the WSL. Reigning champions Chelsea have Colombian superstar Mayra Ramirez and U.S. stalwart Naomi Girma. Even the likes of Brighton have attracted foreign talent, such as Aisha Masaka from Tanzania. Al-Kudcy says Masaka has hugely boosted activity on Brighton’s social media accounts, and according to YouGov’s end-of-season report, Brighton had the highest global audience growth, up 23.9% from the previous season. With Girma, Emily Fox, Mia Fishel, Catarina Macario, and Kristie Mewis all plying their trade in the English league, North American viewing audiences have jumped 22% from one season to the next. To continue to boost international media rights deals, Al-Kudcy says the league has partnered with global sports and culture company IMG. LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 10: Catarina Macario, Naomi Girma, and Mia Fishel of Chelsea celebrate with the Barclays Women's Super League Trophy following their team's victory in the Barclays Women's Super League Match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on May 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) Chelsea FC via Getty Images The league’s streaming and social media-first approach, in combination with its rich talent pool, has catapulted it to the top of the charts, especially with younger audiences. Fifty-four percent of the WSL’s YouTube viewers are under age 34. According to the Women’s Sports Trust, the WSL is ranked second highest for YouTube views for a women’s sports league and had the highest views per TikTok video of any major women’s league around the world. At the time of writing, the WSL is home to the majority of the Lionesses EURO 2025-winning squad, it has one of the most dominant women’s teams in recent memory in Chelsea, and is home to the UEFA Women’s Champions League-winning Arsenal. Moreover, it is increasingly visible all over the world, and is demonstrating itself to be a professional outfit off the field, capable of delivering innovative content and attracting top-level talent. In recent weeks, Reddit co-founder Alex Ohanian acquired a minority stake in Chelsea, and other clubs are increasing their values through partnerships with brands like Snuggs and Persil. While the WSL is naturally looking to become the premier women’s competition in the world, the rise of all women’s soccer is a positive in Al-Kudcy’s eyes. She says, “We want to be in a world where we all succeed,” noting, “We have a great relationship with the NWSL.” With live audiences three-times those of the UEFA Women’s Champions League (according to Al-Kudcy) the WSL feels like it is in a prominent position to continue growing by delivering elite soccer. Beginning in the 2026-27 season, the league will introduce promotion and relegation, only adding to the excitement and potential value of its clubs. With a home Women’s World Cup on their shores in a decade, the WSL executives are laying the groundwork to make the U.K. the premier destination for women’s soccer. And on this point audience numbers and player signings bear that out. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions