A beginner's guide to Arsenal Women and the 2025/2026 season
- Suzy Lycett
- Aug 15
- 10 min read
Updated: Aug 16
Last updated: 15/08/2025
Hi there. You may be new to Arsenal Women, or you may simply be looking for a recap to get you up to speed on the new season. Either way, this is the blog for you. Remember that there are no stupid questions if you're just starting your journey with Arsenal or with women's football. Everyone was new to the game at some point.
From the basics of what games you can expect the team to play, to how to book tickets and get involved in singing and socialising at games - here’s a beginner's guide to what you need to know about the Champions of Europe, Arsenal Women, so you can hit the ground running.
Am I missing anything that you want to know? Let me know in the comments and I'll try to source an answer!
FAQs included in this guide:
Team FAQs
Competition FAQs
Matchday FAQs
Atmosphere and social FAQs
Team FAQs
A brief intro to the team and the club
The team was founded in 1987 by the legend that is Vic Akers. During his tenure, the team won 33 major trophies.
In part thanks to his leadership, Arsenal Women is the most successful team in women’s football in England.
We’ve won 15 league titles, 14 FA Cups, and are still the only English team to win the UEFA Women's Champions League - twice!!! - amongst other accolades.
Who is in the team - and who have we signed so far this season?
So far in summer 2025, we've made some solid signings.
Olivia Smith broke records with her £1 million transfer from Liverpool to give us some solid depth in our wide positions. Taylor Hinds made that same transfer from Liverpool to London, as an option in our left and right back positions.
Chloe Kelly also made her loan permanent from Manchester City. Plus, we added to our goalkeeper union, with the signing of Anneke Borbe from VfL Wolfsburg.
Club captain Kim Little, Frida Leonhardsen Maanum, and Lotte Wubben-Moy also renewed towards the end of the 24/25 season.
For outgoings, Lina Hurtig and Amanda Ilestedt left the club to move overseas. Both Teyah Goldie and Freya Godfrey headed to London City Lionesses - a club to keep an eye on with that strong monetary backing from owner, Michelle Kang.
Laura Wienroither transferred officially to Manchester City, and Rosa Kafaji will spend a loan season at Brighton & Hove Albion WFC.
Who is Arsenal Women's captain?
The team captain is Kim Little, midfield maestro. Her vice captain is England captain and defender Leah Williamson.
After that, it's often Katie McCabe that steps in to wear the armband, followed by Lia Wälti and Lotte Wubben-Moy.
We also currently have three (and a half) national team captains in our Arsenal squad - just to show the depth of talent and leadership we have:
Leah Williamson for England
Lia Wälti for Switzerland
Katie McCabe for Ireland
Steph Catley for Australia is vice captain if Sam Kerr is injured - and she captained many of Australia’s games in the Women’s World Cup
Who is Arsenal Women's manager?
After some poor results at the start of the 24/25 season, Jonas Eidevall resigned from his position as Head Coach.
First Team Assistant Coach Renée Slegers is now Head Coach of Arsenal Women. While she was interim coach, she oversaw a run of 11 games undefeated, with only 10 wins and one draw.
Will there be a bespoke away kit for the women's team this season?
In the 23/24 season, the women's team had an exclusive and limited edition away kit, designed by Stella McCartney.
However, for the 25/26 season, there will not be a separate kit for the women's team. That said, there is a new crop top version to appeal to the women's fans.
Who can you follow on social media to keep up to date in women's football?
For news updates, we have a good list of reporters now that keep us all up to date (and this list isn't exhaustive!):
There are plenty of influencers across social media too. Here are just a few:
Here are some publications you might want to follow as well:
And here's a starter for 10 on podcasts:
Plus - you can also join the Facebook group, Arsenal Women FC Fans Forum. A great space for if you have any specific questions or if you want to kick off a debate!
Competition FAQs
Arsenal Women will normally compete in four competitions throughout the season:
Barclays Women’s Super League
UEFA Women's Champions League
Adobe Women’s FA Cup
FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup (Conti Cup)
What is the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL)?
The Women's Super League (WSL) is a professional league in women's football, where the top teams across England compete.
Last season, we finished second in the league, behind Chelsea.
The WSL includes 12 teams in total.
Throughout the course of the season, Arsenal will play each of the other teams at home (with all games at the Emirates this season) and away, at our opponent's stadium. That means a total of 22 games throughout the season in this league.
When does the WSL 25/26 season start?
The first game will take place on the week of 6-7 September 2025, when Arsenal will play London City Lionesses at the Emirates.
What does a team need to do to win the WSL?
Basic, I know, but this is a beginner's guide!
If a team wins a game, they get 3 points. If they draw a game, both teams get 1 point. If they lose, they get zero points.
It's then simply a question of adding up the number of points each team has to see who’s at the top of the table. The table listing those wins and losses and the ranking of teams therefore changes every game, with some teams leapfrogging each other.
The team with the most points at the end of the season normally wins.
However, the number of points a team gets at the end of the season can be very close or even the same. Goal difference then becomes important. That's the number of goals your team scores minus the number of goals they concede.
If more than one team ends the season on the same number of points, the team with the biggest goal difference will then rank higher than them in the table, and win the league.
What is the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL)?
The UWCL is an elite tournament where the top clubs from different European leagues compete throughout the season. Qualifying for the UWCL gets complicated, but here’s how it works for teams in the WSL.
The top three teams in the WSL get the chance to qualify for the UWCL.
Arsenal won the UWCL for the second time (!!) in the 24/25 season, which means we enter the competition in the league phase.
Chelsea also enter at that stage, as winners of the WSL last season.
Manchester United will play in the qualifying rounds starting in August.
When does Arsenal's 25/26 UWCL campaign start?
The draw for the league phase of the Champions League will take place on 19 September.
The league phase matches then start on 7/8 October 2025.
What's changing for the UWCL in the 25/26 season?
Rather than playing 3 teams across 2 legs in the group stages, Arsenal will play six different teams in the league phase, with 3 away and 3 at home.
Those teams will be determined in the draw on 19 September.
When will Arsenal play in the FA Women's Subway League Cup (formerly the Conti Cup)?
Thanks to our involvement in the UWCL campaign, Arsenal will join the competition in the quarter finals.
The quarter-finals will be played across the weekend of 20-21 December, with the semi-finals then scheduled for 21/22 January 2026. This season's final will take place on 15/16 March 15 2026.
When will the Adobe Women’s FA Cup start for Arsenal Women?
As with the League Cup, Arsenal will join the tournament in the later stages: in the fourth round on 18 January 2026.
When are the international breaks in the 2025/2026 season?
Some of our players are expected to be called up for international breaks to play for their national teams on the following dates in 2025/26:
20–29 October 2025
24 November – 2 December 2025
23 February – 5 April 2026
24 February – 7 March 2026
Matchday FAQs
From ticketing to where the games will be played, this section covers what you need to know to watch the Arsenal play this season.
How many games will Arsenal Women play at Emirates Stadium?
For the first time, Emirates Stadium will be the main home of Arsenal Women in the 25/26 season! They will play all 11 home WSL games at Emirates.
Champions League games before Christmas will be played at Meadow Park - which has been revamped over the summer - and any games in the knock outs in 2026 will be at Emirates.
Which games will be played at Meadow Park?
The FA Cup and League Cup home games will be at Meadow Park, as well as those league phase UWCL games, as mentioned above.
TOP TIP: Be wary of the dreaded Meadow Park queue for food and drink. It goes down slowly, so you may up missing more of the game than you'd anticipated when you wandered off to grab a coffee.
Where can you buy tickets for Arsenal Women’s games?
For Emirates games:
If you don't have a season ticket, you can buy individual tickets on the Arsenal site.
For away games:
The clubs normally coordinate so that tickets can be bought through the Arsenal site.
For Meadow Park games:
Tickets will be released around 5 weeks ahead of each game taking place - but keep an eye on announcements on Arsenal's site.
What time do games kick off?
Kick off for each WSL game is normally at either Friday at 7.30pm 12.00 noon on a Saturday or Sunday if Sky or BBC are broadcasting the game.
This is not set in stone, days and times can vary, but would normally take place in a weekend slot, between Friday and Sunday.
TOP TIP: Game times will sometimes change from their initial advertised time and date. This is because they depend on TV slots being available, and therefore it depends on who broadcasts the game. The timings are normally confirmed around a month in advance of each game - so make sure that you factor this in when planning transport and hotels!
Where can you watch Arsenal Women on TV/online?
The TV schedule is confirmed a few weeks before each game. Sky will broadcast 118 matches from the WSL and the BBC will show the rest.
Disney+ will show all UWCL games, with the BBC also securing rights.
Atmosphere and singing FAQs
I’ve saved the best till last with this. Watching Arsenal Women is for everyone. If you’re coming with a friend, with family, with children, on your own - everyone is welcome and there are many ways to get involved.
What is the Red and White AWFC?
The Red and White is an offshoot of the official supporter's club, dedicated to singing in support of the team and building the atmosphere at Arsenal Women's games.
TOP TIP: If you want to join in with the singing, bring throat soothers - you'll need them!
Where is the atmosphere block at the Emirates?
Since the 23/24 season, there has been a dedicated atmosphere block at the Emirates, aiming to bring the noise at games. The Red and White AWFC and Supporters Club's new home is in block 10.
That's where the singing will be if you want to buy tickets nearby. We'll normally be singing in the concourse before games as well, so anyone can join in there too.
The group spent last season building the atmosphere at Arsenal Women games and is now known to be the loudest and most supportive fanbase in the WSL - and we want to spread that atmosphere around the Emirates!
Where can you find the lyrics to the songs?
You can find a songbook on the Supporters Club site, to get you started on some of the club and player chants.
Where can you meet up before a game?
If you want to meet up before a game, follow the Arsenal Women’s Supporters Club and the Red and White AWFC on Twitter (X) (AWSC / Red and White) and Instagram (AWSC / Red and White).
You can also become a member of the Arsenal Women Supporters Club to get started - head to the AWSC site to learn more about how and when to sign up.
That’s where details of the location and time for some socialising before and after games will be shared.
How can you get involved if you want to come to games on your own?
If you’re coming on your own and are feeling a bit nervous, drop either group a DM and they’ll be happy to help or find someone to come and meet you.
Have a listen to “Inside the Red and White” to get a taste of what attending an Arsenal Women’s game is like.
We want everyone to feel comfortable coming to Arsenal Women’s games. The more the merrier to get behind our team.
Am I missing anything? Let me know in the comments and I'll try to source an answer!
