WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY
The five-minute read for dedicated-ish fans of women’s football.
This week: England got six points, Bronze reminded everyone she's not done yet, and Scotland's new captain marked the occasion with a hat-trick. Elsewhere: India turned up to the Asian Cup in kids' kits, and Aerial Fantasy's goodbye letter made me sadder than I expected.
– Jo, founder of Twentytwo
⚽ WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Three Stanway goals, two wins, one left back problem
Credit: SPP Sport Press Photo. /Alamy Live News
England kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with six points from six. Two wins leaves them top of Group A3 on goal difference ahead of Spain. Going into this window, the questions were about left back succession and whether Wiegman would use these games to test younger or fringe players.
So, what happened?
Ukraine was pretty flat for 45 minutes — England had the ball but little cutting edge, and it took until the second half for things to open up. Russo, Park and Stanway each scored two as Ukraine fell apart after the break, finishing 6-1 (Highlights)
Iceland was a tighter affair against a side who were always going to make life difficult. England dominated possession and had 31 shots, but couldn't find a way through until late — Hampton needed a sharp save to keep it at 1-0 before Stanway settled it. (Highlights)
Top take-aways
Stanway was the standout of the window — three goals across two games, timing late runs into the box from midfield. She looked sharp and she looked confident
The James-Bronze partnership is England's best attacking weapon when both are fit. Against Iceland they were unplayable down the right — Bronze reading James's runs, James finding space Iceland never closed
Park unlocked Ukraine after a half-time position swap with Hemp. Against Iceland she was quieter in a more central role. Fitting her and James into the same attack is still the puzzle before Spain
Left back is still England's open question. Hinds started both games but was pulled at half-time in Ukraine; Pattinson looked composed on debut and Wiegman has spoken warmly about her. Spain in April will be the real test
On her 145th cap, Bronze was England's best player against Iceland — goal, assist, still the one everyone looks to. At 34 she's managing her minutes, but against Iceland she looked anything but finished
🎥 Watch this if you only click one thing: Georgia Stanway on the volley
ELSEWHERE….
Scotland — Caroline Weir marked her first game as official captain with a hat-trick as Scotland beat Luxembourg 5-0, then won the return 7-0 to go through on a 12-0 aggregate. Belgium in April is the real test — Scotland will need the play-off route regardless of how that goes
Wales — a 2-2 draw away to Czech Republic was a trickier start than expected, but Wales more than made up for it with a 6-1 home win over Montenegro at Parc y Scarlets. Hannah Cain and Mared Griffiths both scored twice and Wales go joint top of Group B1
Northern Ireland — two defeats, 0-2 to Switzerland and 0-1 to Turkey, with a defensive mix-up gifting Turkey their winner in Lurgan. A tough group and the play-off route already looks the most realistic path
🚨ICYMI
Top Headlines
🕊️ Iran's team still in Australia and the situation is getting more serious. Last Monday, Iran's women stood silent as their anthem played at the Asian Cup — a protest two days after US-Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Khamenei. State TV called them "traitors." Now, with their tournament over, the squad is still in Australia. Calls for asylum are growing. Nobody knows what happens next. Read more
📅 WAFCON was postponed 12 days before kick-off, with teams already in camp and CAF offering only "unforeseen circumstances" as explanation. Former Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie put it plainly: "I think it's because it's women's football — people really don't give that much importance to it." The new slot lands in late July, days after the men's World Cup ends.. Read more
🩺 India played their Asian Cup opener in kits sourced from a Perth sports supplier. The AIFF sent jerseys sized for under-15s — 80% of the squad couldn't wear them. Players filed a formal complaint two days before kick-off. India's first Asian Cup in 23 years, and this is how it started. Read more
🏟️ WSL confirms the bottom WSL club will play the playoff match away from home. The WSL is expanding to 14 teams next season. To get there, WSL 2's top two sides go up automatically, and 3rd place hosts the bottom WSL club in a playoff this May. It's the first time the top-flight side won't have home advantage. Read more
💰 Liverpool Women's entire wage bill is less than the club pays its nine directors. All 49 players and staff earned a combined £3.1m last year. The club's nine directors took home £4.2m — the single highest-paid director alone received £2.3m. Arsenal's wage bill, for comparison, was £9.9m. Read more
📚 WHAT WE’RE READING
Football grounds designed for women aren't a trend — they're a necessity — Katie Whyatt at The Athletic
'People don't know what it's like to play football in a war' – The Ukraine women's team on what football means when your country is at war — Jessy Parker Humphreys at The Observer
🎬 WATCH
Arsenal have released a special super cut of their UWCL final success. The bonus episode has been added to their popular four-part Only in the land, documentary series. Narrated by Jen Beattie, the series charts Arsenal’s road to their Champions League Final win over Barcelona. It’s available to stream now.
🔍 IN FOCUS
Aerial Fantasy is shutting down — and it's complicated
Aerial Fantasy, the fan-built WSL fantasy app that grew from 158 players in 2022 to over 32,000, has announced it won't return for the 26/27 season. Founder Dani Gonçalves wrote that discussions about becoming an official game never reached an agreement, leaving Aerial unable to attract brand partnerships or sustain itself financially.
There's a lot to be excited about in how far women's football has come — the growing audiences, the investment, the league taking fan engagement seriously. None of that is bad. But it's hard not to feel something when you watch the small, pioneering businesses that helped build this fanbase find there's no longer a place for them in the game they helped grow. Women's football spent years being built by fans and people pouring their evenings into things that simply didn't exist yet. Aerial is one of the clearest examples of that. The WSL is now a commercially serious league, and you can't underestimate the role outfits like this had in that. The fact there's no place for them in this new commercial world? That doesn't sit right.
👟 KIT DROP
Adidas Predator 26 EQT. Adidas just dropped the Predator 26 in a new EQT colourway. If you love a classic black boot, this one's for you. The black upper gets a flash of that iconic Equipment green on the tongue, and the old "adidas EQUIPMENT" stamp on the heel. It's a colourway, not a new boot, but honestly that's fine. The iridescent details are subtle and the whole thing feels nicely considered. For anyone who grew up desperately wanting a pair of Predators, this won't help. Now available
🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA
Upcoming Events
Baller FC x Subway Cup Final Watch Party Sunday 15 March · Doors 11:00 · KO 14:15 Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol BS3 2EJ Win tickets to the final for you and your mates — enter Baller FC's competition.
The Ladies Football Club Until 28 March · The Crucible, Sheffield S1 4LD A play about the WW1 munitions workers who helped build the women's game — and the FA ban that followed. Written by Tim Firth. Get tickets
Is there a women’s football event happening near you? Give us a heads-up
📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST
What We’re Watching
Your what-not-to-miss viewing guide (GMT/BST)
Saturday 14 March
WSL2
18:00 – Sheffield United vs Newcastle United (WSL2 YouTube)
Sunday 15 March
The WSL returns at 11:55:
Aston Villa vs Manchester City (Sky Sports)
Liverpool vs Leicester City (Sky Sports, WSL YouTube)
London City Lionesses vs Arsenal (Sky Sports)
Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton (Sky Sports, WSL YouTube)
The Big One: The Subway League Cup Final
14:15 – Chelsea vs Manchester United (BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and Sky Sports)
👀 FAVE FINDS
🧢 Chloe Kelly is a Barbie — no, really, she is, and that's not an insult England's Euro 2025 supersub has been chosen as one of eight women across different fields to get a special edition Barbie for International Women's Day. Read more
🫶 Sam Kerr doing Sam Kerr things There's a reel doing the rounds this week that is peak Sam Kerr — the kind of thing you can only pull off if you've fully committed to the bit. Glad someone had their phone out. Watch here
See you next week!
👋 Not a subscriber? → Join for free
👀 Follow us on Instagram
✍️ Take our subscriber survey
📮 Tell us what you think of Twentytwo → [email protected]
