The five-minute read for dedicated-ish fans of women’s football.

This week: confirmations. Mead's destination, England's route to the World Cup and Toone's place as a legend. Plus: Newcastle get creative with their stripes, and there's an Agyemang ACL update.

– Jo, founder of Twentytwo

The Lionesses beat Ukraine 3–0 on Tuesday to finish qualifying with five wins from six, but it wasn't enough for automatic qualification. Spain beat England 4–0 the previous Friday, and that defeat meant Spain finished above England in the group despite ending level on points. Automatic qualification goes to Spain. England are in the play-offs.

They'll be seeded, which is the best outcome from here. As a second-placed League A side, England face lower-ranked opposition in the first round. Seven of the eight Round 2 winners go straight to Brazil.

What England need to do to reach Brazil:

🗳️ The play-off round 1 and round 2 draw takes place on 18 June at 12:00 CET. More info here

The other home nations all made the play-offs:

🎥 Watch this if you only click one thing: Caroline Weir scored four against Israel, securing her place as top scorer in the league stage of qualifiers. Watch here

⚖️ West Ham's largest shareholder David Sullivan stepped down as a director earlier this month following a BBC and Times investigation in which seven women accused him of predatory behaviour. It has since emerged that Sullivan had faced restrictions on his contact with the club's women's and academy teams since 2023 (including being barred from attending their matches) as part of an ongoing FA safeguarding investigation. Neither the WSL nor the players were aware. Sullivan denies the allegations. Read more

🏅 Six Lionesses have been awarded MBEs in the King's Birthday Honours — Hannah Hampton, Chloe Kelly, Michelle Agyemang, Lauren James, Alessia Russo and Jess Carter, all recognised for their roles in England retaining the Euro title in Switzerland last summer. Read more

🏗️ 52 of 72 Women's National League clubs have written to the FA demanding it abandon plans to introduce WSL academy teams into the third tier from 2027. The clubs describe the proposals as "morally wrong" and have requested a formal meeting. The FA says no decisions have been made. Read more

🌍 Denmark, France, Germany and Spain have all qualified for the 2027 World Cup automatically. England will need to navigate the play-offs to reach the finals. Sweden, Netherlands and Norway are amongst those who join them. Read more

→ Exciting transfer window will only exacerbate women’s football’s wealth gap – via The Guardian

Beth Mead's move to Manchester City is finally official, confirming what might’ve been the worst-kept transfer secret of the summer. Reaction has been mixed, with some City fans questioning whether she's the right fit alongside Hemp and Kerolin. But she'll be reuniting with partner Miedema, and she still has plenty to give. Read more

→ Caitlin Foord has signed a new deal keeping her at Arsenal until 2028. Manuela Zinsberger leaves the club, joining Borussia Dortmund on a three-year deal after seven seasons with the Gunners. BVB are in the third tier of German football but have serious ambitions.

→ Spanish international, María Pérez, has signed a new deal with London City Lionesses. The club is understood to have also agreed personal terms with Mary Earps, who is leaving PSG when her contract expires on 30 June. Not officially confirmed.

→ Niamh Charles has agreed terms with Manchester City from Chelsea, with a fee reported at £500,000. Announcement is expected imminently.

→ Caroline Weir has left Real Madrid — the Scotland international departs as their all-time top scorer after four years. OL Lyonnes are in advanced talks to secure her signature.

→ Johanna Rytting Kaneryd has been linked with a move to OL Lyonnes. Nothing confirmed yet.

Eight months post-ACL and Michelle Agyemang is back on the grass.

Mead to City, Weir leaving Madrid, Earps potentially heading to London City — there are already loads of deals being announced and plenty more to come. If you're new to following the game and wondering how it all works, here's a quick explainer.

What is the transfer window?
It's when clubs can sign players from other clubs. There are summer and winter windows. The WSL summer window runs from 16 June to 3 September, with a deadline of 11pm on the final day. Outside of those dates, clubs can't buy or sell players.

So why are deals already happening?
Because not every player is at a club. When a player's contract expires, they become a free agent — meaning they're available to sign for anyone, at any time, with no transfer fee involved. Mead, Weir, McCabe and Earps all fall into this category this summer, which is why clubs have been moving quickly.

What about loans?
A loan is when a player temporarily moves to another club (usually for a season or part of a season) before returning to their parent club. Loan rules vary depending on the leagues involved, but one exception applies year-round: clubs can sign a goalkeeper on an emergency loan at any point if they have no registered senior keeper available.

What to expect:
There are some high-profile players out of contract this summer so keep an eye out for announcements as players including Alexia Putellas, Sam Kerr and Ona Battle make their moves.

Newcastle United 2026/27 home kit — what do you get if you cross a barcode with a zebra? Apparently this. Adidas went bold with their redesign of the classic black and white stripes, and let's just say fans don't seem convinced. The punchy blue highlights are quite nice, but the rest is at best a grower. Available now

Nike Total 90 Pink Rise — Nike's brought back the Total 90 III in a women's-exclusive pink colour-way, with a quilted leather upper that mimics the panels of a football. The sheer laces push it firmly into fashion-sneaker territory rather than anything you'd actually play in. No release date confirmed yet, but worth keeping an eye on if early-2000s football nostalgia is your thing.

Our favourite moment from Ella Toone’s hen…

P.S. Here’s Tooney’s original

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