Last night, Alexia Putellas was crowned the best player in the world for a third time, and for the first time she collected the Ballon d’Or as a Barclays WSL player. The London City Lionesses captain joined from Barcelona this summer, one of four of the world’s top 50 players to move to the league.
Her win is the latest sign of where the world’s best now want to play. But a great league is about more than the names on the team sheet. Measured by the title race, results in Europe, style of play and attendances, the Barclays WSL compares favourably with five of the other leading leagues in women’s football: the NWSL, Liga F, the Frauen-Bundesliga, the Première Ligue and Serie A Women
The numbers tell a brilliant story of the BWSL's impact, and it all starts with a title race that keeps everyone guessing.
The Closest Title Race
Over the last three seasons, from 2023/24 to 2025/26, the BWSL title has been decided by an average of 5.3 points between first and second place in the table. That's the closest of the six leagues compared.
The next closest is Serie A Women on 8.7, and the gap grows from there, with Liga F the furthest apart on 12.7.
Nothing shows this better than the 2023/24 run in. Chelsea and Manchester City actually finished level on points and Emma Hayes' Chelsea won the title on goal difference. It doesn’t get any closer than that.
This season looks set for more of the same. Projections from 22 October give Chelsea a 59% chance of winning the title and Manchester City 40%.
Both clubs have started the season incredibly well, and if they can keep up that form, we could be in for a title race that goes right down to the wire, whereas over in Germany, Spain and France, the favourite already has an 88% to 99% chance of winning it.
Europe’s Best Record
The league doesn't just shine at home. English cubs have shown they can deliver in Europe, too. Over the last three seasons, they've won 67% of their UEFA Women's Champions League games. No other league has a better record, Liga F is next on 60% and the Première Ligue is third on 53%.
Some of the best results have come against the toughest opponents. An English club has reached the semi finals every season since 2023/24, and Arsenal went one step further. In 2025, the Gunners claimed their second European title, beating holders Barcelona 1-0 in the final.
Chelsea have produced some epic European nights as well. Emma Hayes masterminded several of them, including their run to the final in 2020/21, while Manchester United enjoyed an impressive Champions League debut campaign in 2025/26, reaching the quarter finals. The Red Devils put in some big performances on the European stage including a 2-1 victory over PSG at Old Trafford.
Four of the world’s top 10 clubs, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United, play in the BWSL. That is the most of any league and has been every year since 2021, which just goes to show how strong this league really is.
On the Pitch
Results are one thing, but the way the teams play their football is just as impressive, and the numbers paint a clear picture of the football on show.
It all starts with the passing. According to the data, teams in the BWSL complete 81% of their passes this season, that's the highest of the six leagues, and they have actually topped that list three seasons running.
There's plenty of passing from both sides as well. In an average game the two teams make 874 passes between them, and each side averages 80 completed passes in the attacking third per match. Liga F, the next highest, averages 69.5, so BWSL teams are spending more of their time working the ball around the final third, looking to create those goalscoring opportunities.
This tactical approach is very much ingrained in teams, right from the back line. Interestingly, the goalkeepers across the league are averaging 24 short passes per match, more than in any other league we've looked at, and they complete 78% of all their passes, again the highest. It shows how many teams want to build out from the back and rely on their number one to be involved from the very first phase of play.
Then there is the rhythm of the games. Matches in the English top tier have had the fewest fouls of the six leagues in each of the last three seasons, with the two teams averaging 16.7 between them, which gives the football more room to flow from one end of the pitch to the other.
The Crowds
Football is nothing without its fans, and English football has some of the very best in the game. They turn up in numbers, make the noise and give every matchday its atmosphere. Between October 2025 and October 2026, five of the 10 biggest league crowds across the six leagues were at BWSL games, and no other league had more than two.
This is what ties everything together. The players help attract the crowds, and those crowds make the league an even bigger draw for players. The quality of football brings people through the gates, and playing in front of those fans makes it an appealing place to be.
A League Worth Following
The best players are one reason to watch this league, but they are far from the only one.
This is a place where quality runs through everything, from the football on the pitch to the race at the top of the table, the relegation battle and the noise in the stands.
The BWSL is becoming bigger and better every year, and with so many of the world’s best choosing to be part of it, there has rarely been a better time to follow it.
Last night’s ceremony said it best. The best player in the world now plays her football in the Barclays WSL, every weekend, in front of crowds across the country. There has rarely been a better time to come and watch.
Data courtesy of Twenty First Group.
