The Ballon d’Or comes to London tonight, and 11 of the 30 women on the shortlist play in the Barclays WSL. Here’s why the world’s best are choosing England.
The shortlist is one measure of that talent. However, the picture becomes even more interesting when we look beyond the nominees. The league’s strength has been building for years, and this piece explores how that has happened, from the number of players among the world’s best to the BWSL’s presence on the international stage.
It also looks at how this summer’s high-profile signings have settled in and what their early performances tell us about the quality they bring to the English top flight.
The Talent
Any league in football is built on the talent within it. It's fair to say that the BWSL has an abundance of it; 36 of the top 100 players are currently playing their football in the division. That's more than a third of the best players in the world in one league, and no other league comes close to that share. To put that into perspective, Liga F is second with 20% and the French Première Ligue third with 17%.
Sixteen of the world’s top 50 play here, again more than any other league, so almost a third of the players at the highest level of the game are playing their football in England.
What stands out even more though, is just how evenly that talent is spread. According to the numbers, the BWSL has 12 of the world’s top 25 defenders, 11 of the top 25 midfielders and eight of the top 25 attackers. That works out at nearly half of the best defenders in the world, 44% of the best midfielders and 32% of the best attackers.
A league can often look strong because one club has bought a few stars, or because a couple of the top teams have the ability to attract top players. This is neither of those. There's world-class players wherever you look, and they aren't all sitting at one superteam either.
Fans from across the country get to see the best players going up against each other week in week out, which makes for some pretty exciting games and some nail biting moments depending on who you support!
Years in the Making
What stands out here is just how consistent the numbers have been. Since 2020, the league has had more players among the world's top 100 than any other. The level of quality has been sustained over a number of years rather than simply being as a result of one or two transfer windows.
Star names have been lining up for BWSL clubs for years. Tottenham fans will remember Alex Morgan’s short stint at the club, and fellow World Cup winner Tobin Heath turned out for Manchester United and then Arsenal.
We have to mention Mariona Caldentey. In 2024 she left reigning European Champions Barcelona, to join Arsenal, and she took the league by storm, so much so that she won the inaugural BWSL Player of the Season award in her first season.
The international picture backs this up as well. Of all the players who have represented one of the world’s top 10 national teams over the past year, 32% now play their domestic football in England's top tier. What's more, seven of those ten nations also have more players in this league than any other.
We aren't just talking about a handful of big clubs either. There's quality wherever you look in the division. Two thirds of the players (68%) have played senior international football, and they average 29 caps each. That’s a huge amount of experience in every squad, not just at the title contenders, and it helps explain why even the quieter weekends there are so many high quality games to watch.
Euro 2025 is a great example of just how much talent is in the league. In total, 82 players named in the tournament squads came from clubs in the BWSL.
The international influence is a big part of what makes the league what it is, with players bringing different backgrounds and experience from across the game. Interestingly, players aged 23 to 29 accounted for 61% of all league minutes in 2025/26, meaning the focus is firmly on players in their prime years. In other words, fans get to see the best players in the world, at the absolute peak of their talent.
A Summer of Star Power
If anyone needed more convincing on the league's pulling power, this summer settled it. Four of the world’s top 50 players all made the move to English football.
London City saw an influx of big name players, including Alexia Putellas and Mapi León from Barcelona, while Arsenal brought in Ona Batlle, also from Barcelona, and Georgia Stanway from Bayern Munich.
These are players who could have gone anywhere, and they chose the BWSL. That tells us a lot about where the league is now.
It wasn’t just one club doing the business, either. London City, only in their second season in the top flight, also brought in Mary Earps and Kadidiatou Diani.
Liverpool also added to the league’s talent pool with signings such as Vivien Endemann and Natalia Ramos, while Tottenham secured Alice Sombath's signature from eight-time European champions OL Lyonnes. When top players are spread across several clubs like this, the whole league gets stronger.
Making an Impact
There was never any doubt that the big names would bring quality, but what is particularly impressive is how quickly they have made an impact. Just a few weeks into the season, all four have settled in with ease, and the numbers show it. The figures below are per 90 minutes and compare each player with others in her position who have played 300 minutes or more:
Nobody at London City has settled quicker than Alexia Putellas. She already has three goals and an assist, and with a number of impressive performances to her name, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner looks right at home in the BWSL. The goals are what people will notice, but her passing is what really stands out. She plays 7.6 progressive passes and creates 1.3 chances per 90 minutes, underlining just how much she offers creatively.
Putellas has also brought her winning mentality and leadership to London, being named LCL captain just weeks after signing. Her impact has gone beyond the numbers, with the Spaniard already becoming a key figure both on and off the pitch.
Staying with London City, Mapi León is another player who has made the move from Barcelona to BWSL look easy. She plays 12.1 progressive passes per 90 minutes from centre back, and among all defenders in the league only Arsenal’s Leah Williamson plays more. With a forward-thinking centre back starting attacks as often as that, it inspires confidence throughout the whole team so they can play higher up the pitch.
Over at Arsenal, Ona Batlle spends a lot of her time in the opposition half. She makes 1.7 progressive runs, sends in 2.6 crosses and has 3.1 touches in the box per 90 minutes. She also averages 1.0 key passes per 90, showing just how much she contributes in the final third. She might be a full back on paper but she's proving to be incredibly influential in the attacking third for the Gunners.
Stanway has been just as quick to settle, and she sees more of the ball than anyone. She plays 81.7 passes per 90 minutes, the most of any midfielder in the league, and completes 90% of them. A lot of those go forward too, with 11.6 progressive passes and 12.8 passes into the final third per 90, both the most among midfielders. Despite only being at the club since the summer, she's already become Arsenal's midfield orchestrator.
The Best, Every Weekend
The Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place tonight, and one name will be read out as the best player in the world. Whoever wins, this year’s shortlist is a reminder of how many of the game’s best play in this league.
Fans can see Euro 2025 players, Ballon d’Or nominees and the summer’s big signings in the same competition, often in the same game, and no other league can offer that in the same numbers. If this summer is anything to go by, that is not changing any time soon.
Talent is the foundation of any great league, and the BWSL has it in abundance. In the next piece, we’ll look at what the league does with it, from the title race and the Champions League to the style of play and the crowds that come out to watch.
League data courtesy of Twenty First Group, per 90 data via Wyscout.
