It's officially a new season of Barclays Women's Super League. The 2026-27 campaign kicks off Friday with 14 clubs competing to be the league's best. Fans can watch all the action across CBS Sports, as Paramount+ will live stream all 183 matches, the most matches ever made available in the competition's newly expanded format.
CBS Sports Network will additionally air one match per week, with select fixtures also broadcast on CBS Sports Golazo Network. To celebrate the first WSL season on Paramount+, we are naming a player for each team to watch this season. This year, the league is expanding to 14 teams for the first time, and three clubs were recently promoted from WSL 2, with Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, and Charlton Athletic joining the mix.
It'll be hard to narrow everything down to just 14 players because there's so much talent across the rosters, but that's part of the excitement heading into the new year. Now on to the players we will keep an eye on this upcoming season. We'll take them in alphabetical order, but if you want to view WSL power rankings, check them out here.
When it comes to the top clubs in WSL, there will be far too many players to choose from, but for Arsenal, I'm excited to see what Olivia Smith can do in year two with the club. The Canadian international captured headlines last season as one of the biggest transfers in women's soccer and had an immediate impact for the club across 20 games, with 15 starts, five goals, and three assists, before a head injury limited her time in February. Other notables: Alessia Russo, Mariona Caldentey and Emily Fox While former Lioness Rachel Daly is the veteran of the squad, there's plenty of excitement around newly signed Kamilla Melgard.
The 20-year-old Norwegian player is among multiple Scandinavian signings brought in over the offseason to boost the attack after Kirsty Hanson's departure. If she can adapt to the league quickly, it could help shape the season for the club. Other notables: Rachel Daly, Amalie Vangsgaard, Noelle Maritz Fresh off being promoted from the WSL 2, Birmingham City has a tough road ahead of them in a top-flight league.
But with South Korea international Lee Geum-Min, maybe the journey won't feel so rough. A veteran of the league with stints in Manchester City and Brigton Hove & Albion, the forward's technical quality, work rate, and off-ball movement could produce offense for herself and her teammates. Other notables: Lisa Naalsund and Mille Turner Fran Kirby is one of the most recognizable faces of the league and has been with the team since 2024, but there will be plenty of eyes on new signing Emilie Joramo.
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