2025 was a year of breaking headlines and news, a lot surrounding retirements, some coming to their natural conclusion, and seemed inevitable; others, however, came with their own drama. Let’s look into the players who have retired. This is not an exhaustive list, just some.
Starting with players who hung up their boots for good.
Kayleigh Barton announced her retirement in August at the age of 37. A month after making her final appearances at the women’s Euros for Wales in their first major tournament in their history. She is transitioning into coaching, with roles including assistant coach for the Wales WU17s and head coach at Saltdean United, while aiming to remain involved in football development. She also serves as Head of Girls’ Football for the London-based academy. She earned 89 caps and scored 22 goals for her country. In her club career, she played for Cardiff City, Brighton and Charlton Athletic. Barton has expressed a desire to remain involved in Welsh football and, if the opportunity arises, to eventually manage the national team.
Two-time World Cup champion and USWNT star Christen Press announced her retirement from the world of football at the end of the 2025 NWSL season. She concluded her career with Angel City FC and the national team, earning 155 caps and scoring 64 goals. She retired despite still loving the game to focus on the rest of her life. Press stated she felt it was the right time to transition, wanting to leave the sport while still able to play rather than be forced out by injury, despite her deep love for the game. She won the World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and Olympic bronze in 2021. She will be known for her technical skill, attacking creativity and strong work ethic.
Many stars retire purely from international football, a natural progression when players get over and are unable to cope with the demands of both club and country football, and are also unlikely to be selected or start for their international sides, and want to leave at their peak.
Magdalena Eriksson retired from the Swedish national football team in November 2025. Citing head and long-term well-being as the primary reasons after experiencing a head injury, she made it her toughest career decision. Still, she prioritised her body over her heart for her future health. She is not retiring from club football anytime soon, as she recently signed a contract extension with Bayern Munich.
The defender earned 123 caps for Sweden and leaves with two Olympic silver medals from 2016 and 2021: a World Cup bronze medal and much more. The country will lose a squad leader who has captained them on multiple occasions over the past decade.
Eriksson described the decision as "the toughest decision I've ever made," stating, "I've landed in the fact that unfortunately it's a decision that has to be made," as she listened to her body and health needs.
Norwegian footballer Maren Mjelde retired in August after the Women’s Euros with 183 caps and nearly a decade as captain. She described the 2025 tournament as the most incredible honour of her career. She, like many, isn’t completely hanging up her feet; she continues to play club football. She returned to her first club, Arna-Bjornar in Norway, after spells at Chelsea and Everton. She played nine major tournaments. The retirement was intended to end on a high note after battling significant injuries, including a severe knee injury in 2021.
When 2025 started, no one could have imagined what was in store for the lionesses and the stars from the 2022 Euros who would conclude their time with England.
Millie Bright withdrew from the April international and then the Euro. When the Homecoming international friendlies came around, the questions about her England future were put forward again. This time, she ended the constant wonder of fans and announced her retirement in October. She earned 88 caps for the Lionesses. She captained England in Australia and at the 2023 World Cup following Leah Williamson's ACL injury. She won the Euros in 2022. She cited the need to focus on her physical and mental health, as well as her club career, to give 100% to Chelsea as she enters the latter years of her career and is now slower. Sarina Wiegman asked if Bright would have been selected for the international side if she had made herself available. She said yes. This was not a retirement like the one below; she would have still started for England.
Mary Earps, where to start? This is truly where the drama game begins. Months before the Euros, there were constant questions for the England manager. “Who will start in goal out in Switzerland?” Earps made that decision herself. She announced her retirement in May 2025 after being selected for those internationals ahead of the major tournament. She made 53 appearances for England. She had previously credited Wiegman for reviving her international career. Still, that relationship soured, as evidenced by her failure to thank the manager in her retirement announcement. She could not be No. 2. After Earps did not appreciate Hannah Hampton getting a second chance, she eventually took on the No. 1 keeper shirt. What was an epic career, from the Euros 2022 win to World Cup finalist, has been cast aside by her comments and book.
One of the saddest retirements was Fran Kirby's, also known as “mini Messi.” The attacking midfielder spent the entire 2024/25 season making sure she was in the best position to be selected for the Euros. But in May, Wiegman sat her down and said she would not be selected. Kirby had already made up her mind to retire from international in September after the tournament, but not being selected moved it up. She was given her lioness farewell at Wembley when England played China. She earned 77 caps, scored 19 goals for England, and won the Euros in 2022.
Finally, Jess Fishlock, Wales' most capped player and all-time leading goalscorer, announced her retirement from international football in October after nearly two decades with the national team. She was asked if this was the end of her playing career, but she wants to play one more year of club football. She has since signed a one-year deal with the NWSL club Seattle Reign, through the end of the 2026 season, when she will likely retire. She played her last game in a 2-1 defeat in front of a home crowd and at Cardiff City's grounds against Australia, and at the end of the game, she addressed the fans.
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