This weekend, we see what has been an iconic WSL season come to an end, with so much unpredictability, while the title has been secured. Off-pitch farewells, final home appearances, and emotional retirements will define the closing feature.
Many players will come to the end of their contracts this summer and have announced their departures from the clubs, closing the chapter on their time with those teams. Some have already done so, but it is likely to be an emotional day.
Manchester City have already confirmed the WSL champions after a decade-long wait, following Arsenal's failure at the beginning of the month to beat Brighton, which ended their slim chances of pulling off an almighty shock. Champions League football for next season has already been secured, with the battle now over who will finish second between Chelsea and Arsenal to qualify automatically for the group stages.
Brighton v Spurs is the battle of the underdogs; both teams have shown this season that they can fight with the top four sides. Brighton have taken points from Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City; only Chelsea has eluded them. This season has also seen them reach their first-ever FA Cup final, defeating Arsenal and then Liverpool last weekend. With that boost, this could push them to secure a sixth-place finish, while Spurs, who have already matched their best-ever WSL finish,h could record their highest points tally with a win as they sit in fifth. Their best finish was sixth,h back to the 2023/24 season. Spurs have already said goodbye to their stars ahead of this game, but it will be Bethany England's last game as captain.
Chelsea v Manchester United
This will be particularly sad for Chelsea fans, as it marks the departure of club captain Millie Bright, who announced her retirement after 12 years at the club, having always said she wanted to retire at Chelsea. She will not be playing; she has been out injured since March and will not get her playing pitch goodbye, unlike Sam Kerr, who will likely start and be subbed off in remembrance after six and a half seasons at the club, departing with 157 appearances and 115 goals, and as the all-time WSL goalscorer for Chelsea. The team will want to give those departing players a true send-off with a win after a difficult WSL season, losing the title after six straight wins, and hope they can bounce back from their shocking FA Cup defeat. A positive result against United will boost morale going into next season. Chelsea is the only team Manchester United has never beaten in the WSL, with 10 losses and 2 draws. Marc Skinner's job is in jeopardy, and this could be his last game in charge after they were unable to secure European football for next season, having been knocked out in the quarter-finals in their time out and failing to qualify this season.
Liverpool v Arsenal
Liverpool have not had the easiest season on and off the pitch, and will likely want to forget and move forward, especially after the FA Cup semi-final heartbreak of going two goals up and bottling it. This game will be held at Anfield and will seem more significant for Arsenal, as it is the final game for many of their players. While most got their final goodbye on Wednesday against Everton at the Emirates in their last home game, this will be Katie McCabe's final game, with her departure being announced after their last WSL game in North London, which has confused many fans, especially as some fans might not be able to say goodbye properly after 11 years of service. It will also see Beth Meads, Laia Codina and Victoria Pelova's last game on the pitch. Head coach Renée Slegers praised both players and supporters ahead of another sold-out away allocation. But I am sure that if players had known it was Katie McCabe's last game, a lot more of them would have wanted to get tickets.
London City Lionesses v Aston Villa
This has been London City's first WSL season. At the same time, they have managed not to be in a relegation fight, something unheard of for a promoted side and have also managed to achieve the most points for a promoted team of 24 hours in their debut campaign, setting a new benchmark for newly promoted sides. This surpasses the previous record of 23 points and establishes them as the most successful promoted team in the league on their first attempt, with a push for sixth place possible. Aston Villa are seeking to end their three-game losing streak after losing to West Ham in their last league game. Both sides will have significant departures from their squad. London City will say goodbye to Julia Roddar, Wassa Sangare, Maddi Wilde and Gesa Marashi. Aston Villa will say goodbye to Sabrina D’Angelo, Gabi Nunes and Ebony Salmon on the expiration of their contracts and Paula Tomas and Lucy Staniforth to retire, the first due to a career-ending injury and the second after a 16-year career.
West Ham v Manchester City
This will see the trophy lifted, the guard of honour the full nine yards. West Ham sit 10th and scraped themselves out of the relegation fight, not registering a win in November. But it will be a sad day for West Ham fans as they say goodbye to Mini, their Captain Katrina Gorry, who was given a contract extension but chose to decline and leave on the expiration of her contract this summer after making more than 50 appearances. She will likely go back to play in Australia or Sweden to be closer to her or her partner's family. City arrived fresh after one of the most iconic comebacks against Chelsea, coming from two goals down to get back into the game in stoppage time as they continued to look for the domestic double and book their place against Brighton in the final. Andree Jeglertz, City manager, stressed the importance of finishing the season strongly. City will not be saying goodbye to players completely; they have already said their home goodbyes, but they have one more game left on the 31st May. Laura Coombs will retire after 147 appearances, and there are mixed signals around Bunny Shaw's future.
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