The Women's Africa Cup of Nations has kicked off and the Swedish Damallsvenskan is back. Players from England are gradually returning to their clubs and preparing for the season. And, of course, the transfer window is still in full swing. Let’s take a look at what happened last week in the world of women's football.

In 2024, two new clubs joined the NWSL as expansion teams. One was brand new and the other, the Utah Royals, was coming back after initially playing in the league from 2018 to 2020. The Royals’ return to the NWSL was not quite the comeback story they were hoping for: they finished their first two seasons in 11th and 12th place in the table out of 14 total clubs, winning 13 of 52 games across those two years. 

Sunday marks the start of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, once again hosted by Morocco. While the tournament may not attract the same level of attention from fans and the media as the UEFA Women's Euro or the AFC Women's Asian Cup, these are the players who you should pay attention to.

In the summer of 1932, several young women from Milan were spending their vacation near Livorno. As die-hard football fans, they began playing football for fun on a small field near the beach. What started as a simple vacation pastime gradually gave rise to a bold idea: to found the first women’s football club in Italy.

When manager Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso after Spain's 2023 Women's World Cup victory, the football world watched in disbelief. One Spain international made a decision that could have cost him his international career for a while. Borja Iglesias refused to represent his country until meaningful change came to Spanish football.

Mckenna “Mak” Whitham broke records when she became the youngest ever player to sign a professional contract in the NWSL, just one day shy of her 14th birthday in 2024. Five months before she penned that deal, she became the youngest athlete to sign a name, image, and likeness (NIL) contract with Nike. What is there to know about the teenager who has been breaking records since before she even started high school?

The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup came to a close on Sunday, allowing attention to gradually shift towards next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. For now, though, the biggest talking points in women's football lie away from the pitch. With the summer transfer window in full swing, clubs across Europe are reshaping their squads

Spain's Laia López’s last month has been one of strong emotions. The Real Madrid goalkeeper has just become European U19 Champion with Spain and, days ago, she signed her renewal with the Los Blancos until 2030, becoming a first-team player for the 26/26 season. 

The historic Collective Bargaining Agreement signed by the league and its players association in August 2024 abolished the draft, making the NWSL the first major professional sports league in the US to get rid of this entry mechanism. How exactly did the league change since the draft was eliminated, and was it for the better?