QB weekly: 25. 5. - 31. 5. 2026

This may well have been the craziest week in women’s football history. And the transfer window hasn’t even opened. The headline story, of course, was Alexia Putellas’ departure from Barcelona. But La Reina won’t be the only star leaving the Catalan club this summer. Mapi León and Ona Batlle are both reportedly on their way to London, signalling the end of an era at Barça Femení. But there are another stories to tell In Austria, Austria Vienna ended St. Pölten’s domestic reign, while significant developments across Europe continued to shake up the women’s game.

End of era in Barcelona Femení and women's football

And we have to start with the biggest story of them all. Just days after lifting the Champions League trophy and completing a quadruple-winning season, Alexia Putellas announced that she would be leaving Barcelona.

While rumours of her departure had been circulating for months, the news still broke the hearts of many Culers. La Reina spent 14 years at the Catalan club, becoming one of the biggest figures in its history and an inseparable part of Barcelona Femení’s rise to global prominence.

A few days later, Barcelona confirmed two more major departures. Defenders Mapi León and Ona Batlle will also leave the club this summer. Batlle has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, while León is reportedly attracting interest from both London City Lionesses and clubs in France. As for Putellas, her next destination remains unclear. The strongest rumours currently point towards either London City Lionesses or the NWSL.

Read our articles about La Reina here and here. 

Bunny stays in Manchester City and lifts another trophy

Those who certainly have no reason to be disappointed, however, are Manchester City fans, who had not one but two reasons to celebrate this week.

The first came during the club’s title celebrations, when Bunny Shaw — the WSL’s top scorer this season — announced that she had signed a new contract with City. Chelsea had been strongly linked with the Jamaican striker and were reportedly willing to spend heavily to secure her signature, but Shaw ultimately chose to stay in Manchester.

She then underlined exactly why City were so desperate to keep her. In the FA Cup final against Brighton, Shaw opened the scoring before halftime. City captain Alex Greenwood, later named Player of the Match, added another before the break.

Brighton’s run to the final had been one of the stories of the competition, but they were unable to spring a surprise against the favourites. City eventually cruised to a 4:0 victory, sealing a domestic double.

Austria Vienna ends a decade of St. Pölten dominance

Few title races anywhere in world football delivered as much drama this season as the Austrian Frauen Bundesliga. Austria Vienna, this season’s UEFA Women’s Europa Cup quarter-finalists, looked on the verge of heartbreak after being reduced to ten players following a red card for Katharina Schiechtl. Yet in the 11th minute of stoppage time, they found the goal that finally ended St. Pölten’s grip on Austrian women’s football. aAdominance that had lasted since 2015.

And the title decider could hardly have been more dramatic. The match remained scoreless throughout regular time before St. Pölten appeared to snatch the championship with a goal in the 96th minute. Austria, however, refused to surrender. Deep into stoppage time, in the 101st minute, they found an equaliser that proved enough to secure the title and bring an end to one of the longest-running dynasties in European women’s football. After ten consecutive league crowns for St. Pölten, Austrian women’s football finally has a new champion.

Sad news for Tuva Hansen

From 29–30 May 2026, London hosted the latest edition of the World Sevens tournament, this year featuring clubs only from the Women’s Super League.

The event felt less like a fiercely contested competition and more like a celebration of the game. An opportunity for players, clubs and supporters to enjoy themselves one last time before the off-season.

Unfortunately, not everyone will look back on the tournament with fond memories. Norwegian midfielder Tuva Hansen (West Ham) suffered an ACL injury. The setback is particularly cruel given that Hansen lifted the World Sevens trophy with Bayern Munich just a year ago.

We’re sending Tuva our best wishes and hoping for a smooth recovery. Women’s football has seen plenty of remarkable ACL comebacks in recent years, and everyone will be hoping to see her back on the pitch as soon as possible.

OL Lyonesses are French champions once again

Just week after UWCL final lost the French giants secured their 19th league title after a dominant 5:0 victory over Paris FC, adding yet another trophy to a cabinet. 

The final quickly turned into a one-sided affair. Melchie Dumornay starred with a hattrick, while Tabitha Chawinga added two goals of her own as Lyon overwhelmed Paris FC from start to finish. The title also marks Lyon’s fifth consecutive league crown, further underlining the club’s domestic dominance in Premiére Ligue.