Women’s Euro 2025: WSL and Barcelona lead way for player provision
The Women’s Super League’s status as the leading domestic competition has been underlined by a squad analysis of all players at the current Women’s Euro 2025.
While some European clubs are arguably bigger in terms of historical success and star power, as a whole the English top flight has by far the biggest array of top players.
Of the 368 players at the Women’s Euros, 72 – roughly one in five – belong to teams from the WSL, including Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City.
WSL-based stars at the Women’s Euros include Spain’s Mariona Caldentey, Vivianne Miedema of the Netherlands and Norway’s Guro Reiten.
The next best represented league is Italy’s Serie A Femmenile with 51, closely followed by the Frauen Bundesliga in Germany with 47.
Despite being home to giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, the relative lack of depth in Spain’s Liga F means it has just 38, while Division 1 Feminine in France has 28.
The US-based NWSL, once the world’s leading domestic competition, has 19.
The WSL has grown in prominence over the last decade, emerging as Europe’s top league and the domestic competition with the most lucrative TV rights in women’s football.
Its standing was boosted further last season when Arsenal toppled Barcelona in the final to win the Women’s Champions League.
Most players at Women’s Euro 2025 by club
Of individual clubs, Barcelona boast more players at the Women’s Euros than any other, with 17 – including 10 of Spain’s squad of 23.
Next is Bayern Munich with 16, including seven of the Germany squad, followed by Chelsea and Juventus, with 14 each.
Arsenal have 13 representatives at the tournament, followed by OL Lyonnes (11) and then Manchester City and Eintracht Frankfurt (10 each).
Nine Manchester United players are representing their national teams at the Women’s Euros – the same number as Fiorentina and Wolfsburg.
The analysis was carried out by independent consultancy Football Benchmark Group.