The world of women's soccer is beginning to gain traction. One of the ways any sport grows in popularity and reputation is through the development and promotion of exciting league championships.
With FIFA's recent investment in women's youth soccer, which added the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Kenya, and Poland to the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, all signs point to an increasing popularity in the sport. Find out which leagues to be aware of so you can start getting involved in the world of women's professional soccer!
1. Women's Super League (England)
Originally established in 1991 by the Women's Football Association (WFA) as the National League, this competition was later embraced by The Football Association and rebranded as The FA Women's Premier League in 1994.
The original format was a 3-tier system:
- Tier 1 - Barclays Women's Super League
- Tier 2 - FA Women's Championship
- Tier 3 - FA Women's National League
The National League continued to evolve. They added additional regional tiers, introduced promotion play-offs, and eventually restructured the pyramid more fully, making it a smoother system with clear paths for rising the ranks.
12 teams that play for the WSL title (22 matches, with 11 home games and 11 away games). At the end of the season, 1 team gets relegated to the Barclays Women’s Championship.
They're known for having some of the very best European clubs as members.
Key WSL Clubs
- Chelsea FC (8 titles)
- Liverpool FC (2 titles)
- Arsenal FC (3 titles)
- Manchester City (1 title)
Best Players in the WSL
- Khadija Shaw (Manchester City)
- Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal)
- Fran Kirby (Chelsea)
- Lauren James (Chelsea)
2. National Women's Soccer League (USA)
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is the top-tier women's professional soccer league in the U.S., founded in 2012 and beginning play in 2013 as a successor to previous leagues like Women's Professional Soccer (WPS).
The NWSL started with eight teams and has expanded to 14 teams, making it one of the most valuable, most competitive, and most exciting leagues in the world.
The NWSL follows the first professional women's soccer league, the Women's United Soccer Association (2001-2003) and the Women's Professional Soccer League (2007-2012).
As of 2024, the NWSL season runs from March to November. The winner is the team with the highest points total and is awarded the NWSL Shield. Each team plays 26 games throughout the season (13 home games and 13 away games).
In 2026, the number of games will increase to 30, since the league will expand to 16 teams.
Key NWSL Clubs
- North Carolina Courage (3 titles)
- Seattle Reign FC / OL Reign (3 titles)
- Orlando Pride (1 title)
- Washington Spirit (1 title)
Best Players in the NWSL
- Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)
- Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride)
- Riley Tiernan (Angel City FC)
- Gabi Portilho (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
- Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current)
3. Liga F (Spain)
The Primera División de la Liga de Fútbol Femenino was founded in 1988 and has operated ever since, even though the league has undergone several changes in both format and name.
In the 2021-22 season, the organisation joined the ranks among fully professional women's leagues.
It's organised by the Liga Profesional Femenina de Fútbol (LPFF).
For 12 years, the men’s football teams were creating the football calendars for the women’s football in Spain. In 2020, Levante submitted a proposal to the Spanish Football Association to allow women to organise their own competition.
Teams in the league compete for the Copa de la Reina and the Supercopa de España Femenina.
The league is best known for its super-successful top players from Barcelona.
Spain is home to one of the best soccer teams in the world: Barcelona. Both the men's and women's teams are consistent winners in their respective matches and leagues.
Key Liga F Clubs
- FC Barcelona (10 titles)
- Athletic Club (5 titles)
- Levante UD (4 titles)
- Atlético de Madrid Femenino (4 titles)
Best Players in the Liga F
- Caroline Graham Hansen (FC Barcelona)
- Aitana Bonmatí (FC Barcelona)
- Alba Redondo (Real Madrid)
- Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid)
4. Frauen-Bundesliga (Germany)
The Frauen-Bundesliga was established by the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB) in 1990; the league was modelled after the men’s Bundesliga.
The league was initially split into Northern and Southern divisions. However, in 1997, it was merged into a single division.
The first league champions were TSV Siegen, who won in the first two seasons.
FFC Frankfurt is the only club to remain in the top division since the league's inception. They are the most successful club in the league's history with 7 total title wins.
Key Frauen-Bundesliga Clubs
- Eintracht Frankfurt (7 titles)
- VfL Wolfsburg (7 titles)
- Bayern Munich Frauen (6 titles)
- FFC Turbine Potsdam (6 titles)
- TSV Siegen (4 titles)
Best Players in the Frauen-Bundesliga
- Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich Frauen)
- Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich Frauen)
- Lineth Beerensteyn (Vfl Wolfsburg)
- Jill Janssens (Hoffenheim)
- Natasha Kowalski (SGS Essen)
5. Première Ligue (France)
The Arkema Première Ligue is France’s top-tier professional women’s football league.
The competition was first founded in 1918 by Alice Milliat, but was later disbanded due to the prohibition of women’s football.
The league was reinstated by the French Football Federation in 1974-75.
After reinstatement, the league has worked to garner more attention. Since 2010, they've grown to become a top-notch league, securing 7 UEFA Women's Championship titles, ranking as the best women's league in Europe in 2019-20.
Key Première League Clubs
- Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) (18 titles)
- FCF Juvisy / Paris FC (6 titles)
- VGA Saint-Maur (6 titles)
- Stade de Reims (5 titles)
- Toulouse OAC / Toulouse FC (4 titles)
Best Players in the Première League
- Clara Matéo (Paris FC)
- Melchie Dumornay (Lyon)
- Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC)
- Wendie Renard (Lyon)
- Grace Geyoro (PSG)
6. Serie A Women (Italy)
Italy’s top women’s league, Serie A Femminile, was established in 1968. The league got its professional status in the 2022-23 season after a lot of changes were made regarding the players' salaries, benefits, and career security.
Previously, despite a competitive historical period for Italy in European tournaments, the domestic league struggled to attract elite players and global attention.
After Italy’s success in the 2019 Women’s World Cup, a renewed interest in women’s football sparked its professional status, led by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which played a crucial role in driving the growth.
The current champions of Serie A Femminile are Juventus, having secured their sixth title.
Find out who the greatest female players in soccer history are!
Key Serie A Clubs
- Torres (Sassari) (7 titles)
- Juventus (6 titles)
- Lazio (5 titles)
- Verona Women (5 titles)
- Roma (2 titles)
Best Players in the Serie A
- Cristiana Girelli (Juventus)
- Sofia Cantore (Juventus)
- Moeka Minami (AS Roma Women)
- Benedetta Glionna (AS Roma Women)
7. Damallsvenskan (Sweden)
This top Swedish professional women's football league has been pioneering women's sports since 1988. It was the first league to complete a fully professional women's domestic competition.
Prior to the league's inception, the first official national championship was held in 1973, after non-official regional competitions took place starting in the 1960s.
In 2013, the league united with Elitettan (the 2nd division in Sweden) to create a promotion/relegation system between the two leagues. Since 2022, Damallsvenskan has expanded to include 14 teams.
In a round-robin format, each team plays 22 matches per season, facing each opponent twice (one home match, one away match). Teams earn 3 points per win, 1 point per draw, and 0 points per loss.
Key Damallsvenskan Clubs
- FC Rosengård (14 titles)
- Umeå IK (7 titles)
- Jitex BK (6 titles)
- lvsjö AIK (5 titles)
- Malmö FF / LdB FC Malm (5 titles)
Best Players in the Damallsvenskan
- Felicia Schröder (BK Häcken)
- Eartha Cumings (FC Rosengård)
- Cathinka Tandberg (Hammarby)
8. A-League (Australia)
Founded in 2008 as the W-League, the organisation rebranded as the A-League Women around 2021 to align under the APL "A-Leagues" umbrella.
Each A-League Women team correlates to a Men's team (except Canberra United).
Being part of the A-Leagues was a deliberate action meant to establish more consistency in gender equality across all levels of the game.
As a result, the leagues are now clarified as such:
- A-League Men (formerly A-League)
- A-League Women (formerly W-League)
- A-League Youth
This small effort is intended to help reduce gender bias in league sports such as soccer.
Key A-League Women Clubs
- Sydney FC (5 titles)
- Melbourne City (2 titles)
- Melbourne Victory (3 titles)
Best Players in the A-League Women
- Holly McNamara (Melbourne City)
- Kyah Simon (Sydney FC)
- Taylor Ray (Central Coast Mariners)
- Grace Jale (Wellington Phoenix)
- Sharn Freier (Brisbane Roar)
9. Liga MX Femenil (Mexico)
Liga MX Femenil was Mexico's first professional women's soccer league, founded in 2017. In 2025, the league has grown established and popular enough to host the first-ever Liga MX Femenil All-Star game against FC Barcelona Femení.
At its inception, the league had 16 teams, which were all associated with the Men's Liga MX clubs. Because of this, the women's team counterparts were already well-known and had fan recognition, leading to a strong turnout at the first official match and subsequent matches.
The end-of-season attendance figures surpassed projections, proving there is a market for women's sports. In fact, there were over 32,000 fans in attendance at the 2017 Apertura final.
Clubs are supported by fantastic coaches. Discover some of the best women's soccer coaches who are responsible for the success of the sport.
Key Liga MX Femenil Clubs
- Tigres UANL (4 titles)
- Rayadas (Monterrey) (2 titles)
- Chivas (Guadalajara) (2 titles)
- Club América & Pachuca (1 title)
Best Players in the Liga MX Femenil
- Charlyn Corral (Pachuca)
- Alicia "Licha" Cervantes (Guadalajara)
- Casandra “Cas” Cuevas (Toluca)
- Karol Bernal (Monterrey / Chivas on loan)
10. WE League (Japan)
The Women's Empowerment League was founded in 2020 by the Japan Football Association (JFA).
It was created with the intent to promote gender equality and create an opportunity for women's football to be a legitimate career path for women in Japan.
The first official game took place in September 2021, setting the WE League above the Nadeshiko League, the semi-professional women's soccer league in Japan.
The WE League currently consists of 12 teams, which play in a home-and-away format.
Key WE League Clubs
- Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (2 titles)
- INAC Kobe Leonessa (1 title)
- Tokyo Verdy Beleza (1 title)
Best Players in the WE League
- Riko Ueki (Tokyo Verdy Beleza)
- Miyabi Moriya (INAC Kobe Leonessa)
- Hana Takahashi (Urawa Reds)
Japan's women's professional soccer league is one of the newest in the industry.
Where to Watch Women's Professional Soccer
Watching women's professional soccer on TV or on demand has never been easier! In Australia, there are several options for catching domestic and international women's soccer matches.
Catch FIFA Women's World Cup lineups and more with these convenient viewing options.
Here are the common options for fans looking to tune in on match day:
- YouTube TV
- SBS On Demand
- Freeview
- DAZN
- Channel 7
- Sky Sport
- Paramount+
- 10 DRAMA
While women's soccer has a long way to go to reach the feverish levels of men's soccer fandom, it's nevertheless on the road to new heights. Help support women in athletics by watching women's sports and cheering on all the incredible female athletes!
References
- ABOUT WE. (n.d.). In 2021年9月開幕。WEリーグは日本初の女子プロサッカーリーグです。. https://weleague.jp/en/about/
- Damallsvenskan. (n.d.). In AWSN. https://www.awsn.tv/damallsvenskan
- Femenil, L. M. (n.d.). Liga MX Femenil. In VAVEL USA. https://www.vavel.com/en-us/data/liga-mx-femenil/bio/
- FIFA investment brings new faces to the world stage. (n.d.). https://inside.fifa.com/womens-football/news/investment-womens-football-dominican-republic-u17-world-cup-debuts
- Frauen-Bundesliga. (n.d.). In Futmo. https://www.futmo.com/leagues/frauen-bundesliga
- History of the A-League Women. (2021). In Football Australia. https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/history/aleague-women
- Liga F. (n.d.). In Football Wiki. https://football.fandom.com/wiki/Liga_F
- National Women’s Soccer League. (2025). In Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Womens-Soccer-League
- Olympic Women’s Football Preview: French Women’s Football Team, Storie. (2024). In hana football. https://hanafootball.com/blogs/news/olympic-womens-football-team-french-womens-football-team-stories-and-stars?srsltid=AfmBOooze0No4sRynT_TL1jQ8KB2J5DKrj7UXqPOm2VDonqgWt4x1zwS
- The Football Association. (n.d.). History of the Women’s National Leagues. In www.thefa.com. https://www.thefa.com/womens-girls-football/heritage/history-of-the-womens-national-leagues
- What the professionalization of Serie A Femminile means for women’s soccer in Italy. (2023). In Equalizer Soccer. https://equalizersoccer.com/2023/03/20/what-the-professionalization-of-serie-a-femminile-means-for-womens-soccer-in-italy/
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