Women's Football News
UEFA Warns Michele Kang She May Have to Sell Lyon or London City Lionesses if Both Clubs Qualify for European Football
UEFA has delivered a direct warning to Michele Kang and other multi-club owners in women’s football that the sport will not be given special treatment when it comes to competition integrity rules.
The message is clear and unambiguous. If you own two clubs that both qualify for UEFA competitions, something will have to give.
For Kang specifically, the issue centres on her ownership of OL Lyonnes and London City Lionesses. Lyon are playing in this weekend’s Women’s Champions League final in Oslo against Barcelona, while London City finished sixth in their WSL debut season with clear ambitions to reach European football in the coming years.
If both clubs eventually qualify for the same UEFA competition, Kang would need to sell one or place it into a blind trust.
UEFA’s Position Could Not Be Clearer
Women’s football chief Nadine Kessler was pointed in her remarks ahead of the Oslo final. She acknowledged that multi-club investment has been enormously beneficial for the growth of the women’s game, but made it absolutely clear that sporting integrity on the pitch is non-negotiable regardless of the gender of the players involved.
The comparison she drew was entirely valid. Crystal Palace were demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League this season due to John Textor’s ownership of Lyon. The same principle applies here.
A Wider Issue Across Women’s Football
Kang is not the only owner navigating this territory. Mercury 13 owns FC Como Women, Badalona and Bristol City Women, while Crux Sports holds stakes in Rosengard and Montpellier. The economics of women’s football make multi-club ownership particularly attractive given relatively low valuations, but UEFA is watching closely.
What This Means Going Forward
The warning shot has been fired. Kang and other investors now have a clear picture of what compliance will require. The women’s game deserves the same integrity standards as the men’s, and UEFA is right to enforce them without exception.
Women's Football News
World Sevens Football London Edition at Brentford Gtech Stadium Features Eight WSL Giants This Weekend
World Sevens Football arrives in England for the first time when the London Edition kicks off at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium from May 28 to 30, 2026. Eight Barclays Women’s Super League clubs, including Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester City, London City Lionesses, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham compete across 15 matches over three days in a seven-a-side format with a $1.5 million prize pool on the line.
The Format That Reinvents the Game
Seven-a-side football on a reduced pitch with rolling substitutions, no offside rule and 30-minute matches creates a completely different spectacle. Goals come in clusters. Forwards get more space. Keepers face relentless pressure.
The W7F concept genuinely reimagines elite women’s football as pure entertainment without compromising competitive intensity. Bayern Munich won the inaugural tournament in Estoril last May before Fort Lauderdale hosted a successful second edition. London brings legitimacy and global attention that the previous editions lacked. This format deserves this stage.
Sky Sports Broadcasts Everything Live
Sky Sports holds exclusive UK broadcasting rights for the entire tournament, covering all matches live from Gtech Community Stadium. Coverage is also available through NOW streaming, maximising accessibility for fans across the country.
Tickets start at £17 for pitchside access with general grandstand from £20. Premium seating ranges to £60 while VIP cabana experiences cost £175.
Perfectly Timed Before the FA Cup Final
The tournament runs three days immediately before the Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley on May 31.
That scheduling creates a spectacular week-long festival of women’s football that the sport desperately needed. Eight WSL clubs competing together in one venue before Wembley glory beckons is genuinely exciting. Get your tickets now because this weekend belongs to women’s football.
Bristol City
Lexi Lloyd-Smith Wins WSL2 Golden Boot as Bristol City Women Duo Named in Second Tier Team of the Season
Bristol City Women have plenty to feel good about heading into the summer, with Lexi Lloyd-Smith and Emily Syme both recognised at the Barclays WSL Football Awards after another solid campaign for Charlotte Healy’s side under their new Mercury13 ownership.
Lloyd-Smith claimed the WSL2 Golden Boot after finishing the season as the division’s top scorer, while both players earned places in the second tier’s Team of the Season. It is a genuine statement of intent from a club that has been building quietly and steadily over the past year.
A Golden Boot Won in the Most Dramatic Fashion
Lloyd-Smith’s top scorer honour came down to the very last day of the season. Travelling to Bramall Lane, she scored a hat-trick against Sheffield United that included two goals deep into stoppage time, with the decisive third arriving in the 97th minute.
She pipped both teammate Rio Hardy and Sheffield United’s Amy Andrews to the Golden Boot with 11 goals across 21 league appearances. That is the kind of performance that defines a season and deserves every bit of recognition it received.
Syme Earns Her Place in the Team of the Season
Lloyd-Smith was not alone in being honoured. Emily Syme’s inclusion in the midfield of the WSL2 Team of the Season reflects a campaign in which she was one of the more consistent performers in the division.
The two players had already won Bristol City’s Player and Young Player of the Season awards respectively, so this recognition at a wider level feels like a natural follow-on.
City Will Be Back Pushing for Promotion
Bristol City finished fourth in WSL2, five points behind Charlton Athletic and the play-off spot. That gap is not insurmountable. With Lloyd-Smith in this kind of form and new ownership investing in the project, they will be genuine contenders for promotion next season.
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Confirm Eight Departures After WSL Promotion as Major Summer Rebuild Begins at St Andrew’s
Birmingham City are heading back to the Women’s Super League, and they are doing so with a squad that is going to look very different from the one that earned them promotion.
Eight players have been confirmed as departures following the conclusion of the season, with three loan players also returning to their parent clubs. It is a significant overhaul, and the club will need to get their recruitment right if they want to survive in the top flight.
The two names that will hurt the most are Lucy Quinn and club captain Christie Harrison-Murray.
Quinn brought creativity, leadership, and big-moment quality to a side that needed all three during a tough WSL2 campaign.
Harrison-Murray led the team as captain through the entirety of the promotion push. Losing the player who lifted the dressing room and dragged this squad to the top flight is a genuine risk heading into such a demanding first season back.
The Full List of Departures
Alongside Quinn and Harrison-Murray, goalkeeper Adrianna Franch departs after joining mid-season. Lily Agg, Michaela Kovacs, Poppy Irvine, Shanade Hopcroft, and Tegan McGowan are also leaving. That is a substantial amount of experience and squad depth walking out of the door at once.
The Challenge Ahead in the WSL
Promotion is wonderful. Staying up is the hard part. Birmingham know better than most how unforgiving the WSL can be for newly promoted sides, having experienced relegation before. The summer window is not just important for this club, it is absolutely critical.
What Comes Next
Birmingham are expected to be among the busiest clubs in the transfer market over the coming weeks. They need goals, leadership, and WSL experience. The foundation of promotion is there. Now they have to build something on top of it quickly.
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