WSL Faces Questions Over Shrinking Homegrown Player Pool

London City Lionesses and Tottenham fielded lineups with almost no British players, highlighting a league-wide slide in homegrown representation.

The opening night of the 2025-26 Women's Super League season produced a notable first: London City Lionesses, who went on to beat Manchester United in Bromley, named a starting eleven containing no English players. It was the first occasion a WSL side had done so on a season's opening day. Two days later, Tottenham's win over West Ham featured Scotland forward Kirsty Hanson as the lone British starter.

Those lineups reflect how the league's growth since turning fully professional in 2018, with rising revenues and transfer fees, has drawn elite players from Germany, Sweden, Japan, Australia and elsewhere. Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas left Barcelona for London City this summer. Data tracking players from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who started at least 11 matches shows that group has fallen below a third of the WSL over three seasons, a drop not seen in France, Germany or Spain, where domestic majorities range from 61% to 69%.

Birmingham City manager Amy Merricks acknowledged the tension, saying the league has attracted world-class athletes but that this blocks some pathways for young players. Manchester City's Andree Jeglertz said the club must raise its own talents, yet he picks whatever lineup gives the best chance of winning.

The trend carries national-team implications. England lost 4-0 to Spain in Majorca and missed automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup, forcing two play-off rounds beginning with Greece. Since arriving in September 2021, Sarina Wiegman has given debuts to 21 players, but only Lauren James, Hannah Hampton and Lucia Kendall have locked down starting spots. The Under-20 World Cup in Poland added to concerns, with England exiting 3-0 to Nigeria in the last 16.