Man City must act like champions as WSL rivals grow stronger

What the report says

Manchester City head into the new Women’s Super League season as defending champions after winning their first league title in a decade and adding the Women’s FA Cup last term. BBC Sport reports that the club has strengthened further this summer, but faces a tougher test in 2026-27 as several rivals have also improved their squads and ambitions.

According to the article, Arsenal have added more quality, Chelsea will be aiming to recover from a below-par campaign, and clubs outside the traditional top four are also pushing upward. London City Lionesses, Tottenham and Brighton are all cited as examples of teams that have made notable progress in the transfer market or under new momentum. City themselves have brought in England internationals Beth Mead and Niamh Charles, while keeping top scorer Khadija Shaw after she signed a new contract.

Captain Alex Greenwood said the team learned what it takes to win the league and stressed that City must continue improving rather than assume last season’s success will repeat itself. The piece also notes that City will return to European competition, which adds to their workload and could test squad depth.

The broader context is a more competitive WSL, with investment spreading beyond the established elite. BBC Sport suggests that this could make the title race and top-four battle more open, with City’s ability to maintain standards under manager Andree Jeglertz likely to be a key storyline this season.