West Ham enters the 2025-26 Women's Super League (WSL) season with a focus on consistency and building upon the progress made last campaign. Under the guidance of Rehanne Skinner, the team aims to translate positive performances into tangible results, hoping to improve on last season's ninth-place finish.
Last season was a mixed bag for West Ham. They started poorly but showed huge improvements in the second half of the season. After a slow start where performances didn't always match results, the Hammers found their rhythm and put together an unbeaten run, positioning themselves as contenders for a fifth-place finish. Ultimately, they fell just short, ending the season five points behind Brighton. Staying in the division will certainly be West Ham's priority for this season. Without enormous investment, they'll hope to emulate the ninth-placed finish that kept them up last time.
A major turning point last season was the return of Shekiera Martinez from her loan spell at Freiburg. The 24-year-old forward revitalized the attacking line, forming a strong partnership with Viviane Asseyi, who enjoyed a successful season. In just 12 appearances, Martinez scored 10 goals, boasting an impressive 32% shot conversion rate. Maintaining the core of Skinner's preferred 15 players, including Martinez and Asseyi, was a key objective during the summer.
Katrina Gorry, an Australian midfielder, is also a star player for West Ham.
While there have been significant departures, including Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, Shannon Cooke, and Kirsty Smith, most were players on the fringes of the first team. The club has focused on strategic additions to strengthen the squad. Yu Endo brings experience to the defense, while Welsh international Ffion Morgan has shown her talent over four years at Bristol City. Youngsters Sarah Brasero, arriving from Estoril, and Leila Wandeler, from Lyon, are also expected to develop into exciting players.
Ffion Morgan is a standout signing for West Ham. The Welsh international joined from Bristol City earlier in the summer and will add to the attacking choices that West Ham have in their squad. Of all the new signings, she is the only addition with previous WSL experience, so she should settle in quickly.
West Ham prepared for the new campaign with a pre-season tour to Prague. They followed that up with a win over Liverpool and a loss to Arsenal.
West Ham United women's team will begin their 2025/26 Barclays Women's Super League season with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 7 September, which has been selected for live television coverage in the UK by Sky Sports. Following the clash with Spurs on the opening weekend, another London derby awaits Rehanne Skinner's side as they host Arsenal in their first home match of the new term, which will be sure to deliver a fantastic atmosphere at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
After back-to-back derbies, the Hammers will travel to the south coast to face Brighton & Hove Albion before consecutive matches in Dagenham against Chelsea and Aston Villa. A visit to newly-promoted London City Lionesses completes the first set of fixtures before the first international break of the campaign.
One concern for West Ham is the limited number of signings made during the transfer window. Despite the new additions, some observers predict a challenging season for the team, with a likely finish in 11th place. Staying in the division will certainly be West Ham's priority for this season.
Much of the positive end to the campaign was players stepping up and finding a new level to their game. One of those players was Shekiera Martinez, who returned to the club in January after spending the first half of it out on loan.
A mid-table finish would feel solid enough for West Ham at this early point, but if they get their best players firing again and show some more progression under the coaching of Rehanne Skinner, then they will do okay. It would be a bit surprising if they were right down there at the bottom.
