The winner of our Women's Team of the Year award are Arsenal, who won their second Champions League title in 2025, with 46% of the votes.
A transformational 2025
2025 was truly a transformative year for Arsenal. In October 2024, Jonas Eidevall left his role as coach after a torrid start to the season, which included a humbling 5-2 loss to Bayern Munich in Europe.
His more conservative style of football wasn't working, and he was replaced by assistant Renee Slegers, who turned the club's fortunes around.
Under Slegers, their numbers improved tenfold, playing more attacking football, pressing higher up the pitch and encouraging more individuality amongst players.
They averaged 2.39 points per game with the Dutchwoman at the helm during the 2024/25 Women's Super League campaign, compared to 1.25 under Eidevall. Their goals per game also rose to a whopping 3.22.
As a result, they ended as the top scorers with 62 goals, while finishing second behind a sensational Chelsea, who went the season unbeaten.
But their greatest success came in the Champions League.
After an unbelievable 4-1 win at Lyon to overturn a 2-1 first-leg defeat in the semi-finals, they produced a massive upset in the final, doing a job on a Barcelona team seen as close to unbeatable to win 1-0.
Stina Blackstenius was the goalscorer in the second half, as Arsenal lifted their second Champions League title. No other English team has ever got their hands on the trophy.
Stars of the show
Following their European success, Arsenal had two players finish in the top three of the Women's Ballon d'Or (Mariona Caldentey - 2nd, Alessia Russo - 3rd), and will feel hard done by that one of the two didn't lift the prestigious award.
Caldentey proved to be a superb signing from Barcelona in the summer of 2024, registering nine goals and five assists in the WSL, while also netting seven times in the Champions League during the 2024/25 campaign.
The creative hub of the Arsenal team, no player completed more progressive passes (199) or passes into the penalty area (65) than the Spaniard, while her IQ and versatility made her even more valuable.
Russo up front was also a superstar, truly becoming one of the world's best strikers.
She ended the WSL campaign as the joint-top scorer with 12 goals, and was also the joint-second top goalscorer in Europe with seven strikes, alongside Caldentey.
This season, she has bagged five times in the league and four times in the Champions League. But it isn't just her goalscoring prowess that makes her one of the elite.
Her hold-up play, pressing, and general all-round game make life so much easier for those around her, and prove why she is the complete centre forward.
England captain Leah Williamson has been injured for most of the current campaign, and her presence, composure and leadership qualities have been sorely missed.
She was utterly imperious in the Champions League final, and as well as being a rock defensively, her ability on the ball is vital to the way Arsenal play.
In the WSL last season, no one played more passes into the final third than her (182), illustrating that.
Searching for top form again
While 2025 has been exceptional for the most part, their start to the 2025/26 hasn't been ideal. The next goal for Arsenal will be hitting top form again in the new year.
Their chances of winning the WSL already look difficult, with Manchester City eight points ahead of them at the summit of the table, with Arsenal sitting in third.
They have managed to qualify for the knockouts in the Champions League, though, and face Leuven in a play-off match. Should they win that, they face a tantalising quarter-final clash with Chelsea.
It is hard to pinpoint one main reason as to why they didn't hit the ground running this season. Injuries to key players like Williamson and first-choice goalkeepers Manuela Zinsberger and Daphne van Domselaar have been major blows, while reports of a 'splintered' dressing room are certainly far from ideal.
They probably need to bring in some younger, fresher faces into the squad, too. 21-year-old forward Olivia Smith was signed from Liverpool in the summer, becoming the first woman to cross the £1 million fee threshold. Additions like that will be more than welcome.
Despite these problems, the calendar year has been a stellar one for the Gunners. If they can find their best form again soon, they will be one of the leading contenders to repeat their success on the continent, and will hope to reel in league leaders Manchester City. They also have a League Cup semi-final with Manchester United on the calendar.