Where to watch women’s football after the World Cup

Don’t want to wait another four years? What if we told you… you don’t have to.

Somewhere between the quarterfinals and the semis, a sense of melancholy always sets in. After a month of watching football every day, you are suddenly confronted with two full days of no football at all, and the dawning realisation that the World Cup will soon come to and end and life must return to normal.

For those of us who’ve boarded the Women’s World Cup bandwagon, however, life can never truly go back to normal. Instead we are entering a “new normal” in which we know who Mary Fowler and Linda Caicedo and Salma Paralluelo and Alessia Russo are. And maybe we don’t want to wait another four years for a chance to see them play again.

The good news is we don’t have to. Here’s how to watch most of the World Cup’s biggest stars in an exciting new environment: club football.

England: Women’s Super League

England’s premier women’s club competition returns on the first weekend of October. This season will be free to stream on TVNZ+ after it inherited the rights from Spark Sport. TVNZ says they’ll have two or three live games (with full replays) every week, as well as highlights of every game. They’ll also have the women’s FA Cup and the Arnold Clark Cup, an annual international tournament involving England and three other countries.

Who’s there: All but three of the English World Cup squad play in the WSL, as well as a good chunk of the Australian squad and some of the best of the rest. There are currently three Football Ferns in the WSL: midfielder Ria Percival (Tottenham), defender CJ Bott (Leicester) and goalkeeper Anna Leat (Aston Villa).

Who’s good: Chelsea (Sam Kerr, Lauren James, Zećira Mušović) has won the last four Super League titles, and last three FA Cups. Last season Manchester City (Mary Fowler, Yui Hasegawa, Chloe Kelly), Arsenal (Alessia Russo, Caitlin Foord, Vivianne Miedema) and Manchester United (Mary Earps, Ella Toone, Adriana Leon) were their closest rivals in the league.

Rest of Europe: UEFA Women’s Champions League

To see the best of Europe in action you’ll need to familiarise yourself with DAZN, which I’m very sorry to report is pronounced “Da Zone”. They hold the worldwide streaming rights to the UEFA Women’s Champions League, which kicks off on November 14, and Liga F, Spain’s top league (September 8).

If you have a Samsung smart TV, DAZN’s women’s football channel may actually be among the random free channels that come preloaded (alongside the one that seems to play 24/7 Wipeout reruns and the one that plays non-stop Party of Five). Otherwise their YouTube channel carries a lot of live streams, full games and highlights. Or you can pay $15 a month for a full DAZN streaming subscription, which also gives you access to a huge amount of boxing and MMA content.

Who’s there: Many of the best German and French players are spread across their country’s top clubs, and most of the Spanish World Cup squad play for either Barcelona or Real Madrid. Barcelona is also home to Nigerian star Asisat Oshoala, Australian star Hayley Raso, Norwegian star Caroline Graham Hansen, Swedish star Fridolina Rolfö… 

Who’s good: It should come as no surprise to learn that Barcelona is widely considered the best women’s club side in the world. They won the Champions League last season, coming from behind to beat German side Wolfsburg 3-2 in a thrilling final. Those teams narrowly beat Arsenal and Chelsea in the semis.

USA: National Women’s Soccer League

The US NWSL is currently mid-season, and returns from its World Cup hiatus this weekend. Live games, full replays and highlights are free to watch in New Zealand at watch.nwslsoccer.com. 

Who’s there: Of the USA World Cup squad, only Lindsay Horan (Lyon) doesn’t play in the NWSL. Football Ferns captain Ali Riley plays for LA-based Angel City, alongside rising star Alyssa Thompson and Japan fan favourite Jun Endo. So if you’re looking for a team to go for, look no further.

Who’s good: It’s tight at the top of the table – only two points separate the top five teams at the break. Last season’s champions Portland Thorns (Sophia Smith, Crystal Dunn, Canadian star Christine Sinclair) seem like the one to beat. 

Australia: A-League Women

The next season of Australia’s professional women’s competition kicks off on the weekend of 13-15 October, with all games on Sky Sport. If you’re in Wellington, get along and support the Phoenix – the fixture list hasn’t been announced yet, but they’ll hopefully be playing more games in other parts of the country this season too.

Who’s there: Many of the Football Ferns’ most exciting World Cup players can be found in the A-League. Hannah Wilkinson and Katie Bowen play for Melbourne City, where they’ve been joined by Rebekah Stott, who signed from WSL side Brighton after the World Cup. World Cup standout Malia Steinmetz has been joined by rising star Milly Clegg at Western Sydney Wanderers, while Claudia Bunge is at Melbourne Victory, Indiah-Paige Riley at Brisbane Roar and Grace Jale now at Perth Glory. The Wellington Phoenix is of course home to many other New Zealanders, including Ferns squad members Michaela Foster and Grace Wisnewski.

Who’s good: So far, not the Phoenix – they’ve finished bottom of the table both seasons since joining the league. But things are looking up: they won more games last season (3) than the season before (2) and have made their first international transfers this season, signing three players from the US. Let me be the first to say: this is their year. 

NZ: Women’s National League and Kate Sheppard Cup

Communications and publicity are not NZ Football’s strong suit, especially when it comes to its premier club competitions, but keep an eye out for the Women’s National League (a mix of Auckland clubs sides and regional rep teams) to kick off some time in October. Some games will likely be streamed on YouTube (either by NZ Football or Sky Sport Next), but your best bet is to figure out who your local team is and get along to support them in person. In the meantime, the final of the knockout Kate Sheppard Cup appears to be pencilled in for the weekend of 9-10 September, at a venue TBC. 

Who’s there: Potential Football Ferns stars of future World Cups.

Who’s good: Western Springs are the Spain of New Zealand club football, qualifying for the final of the Kate Sheppard Cup despite being embroiled in a public battle with their own governing body. They’ll play Wellington United, who defeated last year’s National League champions Eastern Suburbs in the other semi.