Shaw leads WSL player of the season shortlist

TL;DR

Khadija Shaw of Manchester City is shortlisted for the 2025-26 WSL Player of the Season award after scoring 19 goals in 21 matches. She is a strong contender for her third consecutive Golden Boot as City clinches its first league title since 2016.

Key points

Khadija Shaw is on the shortlist for WSL Player of the Season.
She has scored 19 goals in 21 appearances this season.
Shaw is set to win her third consecutive WSL Golden Boot.
Manchester City won their first league title since 2016.
Other nominees include players from Aston Villa, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Everton.

Khadija ShawManchester CityAston VillaArsenal

Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw has been named on an eight-strong shortlist for player of the season at the 2025-26 Women's Super League Football Awards.

Shaw, 29, is set to win a third consecutive WSL Golden Boot after scoring 19 times in 21 appearances, with her goals helping City lift their first league title since 2016.

She won the Football Writers' Association Women's Footballer of the Year award earlier in May.

Shaw is joined on the list by team-mate Kerstin Casparij, who has 10 goal involvements from defence, as well as Aston Villa's Kirsty Hanson – the second-highest scorer in the league with one match to play, with 12 goals – and Arsenal forward Alessia Russo.

Also shortlisted are Manchester United midfielder Jess Park, Chelsea striker Alyssa Thompson, Tottenham winger Olivia Holdt and Everton defender Ruby Mace.

Arsenal's Olivia Smith, who joined the club from Liverpool for a record fee of £1m last summer, leads the nominees for WSL rising star. The Canada international has scored five goals and registered three assists in 19 appearances.

Everton's Ornella Vignola, who scored a hat-trick in the Merseyside derby on her WSL debut, also makes the shortlist, as does Chelsea's 20-year-old defender Veerle Buurman.

Man United's Anna Sandberg, Brighton teenager Emilie Gay, West Ham forward Leila Wandeler, and Aston Villa midfielder Lucia Kendall complete the nominees.

Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Man United), and Ayaka Yamashita (Man City) are tied on seven clean sheets in the race for the WSL Golden Glove with one game to play.

The winners across 17 different categories will be confirmed on Monday 18 May, with the ceremony also seeing Casey Stoney, Kerys Harrop and Matt Beard inducted into the WSL Hall of Fame.

Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed

Q&A

Who is Khadija Shaw and why is she nominated for WSL Player of the Season?

Khadija Shaw is a Manchester City striker nominated for the WSL Player of the Season due to her impressive performance, scoring 19 goals in 21 appearances.

What achievements has Khadija Shaw accomplished in the WSL this season?

This season, Khadija Shaw is on track to win her third consecutive WSL Golden Boot and helped Manchester City secure their first league title since 2016.

Who are the other players nominated for the WSL Player of the Season award?

Other nominees include Kerstin Casparij, Kirsty Hanson, Alessia Russo, Jess Park, Alyssa Thompson, Olivia Holdt, and Ruby Mace.