The 2025-26 Women's Super League season is done and dusted, and it has delivered a campaign that will be remembered for one player above all others: Khadija Shaw. The Manchester City and Jamaica forward has rewritten the record books, and in doing so has settled the debate about who the world's finest striker is right now.

Shaw Makes WSL History

Shaw finished the season with 21 goals in 22 league appearances — a return that borders on the extraordinary. Her campaign ended in fitting fashion, a brace against West Ham on the final day bringing up the landmark. In doing so, she became the first player in WSL history to score more than 20 goals in three different seasons, adding to an already remarkable legacy at the club.

That achievement came alongside a third consecutive Golden Boot, a feat no player in the league's history has managed. There were questions in previous campaigns about whether injury misfortune might deny Shaw the title her performances deserved. This time, everything aligned. She was available, she was decisive, and Manchester City were champions.

What makes Shaw so difficult to contain is the breadth of her game. The goals tell one story, but her hold-up play, movement in behind, aerial dominance and pressing from the front make her the complete centre-forward. She also scored the fastest hat-trick in WSL history during the season — a moment that underlined just how relentless she has been throughout.

The concern for City supporters now is what comes next. Shaw is out of contract this summer and the prospect of losing her on a free transfer would represent a genuinely significant blow to a club that has just ended a ten-year wait for the WSL title.

Jeglertz Transforms City's Mentality

Behind every title-winning team is a manager who found a way to make it work, and Andrée Jeglertz deserves enormous credit for what he has achieved in his debut season at Manchester City. The Swedish coach arrived last summer with questions hanging over him after Denmark were eliminated at the group stage of the 2025 European Championship. An opening-day defeat to Chelsea did little to quieten those doubts.

What followed, however, was a transformation. City won all eleven of their home league games and played a brand of football described by those inside the club as dynamic and liberating. Jeglertz gave his players the freedom to express themselves, and the results speak for themselves. He improved the team's efficiency from set pieces, unlocked the best from Vivianne Miedema and Yui Hasegawa, and did so while working with a tighter budget than title rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.

Players have spoken openly about the shift in mentality he brought — a belief that they would always find a way. In a title race as competitive as this one, that psychological edge proved decisive.

A Season to Reflect On

The 2025-26 WSL season has offered plenty beyond City's triumph. Kerstin Casparij and Yui Hasegawa were among the standout performers in a City squad that blended experience with energy. Arsenal and Chelsea pushed hard throughout and will no doubt regroup with ambition for next term.

For the neutral, the headline story is a straightforward one: Khadija Shaw is the best striker on the planet right now, and the WSL is all the richer for having her at its centre. Whether she remains in Manchester beyond the summer is the question that will dominate the close season.

Frequently asked

How many WSL goals did Khadija Shaw score in 2025-26?
Khadija Shaw scored 21 goals in 22 Women's Super League appearances during the 2025-26 season, winning the Golden Boot for a third consecutive year.
Did Manchester City win the WSL title in 2025-26?
Yes, Manchester City won the WSL title in 2025-26, their first since 2016, under first-year manager Andrée Jeglertz.
Is Khadija Shaw leaving Manchester City?
Shaw is out of contract at Manchester City at the end of the 2025-26 season. As of the end of the campaign, her future at the club had not been confirmed, making her a free agent this summer.