Are you a fan choosing a team to follow, a player dreaming of where your career could go, or a coach looking for the best examples to learn from? This is your guide to the leading women’s soccer clubs on the planet.
Women’s club football has changed completely in a few short years. Stadiums that once held a few thousand fans now sell out in minutes, Champions League nights fill some of the largest grounds in Europe, and clubs from three continents are fighting for the same trophies. In the WSL, for example, women’s matches are now played in large men’s stadiums.
So who are the biggest women’s soccer clubs in the world right now? In this guide, we count down 25 of the world’s leading women’s soccer clubs.
1) FC Barcelona Femení (Spain)
Founded: 1970 | League titles: 11 Liga F | Champions League: 3 titles (2021, 2023, 2024)
Barcelona are the benchmark and one of the most dominant clubs in the women’s game today. Hence, they can’t be missing from the list of the biggest women’s soccer clubs in the world.
They won Liga F again in 2025-26, their 11th title and seventh in a row. Barcelona beat Real Madrid 12-2 on aggregate in the 2025-26 Champions League quarter-finals.
Along with the three European crowns, Barcelona women have reached the final on three further occasions, losing to Lyon in 2019 and 2022 and to Arsenal in 2025.
Their pressing, possession-based style is famous worldwide, and their crowds are the stuff of legend. More than 91,000 fans packed the Camp Nou for a Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg in 2022, a world record for a women’s match at the time.
The squad is built on Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, alongside Caroline Graham Hansen and Clàudia Pina, who scored 21 league goals last season.
2) OL Lyonnes (France)
Founded: 1970| League titles: 19 French titles | Champions League: 8 titles (2011, 2012, 2016-2020, 2022)
OL Lyonnes, known until 2024 as Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, built the greatest dynasty in the history of women’s club football. It’s Europe’s most successful women’s football club of all time, still the leader in France.
They have won 14 French league titles in a row from 2007 and lifted the Champions League five years in a row between 2016 and 2020, a record no one has matched. In total, they have won the competition eight times, more than any other club.
The club lost some of its aura as Barcelona rose, but it is far from finished. Lyon won the 2025-26 Première Ligue, beating Paris FC 5-0 in the playoff final on 29 May 2026.
Ashley Lawrence and Scotland’s Caroline Weir are among the players who carry OL Lyonnes quality today.
3) Bayern Munich Women (Germany)
Founded: 1970 | League titles: 7 Frauen-Bundesliga
Bayern are Germany’s number one and a regular challenger in Europe, and the numbers prove it. In 2025-26, they won the Frauen-Bundesliga with a record 74 points, 24 wins and not one defeat, their fourth title in a row and seventh overall.
They also reached the 2025-26 Champions League quarter-finals, where they beat Manchester United 5-3 on aggregate to progress.
Danish forward Pernille Harder (16 league goals last season) leads an attack supported by a strong academy and goalkeeper Ena Mahmutovic.
Bayern’s profile as one of the biggest names in European football gives the women’s team a global brand to build on.
4) Chelsea FC Women (England)
Founded: 1992 | League titles: 8 WSL | Champions League: final 2021
Chelsea are one of the biggest women’s soccer clubs in England, and for years they were the country’s undisputed leaders.
They are the most successful side in modern WSL history and have a deep, well-funded squad.
Chelsea hold the record of eight Women’s Super League titles, many won in a long run of dominance that ended when Manchester City won the 2025-26 league. Even so, Chelsea finished third on 49 points and remain a force with several FA Cup and League Cup wins to their name.
In Europe, they reached the 2021 Champions League final, losing 4-0 to Barcelona. They are a constant presence in the knockout rounds. Lauren James is Chelsea’s biggest female soccer player, wearing jersey number 10.
5) Arsenal Women (England)
Founded: 1987 | League titles: 15 English top-flight titles | Champions League: 2025 winners
Arsenal are one of the historic giants of the women’s game. They hold the English record for top-flight titles, including three in the Women’s Super League era, and in 2007 they became the first English club to win the European crown (then the UEFA Women’s Cup). They are Champions League winners again, beating Barcelona 1-0 in the 2025 final.
In 2025-26 Arsenal finished second in the WSL on 51 points, with Alessia Russo, Mariona Caldentey and goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez (signed from Real Madrid) at the heart of the squad.
A season-record crowd of 56,537 watched them draw 1-1 with Chelsea at the Emirates in November 2025.
6) VfL Wolfsburg Women (Germany)
Founded: 2003 | League titles: 7 Frauen-Bundesliga | Champions League: 2 titles (2013, 2014)
Wolfsburg were Germany’s dominant side for more than a decade and one of the biggest women’s soccer clubs in Europe. They won back-to-back Champions League titles in 2013 and 2014, then reached the final four more times (2016, 2018, 2020 and 2023) without adding a third trophy.
At home, VfL Wolfsburg Women won ten German Cups in a row. Bayern have overtaken them in the league, but Wolfsburg are still strong.
VfL Wolfsburg Women won a Champions League play-off against Juventus 4-2 on aggregate in 2025-26. Alexandra Popp, one of the most exciting female soccer attackers in the world, and captain Svenja Huth keep VfL Wolfsburg’s experience high.
7) Real Madrid Femenino (Spain)
Founded: 2014 (as CD TACÓN; became Real Madrid in 2020) | Best European finish: quarter-finals
Real Madrid are the newest member of the top group and are still waiting for their first league title.
They have finished second in Liga F several times, including 2025-26, and have reached the Champions League quarter-finals three times, in 2021-22, 2024-25 and 2025-26. Barcelona’s 12-2 aggregate win over them in 2025 shows how big the gap at the top still is.
The ambition is clear, though. With Athenea del Castillo, Linda Caicedo, Signe Bruun and goalkeeper Merle Frohms, Madrid have the quality to challenge.
Real Madrid, however, remains a rising force with huge backing, still looking for its first major trophy.
8) Paris Saint-Germain Féminine (France)
Founded: 1971 | League titles: 1 (2020-21) | Champions League: finalists 2015 and 2017
PSG are one of the most recognisable brands in French football. They finally ended Lyon’s 14-year grip on the league in 2020-21. The women’s soccer club has won the Coupe de France four times (2010, 2018, 2022 and 2024).
In Europe, Paris Saint-Germain Féminine reached the Champions League final twice, losing to Frankfurt in 2015 and to Lyon on penalties in 2017.
2025-26 was a transition year: PSG finished third and lost a playoff semi-final to Paris FC, with a youth-focused project under new management.
They still have pulling power, with a French record crowd of 43,254 at the Parc des Princes for a 2022 Champions League game against Lyon.
9) Manchester City Women (England)
Founded: 1988 | League titles: 2 WSL (2016, 2025-26)
Manchester City are the current champions of England. They won the 2025-26 Women’s Super League on 55 points, scoring 62 goals. It was their first title since 2016.
Khadija Shaw, who’s among the best strikers, scored 21 goals and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
City also have two FA Cups and three League Cups and have reached two Champions League semi-finals (2016-17 and 2017-18, both lost to Lyon).
With Vivianne Miedema, Lauren Hemp and captain Alex Greenwood, Man City women have one of the strongest squads among the leading women’s soccer clubs in the world.
10) Juventus Women (Italy)
Founded: 2017 | League titles: 6 Serie A | Best European finish: quarter-finals
Juventus launched their women’s team in 2017 and became the dominant force in Italy almost at once. They won five league titles in a row from 2017-18 and added a sixth in 2024-25. They also have four Coppa Italia wins and a Supercoppa in January 2026.
Roma have since taken over as champions, and Juve finished third in 2025-26 before losing a Champions League play-off to Wolfsburg.
Martina Lenzini and new signings Hayashi Manaka and Alba Redondo keep the Juventus Women strong.
A crowd of around 39,000 for a 2019 game against Fiorentina at Juventus Stadium was an Italian record.
11) Manchester United Women (England)
Founded: 2018 | Honours: FA Cup 2023-24, Championship 2018-19
Manchester United are one of the fastest-rising women’s soccer clubs in England. Only re-established in 2018, they won the Championship in their first season and the 2023-24 FA Cup, beating Tottenham 4-0 in the final.
The women’s soccer team finished as WSL runners-up in 2022-23 and fourth in 2025-26. United reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2025-26, losing 5-3 on aggregate to Bayern.
Ella Toone, captain Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park, Elisabeth Terland and goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce form the core of a team backed by one of the world’s most famous sports brands.
12) AS Roma Women (Italy)
Founded: 2018 | League titles: 3 Serie A (2022-23, 2023-24, 2025-26)
Roma took Italy’s crown from Juventus and have kept it. They won back-to-back titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and then the 2025-26 championship, finishing on 55 points. They also have three Coppa Italia wins (2021, 2024 and 2026) and domestic doubles in 2023-24 and 2025-26.
Europe has been tougher.
Roma reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2022-23 but suffered a heavy 0-6 loss to Chelsea in the 2025-26 league phase and a 0-6 defeat to Barcelona in 2026-27.
Captain Manuela Giugliano, who scored 19 goals in all competitions last season, is the driving force, supported by Alayah Pilgrim and Alice Corelli.
13) Paris FC Féminines (France)
Founded: 1971| Best result: Première Ligue 2025-26 playoff finalists
Paris FC have become one of the most exciting stories among France’s leading women’s soccer clubs.
In 2025-26, they beat PSG in the playoff semi-final before losing 5-0 to Lyon in the final on 29 May 2026. They had already knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League play-offs on aggregate (5-2), a real sign of how far the project has come.
The club is investing heavily in players and facilities and has become a permanent challenger to Lyon and PSG for second place in France. It is one of the biggest women’s soccer clubs in the capital and a new challenger in Paris, with a strong run in Europe.
14) Eintracht Frankfurt Women (Germany)
Founded: 1973 as SG Praunheim | League titles: 7 Frauen-Bundesliga | European titles: 4
Eintracht Frankfurt carries the history of 1. FFC Frankfurt, one of the greatest clubs the women’s game has seen.
Under their old name, they won the UEFA Women’s Cup in 2002, 2006 and 2008, and the Champions League in 2015, beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
Eintracht Frankfurt Women have won seven league titles and many German Cups, and joined Eintracht Frankfurt in 2020.
Frankfurt remain a regular top-four side in Germany. They share the record of seven league titles with Wolfsburg and are still a respected name in the Frauen-Bundesliga.
15) BK Häcken Women (Sweden)
Founded: 1970 | League titles: Damallsvenskan champions 2025 | European title: UEFA Women’s Europa Cup 2025-26
Häcken are the best team in Sweden at the moment. They won the 2025 Damallsvenskan, and in 2025-26 they won the first UEFA Women’s Europa Cup, a landmark trophy for the club.
In 2026, they were already leading the league with 55 points before Hammarby could close the gap, with the league ending in November of the same year. This means they play in the 2026-27 Champions League league phase.
Maja Bodin, Anna Anvegård and the Icelandic footballer Thelma Pálmadóttir give the BK Häcken Women squad a strong core.
16) SL Benfica Women (Portugal)
Founded: 2017 | League titles: 6 in a row | Best European finish: Champions League quarter-finals 2023-24
Benfica are the leading club in Portugal by a distance. They won the 2025-26 league unbeaten with 48 points, their sixth title in a row, and in 2023-24 they became the first Portuguese club to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Benfica women’s team have kept their place in Europe’s top competition since and beat Juventus 2-1 in the 2026-27 league phase.
Some of the female soccer players leading the Benfica female teams are such as Nycole Raysla, Frøya Dorsin and Caroline Møller.
17) FC Twente Women (Netherlands)
Founded: 2007|League titles: 10 Eredivisie Vrouwen
Twente is the most successful club in Dutch women’s football, with ten league titles, and for years they were the only team that mattered in the Netherlands. They remain one of the leading women’s soccer clubs in the country and are still a strong, well-run team.
PSV ended their run in 2025-26, but Twente have not gone away. Jaimy Ravensbergen scored 16 league goals last season. The club still pulls in some of the biggest crowds in the Eredivisie.
18) PSV Vrouwen Women (Netherlands)
Founded: 2012| League titles: 1 (2025-26)
PSV Eindhoven completed their rise in 2025-26 by winning the Eredivisie Vrouwen for the first time, on 54 points, ending Twente’s long dominance. Ajax finished second and qualified for the Champions League, but the story of the season belonged to PSV.
The club has invested in a project built around Kyah Simon, Sari van Veenendaal, and Janice Cayman, and has made the Champions League its next goal.
19) Hammarby IF Women (Sweden)
Founded: 1970 | League titles: Damallsvenskan champions 2023 | Cups: 4 Svenska Cupen
Hammarby are one of the real success stories in Swedish football. They’re a rising Swedish force, with a recent title and a European final.
They won the Damallsvenskan in 2023 and the Svenska Cupen four times (1994, 1995, 2023 and 2025). In 2025-26 they reached the final of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup, knocking out Brann and Sparta Prague on the way.
In 2026, they sit second in the league, with 47 points after 19 games (15 wins, 2 draws, 2 defeats) behind leaders Häcken. Their record crowd is 18,537 for a game against AIK at the Tele2 Arena in 2021.
Alice Carlsson, Mari Nyhagen, Vilde Hasund, Gudrún Arnardóttir and goalkeeper Emma Holmgren lead the squad.
20) Portland Thorns FC (USA)
Founded: 2012 | Honours: 3 NWSL Championships, 2 NWSL Shields
No list of the biggest women’s soccer clubs in the world is complete without the Portland Thorns. It’s the NWSL’s flagship club for crowds, culture, and brand.
Portland Thorns won NWSL Championships in 2013, 2017, and 2022, along with NWSL Shields in 2016 and 2021, the 2021 Challenge Cup, and the 2021 Women’s International Champions Cup.
Their real strength is their fans. Providence Park holds 25,218, and the club has long led the league in attendance, with a 2026 average of more than 19,000.
Sophia Wilson, goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, Pietra Tordin and captain Sam Hiatt are among the key names for Portland Thorns.
21) Atlético Madrid Femenino (Spain)
Founded: 2001| League titles: 4 | Cups: 2 Copa de la Reina
Atlético have won four league titles (1989-90, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19), two Copas de la Reina (2016 and 2022-23) and a Supercopa. They reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2019-20
Their name is tied to one of the sport’s great days: 60,739 fans watched them play Barcelona at the Metropolitano in March 2019, a world record for a women’s club match at the time.
In 2025-26, they finished fifth in Liga F on 51 points and lost the Copa de la Reina final to Barcelona. Lola Gallardo, Synne Jensen, and Viola Calligaris keep the club in the picture.
22) Brann Women (Norway)
Founded: 1908 | League titles: 3 Toppserien (2021, 2022, 2025) | Best European finish: Champions League quarter-finals 2023-24
Brann are the best team in Norway, with serious fan support. They won the 2025 Toppserien with 74 points from 27 games. They also reached the 2023-24 Champions League quarter-finals, where Barcelona beat them 5-2 on aggregate.
In 2025-26, Brann women fell to Hammarby in the Europa Cup, and in 2026-27 they are in the Europa Cup round of 16.
Amalie Eikeland, the club’s all-time top scorer with 42 goals, Brenna Lovera, Anna Aahjem and Lauren Davidson lead the team.
Brann Stadion holds about 16,750, and the club averaged around 3,100 per game in 2025, far above the league average.
23) Gotham FC (USA)
Founded: 2006 | Honours: 2 NWSL Championships (2023, 2025), CONCACAF W Champions Cup
Gotham are the strongest on-field side in the NWSL and one of the biggest women’s soccer clubs in North America. They won the 2025 NWSL Championship, beating Washington 1-0 with a Rose Lavelle goal after finishing only eighth in the regular season.
They also won the CONCACAF W Champions Cup in 2024-25 and the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup.
The squad is led by Lavelle, goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, captain Tierna Davidson, and Guro Reiten. Gotham FC’s profile in New York is growing fast: a crowd of 42,175 at Citi Field in July 2026 set a New York women’s sports record.
24) AC Sparta Praha (Czechia)
Founded: 1966 | League titles: 22 Czech titles
Sparta are the dominant name in Czech women’s football, with 22 of the 33 Czech league titles and 12 more in the Czechoslovak era. They won the 2025-26 championship in style, going 14-0 in the regular season with 64 goals scored and only 5 conceded. Their female soccer players became full-time professionals in 2024-25.
Sparta Prague Women known as AC Sparta Praha also made the 2025-26 Europa Cup semi-finals, beating Ferencváros, Young Boys and Austria Wien before losing 5-2 on aggregate to Hammarby.
Captain Eva Bartoňová, Hallie Bergford and lead the Sparta Prague squad.
25) FC Rosengård (Sweden)
Founded: 1970 (as Malmö FF Dam) | League titles: 14 Damallsvenskan, a record
Rosengård plays in one of the best women football league in the world. It hold the record for Swedish league titles with 14, and they have six Svenska Cupen wins and four Super Cup wins. They reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2015-16 and 2020-21, and in the 2010s they were among the leading women’s soccer clubs in Europe.
The present is harder. Rosengård finished 11th in 2025 and sat 12th in 2026, in the relegation play-off zone.
Even so, their history and brand mean they stay on any list of the biggest women’s soccer clubs by tradition, and a rebuild could still return them to the top.
Final Whistle
The race to be the biggest club in women’s football is wide open. Barcelona, Lyon and Arsenal lead on trophies and European pedigree, but Bayern, Chelsea, Manchester City and Gotham are all pushing hard, and clubs such as Real Madrid, Roma, Paris FC and PSV show how quickly the picture can change.
Follow the leading women’s soccer clubs through the Champions League, the Europa Cup and the NWSL, and you will see the next generation of stars and champions long before the headlines catch up.
Which of these is your pick for the biggest women’s soccer clubs of the next decade?
