This week is set to be a very exciting one for women's football fans, as the top leagues in France, Germany, and Italy are set to get underway.
Here's all you need to know ahead of another busy week of women's football around the globe.
What to watch in women's football: September 13th through September 16th
NCAA
The week kicks off with plenty of NCAA action on Wednesday, September 13th as the 2023 season is in full swing. Fans in the USA can follow many of these games via live streaming through ESPN+ and the ESPN App, which also provides games from the ACC Network. Additional live-streaming options also include fuboTV, while the SEC Network will also be carrying some games on TV and live-streaming is also accessible through SEC Network +.
For a detailed schedule of games, including where and how you can watch them, check out our special NCAA Division I women's soccer page here.
Damallsvenskan, Toppserien, and Elitedivisionen
In Scandinavia, the top leagues in women's football are all still in process, with ongoing title races in Sweden's Damallsvenskan, Denmark's Elitedivisionen, and Norway's Toppserien.
Here's where you can catch key games in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
Frauen-Bundesliga
The latest iteration of top flight football in Germany will finally kick off on Friday, September 15th as reigning champions Bayern Munich travel to face Freiburg. This season will see two new sides, RB Leipzig and Nürnberg, with Leipzig making their first ever appearance in the first division after winning the 2.Bundesliga last term.
Make sure you bookmark our special Frauen-Bundesliga match page to follow all matches taking place on matchday one and throughout the season.
NWSL
Matchday 19 in the 2023 NWSL season starts on September 15th with Racing Louisville, who presently sit in seventh, welcoming tenth-ranked Houston Dash. With things looking pretty congested at the top of the table, many eyes will be on the fixtures taking place over the weekend, including San Diego Wave, who are in first, taking on the worst-performing side in the league, Kansas City Current, on Saturday.
A crunch clash will be on the cards when Portland Thorns (second, 29 points) face OL Reign (fourth, 27 points) as either of these teams could move into top spot should the Wave end up slipping up against the Current in the earlier game on Saturday.
Dedicated broadcast listings for your specific location can be found here.
Division 1 Féminine
The top flight in France has now reached its half century since its inception in 1974, and will kick off on Friday, September 15th as Lyon, who come into this season as the reigning champs, travel to face Le Havre. Lyon won their 16th title last season but there are other teams hoping to challenge them, including PSG, who will be on the road against Bordeaux two days after Lyon's match.
Here's where you can find info on where to catch D1 Féminine games throughout the season.
Top news in women's football
Manchester United look to secure deal for American shot-stopper
Manchester United are reportedly looking to spend big to add OL Reign's Phallon Tullis-Joyce to their squad ahead of the upcoming WSL season.
The Red Devils were reportedly the subject of a record-setting bid from Arsenal for star shot-stopper Mary Earps, with some sources claiming that the Gunners were ready to spend over $120,000 to bring in the English international following her excellent showings at this summer's Women's World Cup. However, Manchester United, who finished second in the WSL last season and will be featuring in the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time in club history, decided to reject the deal with the hopes of getting Earps to sign a new bumper contract.
However, the fact that they're ready to spend big to bring in American Tullis-Joyce, who has been on the books of OL Reign since 2021, indicates that perhaps Manchester United are possibly preparing for Earps to leave at some point. Additional sources claim that the Red Devils are so keen on the 26-year-old that they're ready to break the record set for a women's goalkeeper, meaning that it could top the proposed $120,000-plus that Arsenal had offered to sign Earps.
With the transfer deadline looming, Manchester United are keen to get this deal done as quickly as possible to provide some competition for Earps and also have a solid option in the event that the English international does decide to leave sooner rather than later.
Not just the men's game: Saudi Pro League looking to add big name women's players
The Saudi Pro League have been quite determined and aggressive in their quest to establish themselves as major players in world football. Over the past year, they've signed players like Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Jordan Henderson, and Neymar, with many more certain to make the switch from Europe to the oil-rich nation over the coming months and years.
Interestingly, and perhaps even surprisingly, they are not just looking at only the men's game. Indeed, Saudi Arabia are hoping to even get involved in women's football, as evidenced by their recent signing of Leicester City's Ashleigh Plumptre. The 25-year-old, who previously played for England's youth sides but was able to switch to Nigeria due her grandfather being from that country, was one of the standout showings for the Super Falcons at this summer's World Cup.
As such, Saudi Women's Premier League side Al-Ittihad made her an offer she couldn't refused, and following three years on the books of Leicester City, Plumptre is set to continue her footballing journey in Saudi Arabia. The Women's Premier League was founded in 2020, but has been in its current format since 2022. Al Nassr won the inaugural championship last season, while Al-Ittihad, Plumptre's new team, finished in fifth.
Plumptre will not be the only Super Falcons star to be featuring in the Saudi Women's Premier League this season. Rita Chikwelu, a two-time AFCON winner with Nigeria, also completed a move to Saudi Arabia from Liga F side Levante Las Palmas last month, with the 35-year-old striker set to ply her trade for Al Shabab, who finished third in the league last season.
The 2023/24 Saudi Women's Premier League will get underway in just over a month's time, on October 13th.
What to watch in women's football: September 17th through September 20th
Thought that was all for women's football? Think again. There are still even more interesting games to keep fans entertained starting on Sunday, September 17th and running through mid-week until September 20th.
Here's all you need to know.
Serie A Femminile
The 57th season of Italian top flight football will start this weekend. Napoli were promoted from Serie B thanks to winning that championship, while Parma were demoted. Meanwhile, Roma, who won their first ever Serie A title last season, will hope to make sure the coveted prize remains in the Eternal City for at least another year.
The Giallorosse certainly will face some stern competition, with teams like Juventus, AC Milan, Inter, and Fiorentina all hoping to be part of the conversation.
Will the Giallorosse be able to defend their title? Here's where you can find details as to where you can follow the 2023/24 Serie A season from wherever you are based.
Frauen-Bundesliga
The 34th installment of top flight women's football in Germany continues with an exciting triple header on Sunday, September 17th. Newly promoted RB Leipzig, who are making their top flight debut this season, will hope to kick off their campaign on a high note as they travel to face Cologne. Next up will be a clash between Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen, before matchday one concludes with a tie starring Essen and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Make sure you check out our bespoke Frauen-Bundesliga match page to follow all matches taking place on matchday one and throughout the season.
FA Women's Championship
Although it's still another few weeks until the Women's Super League gets underway, the FA Women's Championship has been up and running for a bit. Fans hoping to still tune into some English football will be in for a treat this Sunday, with six matches taking place throughout the day. Kick-off times range from 7 AM EST to 9 AM EST, depending on where you are based. Here's where you can find out geo-localized listings for the FA Women's Championship from your specific location.
NWSL
Matchday 19 finishes on Sunday, September 17th with a double header featuring Chicago Red Stars vs. Angel City and Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage. The Courage, who are in third spot, will hope to continue up the pressure on the teams ahead of them in the table and take advantage of Orlando's less than consistent form this season.
Dedicated broadcast listings for your specific location can be found here.
NCAA
There are a couple more NCAA games taking place between September 18th and September 20th. On Monday, Jackson State will take on USC Upstate, while Wednesday, September 20th will feature several ties, including Boston University vs. Colgate, Holy Cross vs. West Point, and Loyola Maryland vs. Navy.
For a detailed schedule of games, including where and how you can watch them, check out our special NCAA Division I women's soccer page here.
More news in women's football
Arsenal shockingly dumped out of UEFA Women's Champions League by French side Paris
What a difference just a few months can make for Arsenal.
Last season saw the Gunners make an impressive run to the semi-finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League, where they were unfortunately beaten by German outfit Wolfsburg by the narrowest of margins. However, because they finished in third place in the WSL, Jonas Eidevall's team were not given an automatic ticket to feature in this year's competition, and thus had to secure their spot in the tournament via series of play-off games.
After cruising to a comfortable 3-0 win over Swedish side Linköping, Arsenal were pitted against Paris in the finals, with the winner given a chance to play in another two-legged play-off tie to earn a spot in the group stages. Although they were the heavy favorites to progress, Arsenal's poor, and at times, shambolic defending cost them dearly, and despite goals from Jen Beattie and Alessia Russo late on in stoppages, Paris managed to hang on to push the game to penalties after it ended as a three-all draw.
Russo, who had netted twice during the match, ended up being one of two players to miss her spot kick which ended up as a 4-2 defeat for the English side. It will be a bitter result for the English international, who recently made the switch from Manchester United to Arsenal with the hopes of featuring regularly in the Champions League; ironically, her former club will be playing in the Champions League this season after finishing in second spot in the WSL.
Still, there are other opportunities for Arsenal to win some silverware this season, albeit they have been heavily hampered by injuries to key players like Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead. The Gunners won the League Cup last season, and will be involved in the FA Cup as well as, of course, the Women's Super League when that competition kicks off next month, with a home tie against Liverpool on October 1st.
Didn't find your favorite women's league on this list? No worries, as this is just a highlight of some of the exciting games coming up this week. Make sure to check out our special Women's Football Page here at LiveSoccerTV.com for full broadcast info, match updates, news, and more.
