Arsenal won the Women’s Champions League in a huge year for English players – and there may be more to come in 2026
E
ngland women’s football and rugby teams did something they had never done before in 2025: win major trophies in the same year. The Red Roses lifted the Rugby World Cup and the Lionesses retained the Euros. And it was not just these two triumphs that underlined English prowess in women’s sport, with Arsenal winning the Women’s Champions League and Charley Hull reaching a career-high of fifth in the golf world rankings – the highest for an Englishwoman since the rankings began in 2006.
The ripple effects of these victories and achievements have been felt across the country. Grassroots participation is rising, media coverage is expanding and more young athletes are aspiring to follow in the footsteps of the current stars. But of all the achievements, it was those in rugby union and football that swept the nation into a women’s sport fever.
Alex Matthews, the No 8 who scored two tries as the Red Roses overpowered Canada 33-13 in the Rugby World Cup final is in no doubt there is “extra noise, extra excitement” in her sport after that memorable day at Twickenham.The tournament, with its cumulative attendance of 441,356, broke several records, but the ones to highlight surround the final. A crowd of 81,885 watched Zoe Aldcroft’s team lift the trophy, making it the best-attended women’s rugby union game of all time and the second most attended Rugby World Cup final – men’s or women’s. It was not only those in person who came through with impressive numbers as the BBC, the UK broadcaster for the tournament, reported a peak audience of 5.8 million people tuning in from home – the most-watched women’s rugby union match ever on UK television, and most-watched rugby match of the year.
