Full scale of WSL growth as World Cup representation eclipses USA presence

13 July 2023 , 14:35

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A record-breaking crowd of 77,390 were at Wembley Stadium to see the Women's FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United

The Women's Super League will have the largest representation of players at the Women's World Cup, beating out the previous title holders, the USA's National Women's Soccer League.

Ninety-four players who ply their trade in the WSL, England's women's top-flight, will compete at this summer's showpiece event, nearly doubling the player representation from the 2019 Women's World Cup in which 50 players played in the WSL.

The growth sees more than half the competing nations have a WSL player within their ranks.

In France four years ago, the NWSL touted the largest number of players with 73 representing the American league, which has now decreased to just 70. Meanwhile, Spain and France ranked joint second with 51 players.

The expansion of the Women's World Cup to an historic 32 teams from the previous 24 means the player pool is correspondingly larger this summer.

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Nevertheless, the sharp increase in representation from the WSL speaks volumes to England's transformation as a global leader in the women's game over the last four years.

The NWSL, which started in 2012, has long served as the standard-bearer for elite women's football in both on-pitch standard and financial might, with a number of big-name stars opting to root their careers across the Atlantic.

Yet, the WSL has relished unprecedented growth in recent years, including record-breaking revenue, historic attendances and landmark TV deals with SkySports and BBC, which has seen the WSL expand into one of the most competitive women's football leagues in the world.

And the WSL's growth is set to only augment following a newly-published independent review into the future of the domestic game which had laid out wide-ranging reforms to capitalise on the Lionesses' Euro2022 triumph.

Chaired by former England international Karen Carney, the review calls for the professionalisation of the WSL and Women's Championship, as well as a new broadcast slot, the identification of a new strategic partner for investment into better talent pathways and an address of the lack of diversity across the women’s game in on and off-pitch roles.

Carney predicted that women's football could be a billion-pound industry within 10 years if correct investment is provided swiftly.

Megan Feringa