If there's any competition that embodies the unpredictable, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes infuriating and sometimes uplifting spirit of Australian football, it's the A-League Women. Thankfully, the Dub is back this Friday with the Western Sydney Wanderers hosting Perth Glory to kick the season off.
After a regular season in which Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory swept all before them, few would have predicted that it would be the Central Coast Mariners that would come from the clouds to claim last year's title. But that's just what Emily Husband's side did, stunning both Melbourne outfits en route to a championship in just their second year back in the Australian top-flight after a lengthy hiatus.
Can the Mariners go back-to-back in 2025-26? After the departure of Husband to the Matildas setup and a host of their key contributors heading for the exit, they'd certainly be defying the odds if they were to. And across the country, there's a host of challengers eager to claim their crown as their own. City and Victory once again loom large over the competition, while last year's surprise-packets Adelaide United return with plenty of continuity and a burning desire to keep going. Sydney FC will return full of intent to prove last year's finals miss -- the first in their history -- was an aberration, while Canberra United and Brisbane Roar will lean on some beloved veteran Matildas in their hunt for glory.
One team that won't, unfortunately, be part of this race is Western United, following the move by league administrators to place its men's and women's sides into "hibernation" as the stricken club fights for survival. Not only has the withdrawal of Western United, which had played finals football in every year of its short existence, left a squad full of talent scrambling to find clubs elsewhere and left the competition without a single female coach at the helm of an Australian side -- Wellington Phoenix's Bev Priestman is the lone female coach in this year's competition -- but it also means that the league will observe byes this year as its numbers shrink from 12 to 11.
In a further scheduling quirk, the league will mostly pause for international breaks this season, with the exception of the November window and the knockout stages of next year's AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia -- giving those sides fielding Matildas an extra ball to juggle throughout the campaign.
So, with that in mind, Marissa Lordanic and Joey Lynch run the rule of all 11 teams in this year's competition to see what the future may bring for your favourite side.
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Adelaide United
2024-25 finish: 3rd, semifinals
Coach: Theo Tsiounis
The Reds roared back to life after their wooden-spoon "winning" campaign from 2023-24; logging a club-record 11-game unbeaten run on their way to a third-place finish and highest-ever points total come the regular season, which was followed by a first-ever finals win over Western United. That, however, is where the fun ended, with a 6-2 aggregate loss to Melbourne Victory in the semifinals.
After Adrian Stenta's departure, can the Reds maintain last year's momentum under new coach Theo Tsiounis?
As one would hope for a side that just put together the best season in club history, there's been a focus on continuity for Adelaide throughout the offseason, with 10 of the 11 players that started in the second leg of their semifinal against Melbourne Victory re-signed for the coming campaign. That means that after winning a Dianne Alagich Medal in her first year at the club, Erin Healy is back and so too are the likes of Ella Tonkin, Chelsie Dawber, Emily Hodgson, and Matilda McNamara.
Further helping to foster the sense that the Reds are investing in building something special, most of these re-signings are on multiple-year deals, with Hodgson signing a three-year deal that will take her through the 2027-28 campaign.
There has, however, been a major change in the dugout. After seven years with Adelaide's A-League Women program, two as an assistant and five as head coach, and fresh off being named coach of the year for the 2024-25 campaign, Adrian Stenta was shifted across to serve as an A-League Men assistant to Airton Andrioli this season, resulting in the appointment of Theo Tsiounis. Stenta said that he felt like a "proud dad" following the Reds' campaign last year, but now Tsiounis will be tasked with keeping the momentum going. -- Lynch
Brisbane Roar
2024-25 finish: 7th
Coach: Alex Smith
It was a season of two halves. Ten weeks in, Alex Smith's side was flying, sitting second on the table and having their clash with Melbourne City being flagged as a potential Grand Final preview.
A 2-0 loss in that game, however, combined with injuries to Sharn Freier and Momo Hayashi, as well as on-loan goalkeeper Olivia Sekany's return to parent club Racing Louisville, left the Roar reeling -- winning just once more in their remaining 12 and missing out completely on finals football.
Can the Roar stay healthy, implement the lessons of last season, and crash the finals?
Last season demonstrated what the Roar can do when they're firing on all cylinders and while the likes of Deborah-Anne De la Harpe (Norrköping), Emily Pringle (retired), and Laini Freier (retired) have all departed, the return of Sharn Freier on loan from VfL Wolfsburg, the re-signingsTameka Yallop and attacker Grace Kuilamu, as well as the capture of goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln and well-credentialled Dutch attacker Bente Jansen mean there's still plenty of talent in Queensland.
But the sudden collapse in form last season, once injuries bit and the grind of a long campaign began to wear, also demonstrated the thin margin for error that Smith and his side were operating with.
Undoubtedly, simply being able to keep their best players consistently on the park would help here -- and Lincoln won't be leaving to return to any kind of parent club this season -- but if the Roar can bring a greater level of adaptability to their game this season, and Jansen proves a more predatory foreign signer than Bulgarian attacker Eva Popadinova was last year, they'd go a long way towards making the playoffs. -- Lynch
Canberra United
2024-25 finish: 5th, elimination final
Coach: Antoni Jagarinec
Despite the increasingly farcical hunt to place an A-League Men's licence in Canberra hovering and threatening their long-term viability, Canberra finished the season with three straight wins and played finals football once more. A 2-1 loss to champions Central Coast, though, ended their season in the first week of the playoffs.
Can Canberra keep up the momentum while easing the load on Michelle Heyman?
If the hunt for long-term security is the most important thing for Canberra heading into this season, then Heyman is probably a close second. The inspirational veteran became the first A-League Women player to score 100 goals and play 200 games last season and, even at 37 years old, can still be relied upon to serve as a constant threat up front. She's the heart and soul of Canberra; a talisman in every sense of the word. But football is also a team game.
American striker Emma Hawkins has been signed from Portuguese outfit SF Damaiense to help shoulder some of the attacking burden, and in former Melbourne Victory attacker Ava Briedis, Canberra has recruited one of NPLW Victoria's brightest talents. Western United's hibernation has not only left United as the lone side rocking the green in the Dub once more, but it's also enabled them to swoop on rising attacker Kiara De Domizio and welcome Sasha Grove back home. Josie Aulicino and Sienna Dale look like handy NPLW additions, too.
Ultimately, it feels as though if Canberra are to make some noise this season, it will be Heyman serving as its conductor. But with the veteran likely to be absent for chunks of the season on Matildas duty and age at some point going to properly slow her down, Canberra will need to ensure she's not serving as a one-woman band. -- Lynch
Central Coast Mariners
2024-25 finish: 4th, champions
Coach: Kory Babington
The planets aligned for the Mariners in their second season back in the Dub, finding a rich vein of form -- and benefiting from a few controversial calls and lack of VAR -- to stun Melbourne City in the semifinals before knocking Melbourne Victory off on penalties in the Grand Final to secure a maiden championship.
After a title, can the Mariners reload, rather than rebuild?
As defending champions, the Mariners will enter this season with a target on their back. But unfortunately for those running in blue-and-yellow, some of the figures most responsible for placing it there are no longer present. Grand Final starters Brooke Nunn (Wellington), Bianca Galic (Sydney FC), Taylor Ray (Melbourne Victory), Jade Pennock (Sporting Jax) and Jessika Nash (Sassuolo), who also made up five of the seven most used players last season, have all departed, while dual-sport athlete Sarah Rowe is currently kicking the pill around for Collingwood in the AFLW.
Being crowned champions only to have your squad pillaged is hardly a new experience for the Mariners, of course, and they do retain a core of last year's championship-winning side in the likes of Sarah Langman, Annabel Martin, and Peta Trimis. After spurring interest from overseas, Izzy Gomez is back once again and, after missing three months of last season with injury, should be primed to kick on, while Taren King is almost like a new signing after missing much of 2024-25 with an ACL injury.
But placing the existential drama hanging over the whole club to one side, it's the loss of Husband in the dugout that will present the Mariners women with their biggest challenge. New coach Kory Babington brings plenty of experience, but Husband effectively built this side from the ground up when she was appointed to lead their revival. And with one of Australia's brightest coaching talents now serving as an assistant to Joe Montemurro with the Matildas, we're about to find out just how foundational her presence was. -- Lynch
Melbourne City
2024-25 finish: 1st, semifinals
Coach: Michael Matricciani
City juggled the Asian Women's Champions League and their A-League Women commitments with aplomb. However, the team couldn't add to their premier's plate, falling to eventual champions Central Coast in a controversial semifinal, and losing a heartbreaking penalty shootout in the final of the Champions League to Chinese side Wuhan Jiangda.
The treble is on offer again. Can Melbourne City improve on last season's trophy haul?
There is no doubt that Michael Matricciani's charges will be stinging at how their season ended, but there is also no doubt they will be in the fight for all three of the trophies on offer to them in season 2025-26. While there has been movement in and out of the club, any gaps feel like they have been filled well. The core of last season's team is still there; from Malena Mieres in goal to Rebekah Stott and Taylor Otto in the heart of defence, to Laura Hughes, Leah Davidson, and Leticia McKenna in midfield and Holly McNamara leading the line.
New recruits Danielle Turner and Ellie Wilson strengthen the defence, Nigerian midfielder Chinaza Uchendu adds a new dimension to the centre of the park while Aideen Keane and Deven Jackson provide attacking flair. A potential X factor recruit is 18-year-old Danella Butrus who took the NPLW Victoria by storm, being named the joint winner of the league's Gold Medal for most valuable player and being voted media player of the year.
All in all, City's failure to claim the treble spoke more to bad luck than it did any significant problem on their end. If they can make their own luck this season, their enviable trophy cabinet may just need to be expanded. -- Lordanic
Melbourne Victory
2024-25 finish: 2nd, grand finalists
Coach: Jeff Hopkins
Bridesmaids. In any other year, Victory's record-setting regular season would have been enough to win the premiership, but, unfortunately for Hopkins' side, Melbourne City's invincible season consigned them to second. More disappointment followed in the Grand Final, where they were stunned on penalties by the Mariners.
Is Alana Jančevski primed for a breakout year?
There are plenty of questions hanging over Victory this season; is his 10th year in charge at AAMI Park set to be Hopkins' last? How do they cover the loss of Alex Chidiac and Alana Murphy in the midfield? Can they finally break through after three years of trophyless football? Is Grace Maher quietly the best signing of the offseason? And what the hell is FIFA doing with Kayla Morrison's attempt to switch her eligibility to Australia? One of the more exciting, though, is what Jančevski might achieve this year.
The childhood Victory fan returned home ahead of the 2024-25 campaign and quickly established herself in the starting line-up, albeit in the unfamiliar position of left back following the retirement of Beattie Goad. It speaks to her talent, however, that the 22-year-old was able to impress at this position and still popped up with five goals and three assists, and netted one of the best goals the league has seen with her free kick against Sydney.
Coming into 2025-26, fresh off winning the Rising Star award at the ASEAN Women's Championships (Victory teammate Holly Furphy was named MVP), the signing of Chelsea Blissett and the versatile Zoe McMeeken should free Jančevski to play higher up the pitch this year, and with Victory looking to replace the goals of Emily Gielnik, she could play a key role in their attempts to go one better this season and start to propel herself into Matildas conversations. -- Lynch
Newcastle Jets
2024-25 finish: 11th
Coach: Stephen Hoyle
Melina Ayres and Sarina Bolden starred to propel Newcastle to a semifinal but both departed at the end of the 2023-24 season for different reasons. Without their goals, the Jets struggled to make the same impact in 2024-25.
What does a returning Melina Ayres do for this Newcastle Jets team?
Before talking about Ayres, it feels right to acknowledge that Newcastle needs to address their goals against this season. Kiwi keeper Anna Leat is a great addition in helping to tighten up what was the leakiest defence in the league last season.
But back to Ayres. She stepped away from the A-League for the 2024-25 season, needing a break after nine years of constant football. She always said this wasn't a retirement and her plan was always to return. She's now made good on that.
She spent some time away before getting back into the groove of football with Northern New South Wales' side Charlestown Azzurri. In typical Ayres fashion, she scored a banger in the Grand Final, helping the team win and claiming best on ground honours in the process.
"I had a break with the [A-League Women's competition] last year and Charlestown just worked with me. And I'm so grateful for them just getting me back into soccer," Ayres told NNSW's website. "I'm loving playing again, which is all that really matters."
Ayres' return isn't just a good football story. It's a good human story, highlighting the importance of rest, of giving yourself time to come back stronger than before.
There will be pressure to perform, as there is on all good strikers, but Ayres seems primed for that challenge, hungry for it, ready to help the Jets back into the finals. -- Lordanic
Perth Glory
2024-25 finish: 10th
Coach: Stephen Peters
A new coach meant it was another rebuilding season for the Glory who struggled towards the bottom of the table with a few bright sparks.
Georgia Cassidy had a breakout season in 2024-25, can she rise to new heights and bring the Glory with her?
Cassidy was a joy to watch for the Glory last season even though the team in purple were always firmly in the second half of the table. Her passing range is second to none, she's accurate and crafty, but also has the ability to do the grunt work in the midfield.
As is often the case with a new coach and plenty of new squad members, it took time for things to gel and the hope for Glory fans is that this season will be different.
Stephen Peters has retained much of last season's squad and Cassidy is up there as one of the most important re-signings. She was a pivotal member of the under-23 Australian team's victory at the MSIG Serenity Cup over the offseason.
With the likes of captain Isobel Dalton, Tijan McKenna, and Susan Phonsongkham and new signings like Rola Badawiya, Bronte Trew, and Clancy Westaway, there should be optimism.
Through in an even better season from Cassidy and the Glory may well rise further up the table. -- Lordanic
Sydney FC
2024-25 finish: 8th
Coach: Ante Juric
A perennial threat and so often the A-League Women benchmark, last season was the exception to the Sydney FC rule with the team missing the finals for the first time in league history.
Is a revamped forward line enough to return Sydney to the top?
While Sydney FC will be hoping for a more stable season between the sticks -- the Sky Blues used four different goalkeepers across last season -- goalkeeping wasn't their biggest issue. In fact they had the fourth stingiest defence in the league.
The other end of the park was the real problem, with Sydney scoring a league-low 23 goals. For so long the Sky Blues had a core of attacking talent: Remy Siemsen, Cortnee Vine, Princess Ibini. Throw in players like Madison Haley and the luxury of goals from the likes of Mackenzie Hawkesby and they were potent.
But one by one the core moved abroad, production waned for some, and replacements couldn't get into the goal scoring groove their predecessors did.
Ante Juric has gone on the offensive signing 17-year-old NPLW NSW phenom Skye Halmarick, who scored 23 goals in 22 games on her way to the league's player of the year award. Sydney has also looked abroad snapping up the signatures of Panama international Riley Tanner, who impressed at the 2023 Women's World Cup and during her side's friendlies against the Matildas in Western Australia, Haiti international Laurie-Ann Moïse, and American forward Jodi Ulkekul.
All four are untested at the A-League Women level, however, on paper the pose a threat to defences around the league and could well boost the Sky Blues right back into finals contention. -- Lordanic
Wellington Phoenix
2024-25 finish: 9th
Coach: Bev Priestman
A midseason purple patch provided some level of hope but an end-of-season slump that saw them win just one of their last 11 games doomed the Nix to another year of playoff-less football.
Can Bev Priestman spark a revolution across the Tasman?
A coach like Priestman shouldn't be available at the A-League Women level. Still just 39 years old, the Durham native has been a head coach at a World Cup, been an assistant at others, and led Canada to gold at the 2020 Olympic Games. But the drone scandal at the Paris Olympiad and her subsequent one-year suspension from the game, as well as her family ties to New Zealand, have made her available to the Phoenix.
"It's been very difficult," she said at her unveiling, "I'm just excited to put my head down, work hard and get back to work and do what I love every day."
And regardless of the controversies that paved the way for her arrival, a coach with the reputation and calibre of Priestman brings with it a sense of gravitas, helping the Kiwi side to lure the likes of New Zealand internationals C.J. Bott, Victoria Esson, and Macey Fraser to Aeteroa, as well as Netherlands star Tessel Middag, American defender Ellie Walker, English forward Brooke Nunn, Dominican captain Lucia Leon, and Nepalese attacker Sabitra Bhandari -- the latter one of the most intriguing signings across the whole league this year.
But with excitement comes expectation and, looking at the talent assembled by the Phoenix, both on the pitch and in the dugout, finals football should be an expectation. -- Lynch
Western Sydney Wanderers
2024-25 finish: 12th
Coach: Geoff Abrahams
Western Sydney spent most of last season rooted to the bottom of the ladder and, barring some bright sparks, played like a bottom-of-the-ladder team.
Have the Wanderers done enough in the offseason to avoid another wooden spoon?
There's been a fair bit of turnover out in Western Sydney and Geoff Abrahams will have had a whole offseason to make his mark on this team. .
While some core players have been retained including exciting youngsters like Amy Chessari and Talia Younis, some valuable young players have also been lost. Sienna Saveska has made the move to Melbourne Victory while Bronte Trew has moved west, signing with Perth Glory.
There is solid A-League talent in this squad through the likes of Amy Harrison, Danika Matos, and Holly Caspers. The signing of China internationals Wang Ying and Yuan Cong and Philippines defender Janae DeFazio bring excitement from a playing perspective and are perhaps a glimpse at what the A-League could be: a destination league for Asian talent alongside a development league for Australian players.
But is that enough to push the Wanderers up the ladder? Can they make a play for finals for the first time since the 2019-20 season? Can they replace Saveska's goals? Can they keep a few more out?
It's absolutely possible that they have made the right kind of moves to not pick up another wooden spoon. Whether they have done enough to climb much higher than that doesn't feel likely when looking at the squad on paper. -- Lordanic