A run that made people pay attention
Beat Arsenal. Knock out Liverpool. Reach Wembley. Brighton did all three in last season’s FA Cup, and for a while it looked like a real fairytale was on. Dario Vidosic’s side took down Arsenal 2-0 in the quarters, edged Liverpool 3-2 in a wild semi, then ran into a Manchester City wall in the final and lost 4-0. The scoreline stung. The run still changed how people talk about this club.
The women’s team is coming off its best season yet, and nothing about the summer suggests they plan to slow down. Brighton have quietly built one of the most interesting projects in the Women’s Super League, spending on new faces while holding on to the core that got them here.
There is a bigger bet underneath it all. Brighton are set to open Europe’s first stadium built specifically for a women’s team, a ground with a minimum capacity of 10,000 and a target opening of 2030-31. Owner Tony Bloom is bankrolling the idea.
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The recruitment tells you the ambition
Seven signings landed this summer. Goalkeeper Eleanor Heeps, 22, comes in from Tottenham as cover for Chiamaka Nnadozie, and that word “cover” says plenty about the standard being set. Nnadozie posted the best save percentage in the WSL last season at 74.7%, among keepers with more than 1,000 minutes.
Nadia Krezyman arrives from Dijon after leading France’s top flight in progressive carries, 205 of them, more than any other player. Then there is Lia Wälti. The Switzerland captain spent seven years at Arsenal and a season at Juventus, where she topped Serie A midfielders for passing accuracy at 87.8% among those with 500-plus minutes. That is not squad filler. That is a message.
Emilie Joramo, Gabby George, Sophie Peskett and Emily Murphy complete the intake. Depth everywhere, and it arrives right before what many expect to be the most competitive WSL season on record.
Playing the long game while others spend big
Brighton are not chasing headlines in the transfer market. London City Lionesses are, throwing money at names like Alexia Putellas, Kadidiatou Diani and Mapi Leon. Brighton went the other way, betting on structure and patience.
Last season they finished seventh, a point behind London City and three clear of Everton. Two years before that, they recorded their best finish since promotion in 2017-18. The graph keeps ticking upward. Watch this team in 2026-27.
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