Manchester City Women have three players in the PFA WSL Team of the Year for the 2025-26 season. The Professional Footballers' Association announced its annual awards on Tuesday, as reported by The Athletic, with champions City well represented.
Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, Kerstin Casparij, and Yui Hasegawa were the three City players selected. Shaw's inclusion came alongside her winning the WSL Players' Player of the Year award. She scored 21 goals in 22 league appearances to power her team to the title, finishing four points clear of Arsenal W. The club's final league standing saw them first with 55 points from 22 games, scoring 62 goals and conceding only 19.
Which Manchester City players were selected?
Forward Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw was the headline name for City. Her 21-goal haul was instrumental in the title win. Defender Kerstin Casparij and midfielder Yui Hasegawa completed the trio of selections from the Etihad Stadium squad. The PFA WSL Team of the Year featured three players each from the top three clubs: Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal. One player each from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur made up the eleven.
Charlotte Harpur of The Athletic noted the logic behind the selections from the champions. "Given Manchester City ended Chelsea’s dominance, it’s little wonder Shaw and Hasegawa have deservedly been named," she said.
Were any City players unlucky to miss out?
Analysis of the team suggests several other Manchester City Women players had strong cases for inclusion. Captain Alex Greenwood provided versatility and consistency in the backline throughout the campaign. Defender Jade Rose was also reported as unfortunate not to be selected. In attack, Vivianne Miedema was described as instrumental in the number 10 role.
A notable debate surrounded the goalkeeper position. City's Ayaka Yamashita reportedly ranked highest in the WSL for goals prevented with a figure of 4.1. A strong argument was made that she deserved the spot over the keeper who was ultimately chosen. You can review the defensive statistics that underpinned the title win on our stats page.
How did the men's team fare in the PFA awards?
The PFA Teams of the Year also covered the men's Premier League. Four players from the Manchester City men's side were included: Nico O'Reilly, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, and January signing Antoine Semenyo. This came despite the men's team finishing as runners-up. Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United won the Premier League Players' Player of the Year award after recording 21 assists.
Other notable inclusions in the men's team were Igor Thiago of Brentford, who scored 22 goals, and Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest. Gibbs-White played a direct role in 40% of his team's goals. The PFA Young Player of the Year award went to Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.
What does this mean for the new season?
The awards cap a dominant 2025-26 season for Manchester City Women, who topped the table with an 18-1-3 record. With the new season yet to begin, the trio's recognition sets a high standard. The team's recent form of WWLWW shows they finished the campaign strongly. Gareth Taylor's squad will now look to build on this success, with the full fixtures list for the title defence available to view. The selections confirm the squad's depth and quality, which fans can explore further on the squad page, as they prepare for another challenge at the top of the Women's Super League.
