Striker Sam Kerr is expected to depart Chelsea when her contract expires at the end of the season, while captain Millie Bright also wants to leave.

Both are out of contract at the end of this season. Chelsea offered Bright a new deal but the 32-year-old, who is the club’s longest continuously-serving player, prefers an exit, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter — who, like all referenced in this article, spoke anonymously to protect relationships. Bright’s one-year extension, signed in March 2025, does contain the option of an extra 12 months.

Kerr, 32, is also expected to depart at the end of her contract, with strong interest in the Australian from multiple clubs in the NWSL. She scored four goals for Australia, who she is captain of, en route to the Asia Cup final, which they lost 1-0 against Japn on Saturday. She is currently Chelsea’s top goalscorer in all competitions, with 10 goals.

The pair have been key figures in Chelsea’s domestic dominance. Bright has made more than 300 appearances for the club since joining in 2014, and Kerr more than 150 since arriving midway through the 2019-20 season.

Bright’s time at Chelsea includes a run of six consecutive Women’s Super League titles between 2019 and 2025, as well as 10 domestic cup trophies, while Kerr’s tenure includes six of those cups and five league titles (not counting honours in the 2024-25 campaign, which she missed through injury).

Chelsea have a number of players reaching the end of their deals in the summer, including goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, forward Aggie Beever-Jones, backup goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer and defender Lucy Bronze. There is an expectation that Hampton will sign a new contract in the near future.

Forwards Catarina Macario and Guro Reiten were also out of contract at the same time and have completed moves to NWSL sides San Diego Wave and Gotham, respectively, in the last few weeks.

The 2026 summer window was always going to be a busy one for Chelsea, given those expiring contracts. It is also their first since the departure of head of women’s football Paul Green, whose shock exit in February after 13 years at the club has been significant. Green was a key figure in the side’s growth into a dynasty, gaining a reputation for shrewd succession planning and squad evolution. His departure has influenced some players’ thinking about their futures at the club, sources added.

As The Athletic reported in February, Green had less autonomy over recruitment and squad planning since Emma Hayes’ departure as manager in June 2024, with individuals who had typically focused on the men’s side becoming more involved, including sporting director Paul Winstanley. Chelsea believed the leadership structure on the women’s side needed to be adapted to reflect the differing models under Hayes, who had a wider leadership remit, and Bompastor, who focuses on the technical and performance side.

Chelsea were considering options for a sporting director on the women’s side as early as last autumn. In February, the club announced the appointment of Phil Radley for that role, with a brief of “a central role in shaping the long-term direction of the women’s team”. The accompanying statement added that Radley’s role will include overseeing recruitment and handling contracts and negotiations with players’ agents and representatives.

Bright’s experience and leadership are valuable for a dressing room that has experienced circumstances they are unused to on and off the pitch this season. But the former England international, who is currently unavailable for Chelsea due to an ankle knock suffered in the 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in February, does have significant competition for a starting spot in the team.

Chelsea’s other centre-backs include former world record signing Naomi Girma, as well as recently fit-again Kadeisha Buchanan. Nathalie Bjorn is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering another injury in last weekend’s League Cup final, but is a regular starter when fit. Veerle Buurman, 19, who deputised for the injured Bright in the League Cup final, has impressed in her first season at the club after joining from PSV.

While Chelsea understood Kerr’s exit was an eventuality, it would not seem ideal for her departure to coincide with that of Macario and a summer that also sees academy graduate Beever-Jones out of contract. Were Kerr to leave, Chelsea’s senior striker ranks would include just Beever-Jones, dependent on her contract renewal or activation of the one-year option in her existing terms, and Mayra Ramirez, who has not featured for Chelsea since a hamstring injury sustained during pre-season. The 26-year-old has suffered repeated setbacks during her rehabilitation, and Bompastor said last week that she may miss the remainder of the season.

These concerns around the front line means Chelsea could look uncharacteristically toothless in the No 9 position come next season if reinforcements are not recruited.

The uncertainty around contracts is just one facet of the uncertainty that still envelopes Chelsea. As The Athletic detailed last month, Winstanley has expressed a desire to increase the number of player sales from the women’s team, something the club has not historically been known for.

On the pitch, while Chelsea retained their League Cup title with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United on March 15, the once reliably indomitable winners are also set to fail to win the WSL title for the first time in seven years, sitting nine points behind Manchester City with four games remaining after their draw with London City Lionesses on Saturday.

This season, Chelsea lost consecutive WSL matches for the first time since July 2015, following a 2-0 defeat by Arsenal with a 5-1 loss against Manchester City. It marked the first time in Sonia Bompastor’s 181-game managerial career that she lost consecutive matches.

However, they have won four and drawn one of their six matches since that defeat to City — including the League Cup final and FA Cup fifth-round double-header against Manchester United. They are now third, with fourth-placed Arsenal two points behind with two games in hand.

Chelsea face domestic rivals Arsenal over a two-legged Champions League quarter-final on March 24 and April 1, before playing Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on April 6.

A high-stakes end to the season lies ahead — but Chelsea have just as much to do off the pitch over the summer.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Chelsea, NWSL, Women's Soccer, Transfer News

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Japan have won the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup after a 1-0 victory over hosts Australia in Saturday’s final.

Maika Hamano’s superb first-half strike was the difference between the two sides as Japan claimed their third Asian Cup title in front of over 74,000 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

The defeat for Australia means their wait for an Asian Cup triumph continues, with Saturday’s match marking their third loss in the competition’s final, having also been beaten 1-0 by Japan in the 2018 and 2014 editions.

Chelsea forward Hamano put Japan ahead in the 17th minute with a fabulous solo effort, collecting Yui Hasegawa’s pass on the edge of the area, turning and finding the corner of the net with a dipping effort.

Australia had opportunities to level the scores in the first half with Arsenal forward Caitlin Foord unable to capitalise from a tight angle after being gifted possession by Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita. Foord again had a sighting of goal on the stroke of half time but dragged an effort wide after being picked out by Sam Kerr.

Japan had chances to put the game beyond Australia in the second half. The competition’s top scorer Riko Ueki headed wide after being picked out by a Hikaru Kitagawa cross. West Ham forward Ueki was again unable to add to her tally of six goals, firing straight at Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold having been played through by Hamano.

Australia pushed for an equaliser in the final stages and their best opening fell to Alanna Kennedy as the clock ticked towards the 90-minute mark. Kennedy rose highest to meet Ellie Carpenter’s cross from the right, but Yamashita was equal to it.

Kerr had an effort blocked in stoppage time, and goalkeeper Arnold was sent up as Australia won a corner on the cusp of full time, but they could not find a way past Japan, who celebrated a third Asian Cup title from the last four editions of the tournament.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Japan, Australia, Women's Soccer

2026 The Athletic Media Company

The Portland Thorns beat the Seattle Reign 2-0 in the 44th edition of the Cascadia Rivalry in Providence Park on Friday night despite going down to 10 players within the first 10 minutes, and to nine in the 57th due to red cards.

Thorns midfielder and Norwegian international Cassandra Bogere earned two quick-succession yellow cards in the eighth and ninth minutes and became the earliest red card send-off (due to two yellow cards as opposed to a straight red) in NWSL history.

The Thorns, who began their season with a 1-0 road win over the Washington Spirit last Friday night, were resolute and composed on the pitch after Bogere’s exit, the deficit hardly noticeable as they maintained possession in their attacking third for several minutes that followed. Seattle, who ended the match averaging 62% possession, struggled to exploit their advantages in either half.

In the 28th minute, Thorns striker Pietra Tordin capitalized on a corner taken by U.S. women’s national team midfielder Olivia Moultrie, which fell to her in the penalty box and required only a flick to the far post.

Portland doubled its lead nine minutes later on a counterattack; Moultrie received the ball near her team’s defensive third and found Tordin at the center half with a swift pass. Tordin then slotted a through ball to Thorns forward Reilyn Turner, who bounded down the left flank to receive it and found the far post side netting past Seattle Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey.

The second half of the game brought more drama for the Thorns, but not by way of goal concession. In the 57th minute, the home side went down another player when Thorns defender and Mexican international Reyna Reyes pulled the hair of Reign fullback Madison Curry as both players jumped up to contest a ball in the air. Reyes was not initially carded, but a video assistant referee review escalated the offense to a red card. Reyes was sent off, and the Thorns’ personnel was reduced to nine players.

Shortly after Reyes’ red, Thorns striker and USWNT star Sophia Wilson subbed on for Turner, marking her first return to Providence Park since Nov. 24, 2024. Wilson gave birth to her daughter in September and played her first regular-season minutes with the Thorns last week in their away meeting with the Spirit.

Neither team had ever received a red card in a Cascadia Rivalry before Friday night’s match, but Bogere and Reyes’ suspensions have already brought the total number of red cards in the NWSL to four in the second matchweek.

During the league’s opening weekend, Boston Legacy defender and Canadian international Bianca St-Georges was sent off after earning two yellow cards in the expansion team’s home opener against Gotham FC. A few hours later, another Canadian on another expansion team, Denver Summit fullback Janine Sonis was handed a straight red after a VAR review ruled her foul on Bay FC winger Alex Pfeiffer dangerous.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Portland Thorns, OL Reign, NWSL

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