Manchester City won their first Women's Super League title in a decade last season, adding the Women's FA Cup trophy to their cabinet for good measure. However, with Arsenal strengthening this summer and Chelsea hoping to bounce back after a disappointing campaign, can City stay at the top in 2026-27?

City are also being chased by ambitious clubs lower down the table as London City Lionesses and Tottenham have made waves in the transfer market and Brighton have been on the rise under manager Dario Vidosic. City have bolstered their squad with the additions of England internationals Beth Mead and Niamh Charles - but will they have enough to defend their crown?

Find interviews and extra content on the BBC Women's Football Weekly feed. What are the key dates for the women's football season? City were crowned champions with a game to spare and a six-point gap to second-placed Chelsea last season. It ended Chelsea's six-year dominance and was City's first major trophy under manager Andree Jeglertz in his debut campaign in England.

No Champions League football, a squad stacked with quality and the ability to keep key players fit proved vital - but what did the players learn? "How to become champions," captain Alex Greenwood told BBC Sport. "We had come very, very close to doing it in previous years but just couldn't get over the line. Last season, a lot came together.

There will be new challenges this season as City return to European football meaning a busier fixture schedule. The squad will be tested more, though they were boosted by top-scorer Khadija Shaw's decision to sign a new contract, avoiding a potential switch to Chelsea. The arrivals of England duo Mead and Charles has added depth but City lost Brazilian forward Kerolin to Barcelona.

Elsewhere, Spain full-back Ona Batlle and England midfielder Georgia Stanway have joined Arsenal, London City Lionesses have signed two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas and Tottenham have improved their frontline with the additions of Kirsty Hanson and Shekiera Martinez.

But Greenwood is not fazed by others and says the message to her team-mates remains the same, though they need to keep improving. "Continuity is important, culture is important and the language that you use is important. When you hear the same thing often, it becomes a norm," she added. "You act like a champion and perform like one. We all locked into that last year and were fully committed.

"This season, I'm not going to say 'do the same again' because I don't think that entitles you to win the league. People improve, teams improve and we will improve. "We will have to change things slightly and be better but continue to do the things that we did really well last season. That would be my message... and to enjoy it.

Investment at clubs outside the WSL's top four makes for an exciting season ahead with deeper competition across the league. City will have to be wary of their traditional rivals, but also of clubs looking to upset the usual order such as London City Lionesses, Tottenham and Brighton. However, Greenwood does not think they need to be looking over their shoulders. "I think the reaction is from the teams who have tried to get into the top four and haven't quite got there," said Greenwood. "It's amazing though. I love seeing players come to this league and want to test themselves. In my opinion, it's the best league in the world in women's football.

"I don't think any game you play in the WSL is easy. We'll see when the season starts how things look. I concentrate on this team and where I'm at." It is another big year for Greenwood, who is hoping to help England go far at the Women's World Cup in Brazil next summer. She is used to the big stage having won back-to-back European titles with the Lionesses but Greenwood says lifting the WSL trophy as captain taught her things.

"It was those big moments of pressure - I was interested to see how I would handle those situations," she added. "I've been in winning teams where we've won trophies but I was captain last season so it did feel a little bit different in terms of responsibility. I really enjoyed it. I tried to embrace it as much as I could. I relied on people to help me in situations where I felt I needed it and I don't think that's a bad thing. I'm not perfect and I don't have all the answers just because I wear the armband. I did learn a lot about myself. I learned to enjoy it along the way too because it gets tense!"