Every year produces a handful of teams that simply outclass their competition. Here are the women’s sides that have made 2026 their own.
England Rugby’s Complete Sweep
England didn’t just win the 2026 Women’s Six Nations — they won every possible piece of silverware on offer, claiming the title, the Grand Slam and the Triple Crown in the same campaign. It’s their 20th Grand Slam in the tournament’s history, a level of dominance we detail fully in our international women’s rugby fixtures guide.
Arsenal Women’s Global Statement
Arsenal capped a historic run by winning the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, beating Corinthians in the final after a tournament that also featured Gotham FC and AFC Champions League side AS FAR. Arsenal players swept several individual honors along the way, including Frida Maanum as best player and Alessia Russo among the tournament’s top scorers.
- UCLA won the 2026 Big Ten women’s basketball tournament under coach Cori Close, with Kiki Rice named MVP
- Barcelona Femení continue to set the standard in European club football’s biggest individual attendance records
- Morocco enter the WAFCON knockout stage as hosts with home advantage and a fanbase driving record tournament interest
What Separates the Best From the Rest
The common denominator across these teams isn’t just talent depth — it’s consistency across formats and competitions. England backed up years of near-misses with a complete campaign, while Arsenal’s Champions Cup win added a global trophy to an already stacked domestic cabinet. For how these results connect to the record crowds we’ve seen this year, read our attendance records roundup, and for the storylines still to be decided, see our upcoming women’s sports finals guide. Expect several of these teams to be defending, rather than chasing, their status by the time the next season rolls around, with rivals now openly building their own campaigns around catching up.