🏏 Sun, 20 Sep 2026 14:00 BST
West Ham Women
vs
Everton Women
Positions estimated (no formation data from the API)
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Eighth-placed Everton and ninth-placed West Ham arrive level on three points, each with one win and one defeat from their opening two fixtures. Everton hold the edge only on goal difference, sitting at 0 against West Ham's -1. With Manchester City already nine points from three games at the summit, neither side can afford to drift in September.
- Their opening fortnight could hardly have been more different in character. West Ham were beaten 3-1 away at Tottenham before recovering to edge London City Lionesses 2-1 at home, scoring three goals in two matches. Everton have played out two one-goal games, losing 1-0 at Crystal Palace and beating Charlton Athletic 1-0, leaving them with a single goal for and a single goal against.
- There is a reunion angle at both ends of the pitch. Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, 30, spent time at West Ham before moving on, and the American-born Republic of Ireland international returns to familiar surroundings. Japan midfielder Honoka Hayashi, who left West Ham for Everton in the summer of 2024, is among the visiting substitutes.
- West Ham start two Japanese internationals. Saki Kumagai, now 35, is Japan's captain with more than 162 caps, the woman who converted the winning penalty in the 2011 World Cup final and who collected 19 trophies at Lyon including five Champions Leagues. Ahead of her, 27-year-old Riko Ueki brings the penalty-box instinct that produced five goals at the U-20 World Cup and made her Japan's leading scorer at the 2022 Asian Cup.
- Everton have four Japanese players on their books. Hikaru Kitagawa, 29, starts at left-back: a left-footed attacking full-back who joined from Swedish side BK Häcken in summer 2025 and scored her first WSL goal against Aston Villa with her weaker right foot. The bench holds 23-year-old centre-back Rion Ishikawa, who left Urawa Reds for her first overseas move, plus Yuika Momiki, a veteran of the 2019 World Cup and Tokyo Olympics.
- The wide duels should shape the game. West Ham's left side features France international Viviane Asseyi, 32, a dribbler with more than 60 caps and spells at Bayern Munich and Montpellier who was voted Hammer of the Year for 2024-25, alongside Algeria's Inès Belloumou, who relies on pace and agility rather than stature. Waiting for them is Everton right-back Hannah Blundell, 32, a four-time WSL champion who arrived on loan in January 2026.
- In midfield, Katie Zelem sets the tempo for the hosts. The 30-year-old former Manchester United captain, the club's third-highest scorer and second-most capped player, remains one of the league's most reliable set-piece deliverers. Everton counter with Australia's Clare Wheeler, 28, who has played at the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics, flanked by Ajax arrival van Gool and 2004-born Hannah Silcock.
- Both back lines carry pedigree. Alongside Kumagai, West Ham have Laia Codina, the 26-year-old Barcelona academy graduate and 2023 World Cup winner who has also played for Arsenal and AC Milan. Everton answer with a young pairing: Ruby Mace, 23, signed from Leicester City for a club-record fee in September 2025, and 22-year-old England U-23 international Naomi Layzell, formerly of Manchester City.
- The forward lines offer contrasting threats. Kelly Gago, the 27-year-old France international who stands 178cm and signed from FC Nantes in December 2024 before extending her deal to 2028, gives West Ham an aerial outlet, with Switzerland's Seraina Piubel, 26 and a four-time Swiss champion at FC Zürich, working between the lines. Everton lean on Wales winger Hannah Cain, 27, and her left-footed cut-ins, plus Australia striker Holly McNamara, a free signing from Melbourne City.
- The benches could decide a tight afternoon. West Ham can call on England striker Ebony Salmon, 25, whose career has taken in Manchester United and NWSL sides Houston Dash and Racing Louisville, and 20-year-old Switzerland forward Leila Wandeler, a Lyon academy graduate. Everton have Aurora Galli, 29, the first Italian woman to play in the WSL and a four-time Serie A winner with Juventus, plus Zara Kramžar, the league's first Slovenian and a two-time Serie A champion with Roma at just 20.