Bunny Shaw and Olivia Smith took centre stage at the PFA Awards 2026, picking up the two biggest individual prizes at a ceremony held at the Manchester Opera House.
Bunny Shaw Wins Again
Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw was named Women’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year. This comes after a sparkling 25/26 season where she scored 21 goals (helping City win the WSL) and retained her third consecutive WSL Golden Boot.
It’s the second time in her career the Jamaican international has won the PFA Players’ Player award, having first claimed it in 2023/24.
Olivia Smith Retains Her Crown
Arsenal’s Olivia Smith successfully retained her Women’s PFA Young Player of the Year award, having first won it in 2025 while at Liverpool.
The Canadian forward’s back-to-back success across two different clubs marks her out as one of the standout young talents in the women’s game.
The WSL Team of the Year – PFA Awards 2026
The PFA WSL Team of the Year, selected by fellow players, was also announced during the evening.
Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea all had three players apiece named in the side, reflecting the trio’s dominance over the season:
- Goalkeeper: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea)
- Defenders: Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City), Tōko Koga (Tottenham Hotspur), Ellie Carpenter (Chelsea) and Emily Fox (Arsenal)
- Midfielders: Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City), Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal) and Jessica Park (Manchester United)
- Forwards: Bunny Shaw (Manchester City), Alessia Russo (Arsenal) and Lauren James (Chelsea)
A Merit Award for Karen Carney
Former England international Karen Carney also received a PFA Merit Award at the ceremony, recognising a career that included 144 caps for England, a spot in Arsenal’s historic quadruple-winning squad of 2007, and a league and FA Cup double with Chelsea in 2018.
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