The 2025-26 English Women’s Super League season kicks off on Friday and Canadian forward Olivia Smith could have a major say over who hoists the championship trophy by season’s end.

Chelsea has won six consecutive league titles – and eight of the last nine – as the Blues have asserted their dominance over the English club game. At the same time, fellow London-based club Arsenal has played the role of bridesmaid by finishing either second or third in the table in each of the past six years. But the Gunners have a special ace up their sleeve for this season in the form of Smith, a Canadian youngster who has the potential to become a global superstar in the women’s game.

Smith, from Whitby, Ont., has enjoyed a rapid rise ever since 2023, when as a freshman at Penn State she decided to forgo

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