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Tuesday, May 12, 2026

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Mead to leave Arsenal at end of season

Beth Mead will leave Arsenal when her contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Beth has made 263 appearances and scored 86 goals for the Gunners across her nine seasons with us, and departs with one WSL title, three League Cups, one FIFA Champions Cup and one UEFA Women’s Champions League to her name.

Born in Whitby in 1995, Beth joined the club from Sunderland in 2017 with a reputation as a lethal finisher, having become the WSL’s youngest Golden Boot winner in 2015 at the age of 20. Beth’s talents quickly translated to her new team, as she helped them to win the League Cup and WSL titles in her first two seasons at the club.

As Beth’s goals and assist tally grew, so did her stature as one of England’s finest forwards. Her senior debut for the Lionesses came against Wales in 2018, with Beth later playing a key role as England reached the semi finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019.  

Beth enjoyed the tournament of her life as England became European Champions for the first time in 2022, picking up the UEFA Player of the Tournament and Golden Boot awards. Beth was named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year and England’s Player of the Year off the back of her stellar performances, while everyone at the club was so proud to see Beth named BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2022.

With her career at its highest point, Beth sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury in November 2022, ruling her out of the remainder of the 2022-23 season – and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She completed the long recovery process and returned in the early weeks of the 2023-24 season, adding another League Cup winners’ medal in the spring.  

One of Beth’s greatest highlights in an Arsenal shirt came in the final game of the 2024-25 campaign, as they won an historic second Champions League title with a 1-0 win over Barcelona in Lisbon in May 2025. Starting the final on the bench, it was Beth’s introduction alongside Stina Blackstenius on 67 minutes that would turn the match in Arsenal’s favour – just seven minutes later, Beth delivered a sublime pass to set up the winner and bring European silverware back to North London after 18 years.

A second Euros title followed with England a few months later, while there was more silverware with Arsenal as they became inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup winners in February 2026.

Director of Women’s Football, Clare Wheatley, told www.arsenal.com: “Beth has made a huge contribution to our football club over nine years, and will go down in history as one of our best forwards and a legend of the club. Beth is such a special person and will always be welcome at Arsenal. I know our supporters will join me in wishing Beth happiness and success in her future endeavours.”

Arsenal have also announced that Victoria Pelova and Laia Codina will leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of the current campaign.

Victoria joined the club from Ajax in the Eredivisie in January 2023 and made her Arsenal debut at home in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the League Cup on 26 January 2023. In total, Victoria has made 87 appearances and scored six goals during her time with us.

She played all 120 minutes of their League Cup final victory over Chelsea in 2024, and she also won the UEFA Women’s Champions League and FIFA Women’s Champions Cup during her time with the Gunners. The central midfielder also represented the Netherlands at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championship while part of our club.  

Laia joined Arsenal from Barcelona in the summer of 2023 and made her debut in our 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the Barclays Women’s Super League on 6 October 2023. In all, Laia has made 58 appearances and scored four goals for the club.