Chelsea Women's pre-season preparations are in full swing as they travel to New Zealand and Australia for a series of matches. A 26-player squad has been confirmed, with the team set to face Auckland FC at Eden Park and an A-League All-Stars team in Sydney. The Chelsea players and staff have been hard at work already at Cobham, and this tour will step up their preparations for the new season. The Blues have brought in several new signings this summer, including Giulia Dragoni, Nelly Las, Melvine Malard, Manaka Matsukubo, and Katie McCabe, and four of that quintet will be heading out with the existing members of the squad to make the long journey to the other side of the world. The Chelsea Women's squad is currently 6 points behind leaders Manchester City W in the title race, and they will be looking to close the gap with a strong pre-season. League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 3rd in FA WSL, 49 pts, 15W-4D-3L from 22 games, recent form WWWWD. Goals this season: 44 scored, 20 conceded (+24 goal difference). The Chelsea Women's first match of the season will see them face Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on 5 September at 12.30pm, and there's plenty for Sonia Bompastor and her players to put in place before then. All of our home Women's Super League fixtures will be held at Stamford Bridge next season, and ticket information for the first four of those games is available here. The Chelsea Women's travelling squad includes: Goalkeepers: Katie Cox, Hannah Hampton, Livia Peng, Becky Spencer Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Kadeisha Buchanan, Veerle Buurman, Ellie Carpenter, Naomi Girma, Nelly Las, Katie McCabe, Chloe Sarwie Midfielders: Lola Brown, Erin Cuthbert, Wieke Kaptein, Giulia Dragoni, Sjoeke Nusken, Lexi Potter, Keira Walsh Forwards: Sandy Baltimore, Aggie Beever-Jones, Maika Hamano, Lauren James, Melvine Malard, Mayra Ramirez, Alyssa Thompson You can follow the Blues' activities in New Zealand and Australia across the official Chelsea website and social media channels.