Steph Catley has signed a new contract with Arsenal in the WSL, which will see her continue her stay in North London, extending her contract at the club after signing in July 2020.
Since signing from Melbourne City in July 2020, Catley has gone on to make 165 appearances for Arsenal and become an integral part of their defensive unit.
The defender has added to her trophy cabinet since joining the Gunners, helping them to two League Cup titles, the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the FIFA Champions Cup. Playing most of her Arsenal career at left-back, the defender made the transition to centre-back for the team, playing a key role in the side's European triumph last season, starting all five of the knock-out matches in the competition and making sure Arsenal kept a clean sheet against the reigning Champions, Barcelona, in the final to claim Arsenal's second UWCL title.
Her outstanding season saw her receive her first-ever Ballon d’Or nomination in 2025, and she was nominated for #TheBest FIFA Women's 11 in 2025. Catley has also claimed the PFA Women’s Footballer of the Year three times, in 2025, 2024 and 2020.
Catley's form at Arsenal has seen her flourish with the national team, approaching her 150th appearance for Australia, currently sitting on 146, and a key member of the side's AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ campaign, where Australia finished as runners-up. The defender captained the side during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™, scoring two goals for the hosts to help Australia to their best-ever finish at the tournament.
“It feels amazing. There's really nowhere else that I would rather be and it's always nice to have that faith from the coach and from the club. It was an absolute no-brainer." Catley said when talking to www.arsenal.com on her contract renewal.
“That is one of the big sacrifices you make as an Australian footballer when you want to play overseas - that you are really, really far away and you can't just drop home and hop in and see your family. So making those connections and feeling in your heart that you're happy and you're safe and the place that you're at does feel like home is something very, very special and I think it's rare in football.
“I don't think many footballers can say that a club really does feel like home but for me that is definitely the case and I feel lucky to say that and I feel lucky to have the relationships that I do and the backing of the club as well to have me here.”
News of Catley's re-signing comes at a crucial time for Renée Slegers' side, as they currently hold a narrow 2-1 advantage over Lyon in the UWCL semi-final, looking to book their spot in back-to-back deciders and defend their title in Oslo next month.
Arsenal are still in the hunt to secure a top-three spot in the WSL, with the competition heating up as it approaches the end of the 2025/26 season, with the Gunners having three games in hand over the teams sitting in the top three.