(Excerpt) The WE League season leading up to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil (June 24–July 25, 2027) kicks off today (August 22). It promises to be a season showcasing the talents of players aiming to join the “Nadeshiko” squad.（抜粋和約）2027 ワールドカップブラジル大会（2027年6月24日～7月25日）前のWEリーグが本日（8/22）開幕する。なでしこを目指す選手たちの活躍が期待されるシーズン。
Highlight key points for each team are given from a blogger’s perspective. The numbers in the parentheses indicate their standing of the last season.
*Kobe (1): Won’t the void left by Akane Okuma be quite significant? Can Momoko Tanaka fill that gap? How will they compensate for the loss of established mid-career players? And can they defeat East Asian rivals in the ACL? There is no shortage of intriguing storylines.
*Urawa (2): Can they fill the gaps left by Ankozu and Mei Shimada? Will Shiori Fukuda be able to overcome the formidable obstacle of Sakiko Ikeda to secure the starting spot? How does the balance sheet of incoming versus outgoing players look?
*Beleza (3): So far, there have been no reports of key players transferring overseas. Will they rely on Nina Noda as their goalkeeper in the full season? While the addition of Ankozu is significant, the continued development of young players—following in the footsteps of Miharu Shinjo and Yuna Aoki—and the refinement of their team tactics seem essential. Attention will be focused on how well Hinata Ide settles in and on the return of Oto Kanno.
*Hiroshima (4): With no new signings in sight, the team appears to be aiming to move up the standings through the development of existing players and increased team collective tactics. Will this strategy pay off? The recovery of injured players is certainly welcome news.
*Sendai (5): The biggest talking point is undoubtedly the appointment of Futoshi Ikeda—former head coach of the Nadeshiko Japan national team—as manager; however, can Ikeda, who struggled abroad (fired in Thailand), achieve success in the WE League? Furthermore, while the club has successfully recruited promising young talent, the question remains whether they can adequately fill the voids left by the departures of forwards Maho Hirosawa and Wakana Onishi, as well as left-sided players Saki Ishizaki and Rio Sasaki.
*Niigata (6): Niigata welcomes new manager Yuji Sakakura. While the return of goalkeeper Chika Hirao is a point of interest, the key to the team’s success will likely be the selection of young players capable of taking a leadership role.
*Omiya (7): The quality that propelled them to the League Cup final in April will be tested over the course of the long league season. How will they fill the void left by goalkeeper Shiori Fukuda’s return to Urawa?
*Sagamihara (8): It will be interesting to see if the development of talented young players translates into team growth. Will the reinforcements in defense pay off?
*Chiba (9): It seems to boil down to a single question: will manager Carmele Torres’s tactics and strategies pay off? Last season—her first—could hardly be called a success. All eyes are now on what results her approach will yield in her second year as it takes hold.
*Osaka (10): A team already rich in young talent with maturely skilled players like Reina Wakisaka and Saori Takarada has added players of Japanese descent from the United States and Australia. All eyes are on the capabilities of the new goalkeeper and head coach heading into the new season. Keep an eye on new coaches Kazuaki Hashikawa and Chiaki Minamiyama as well.
*Saitama (11): High hopes here as well for the potential of talented young players. Can the contributions of new signings of defenders help reduce the number of goals conceded?
*Nagano (12): As always, the club seems to be struggling to retain its players against poaching efforts. Can they capitalize on the additions of Rui Tachibana and Mayu Tsuneda? Hopes are high for the contributions of other new signings as well.
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