Number of absentees: 4 – Rion Ishikawa, Honoka Hayashi, Hikaru Kitagawa (all Japan), Clare Wheeler (Australia)
Prior to the 2025-26 season kicking off, everyone knew Everton were going to be hit hard in March. The Toffees signed three Japan internationals in the summer, taking the total number of players who could potentially be away for the Asian Cup up to six, with Toni Payne also likely to head off to AFCON with Nigeria. In the end, it seems the club will only lose four of those seven players, though no other side in the WSL is set to be without more.
What makes Everton’s case more drastic than others is that they don’t have the depth to cope with so many absentees, especially not when they are already dealing with a long enough injury list. Add in the importance of the players they are going to be without – such as Clare Wheeler and Honoka Hayashi, who rank fourth and fifth, respectively, among minutes played for Everton in the league this season – and it’s going to be a tricky period for the team to get through.
Fortunately for the Toffees, Yuka Momiki, another vital cog in their side, didn’t make the cut for Japan while Maz Pacheco is still awaiting her Philippine passport, so cannot play for the national team yet. Payne, meanwhile, looks set to remain with the Toffees because of an injury that has not seen her feature for over a month now. Everton will hope she can return at some point in the coming weeks to provide a necessary boost and help keep the club away from that dreaded relegation zone.