Arsenal Women are the European champions and will look to hold onto their crown come the end of the season.
One of the players looking to aid Arsenal in their quest is Katie McCabe.
The Irishwoman is one of Arsenal’s many star names and is an integral part of Renee Sleger’s side.
In this article, we’ll look at
Who is Katie McCabe?
- Age: 30
- Career path: Raheny United (2011-2015) > Shelbourne (2015) > Arsenal (2015-) > Glasgow City (loan 2017)
McCabe has a similar story of falling in love with football to a lot of players — and fans — her age. It all started with the men’s game. But her passion came from a much closer source.
“My older brother played football, so I was inspired by him. He was so passionate about it. And then he and my dad actually kind of introduced me to football at a really young age,” McCabe told Squawka.
McCabe’s older brother Gary was a winger who spent his entire career in the League of Ireland, representing Shamrock Rovers, Bray Wanderers, Sligo Rovers and Shelbourne. Like a lot of us, once McCabe had caught the bug there was no going back.
She added: “Ever since then I was always into football kits and whatnot. I’d never let my mum put me in girly clothes or anything like that.”
But there was still a long way to go before football was seen as a potential career. McCabe eventually found her way to an all-girls team and started representing Ireland at youth level with the under-15s — when she was still only 13. It was there that McCabe learned about the likes of Emma Byrne and Ciara Grant, top players for the Ireland senior team but who also played their club football for Arsenal.
The Gunners were involved in another story of McCabe’s introduction to top level women’s football, with the Irish star watching the 2006-07 Women’s FA Cup final between Arsenal and Charlton Athletic on TV back in Ireland. Again, McCabe’s dad was involved. When he told her about an FA Cup Final being on TV, McCabe thought was the men’s game.
“I was thinking, one, Arsenal have a team, I was never aware of that. And two, they’re playing on the television. And it was that one fixture that was probably on the TV once a year,” McCabe said.
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“But that was really early. And when I saw that, with Emma playing in those games, I was like ‘wow, this could actually be an opportunity to go there, or get across to England and play professionally one day’.”
Arsenal won that game 4-1 despite conceding an early goal, with both Byrne and Grant starting for the Gunners.
McCabe eventually went on to represent Raheny United (which later merged to form Shelbourne Ladies) and she enjoyed a lot of success as an exciting young winger. She helped the club win trophies too, with two league titles and four cups — including two Doubles. McCabe even won the Women’s National League Young Player of the Year award in 2013-14. It was those kinds of performances that caught the eye of many British clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Glasgow City.
The Arsenal call
There was only one real destination for McCabe. Arsenal were always among the frontrunners for the women’s game in England. They had devoted a lot of time and money into building the club and were fully deserving of their success in the early 2000s. Arsenal became the first (and still only) English team to win the Women’s Champions League in 2007 under its former name as the Uefa Women’s Cup.
Again, there was the Ireland connection too. And like every young player should, McCabe was making the most of her time with senior Irish players as she moved up the ranks.
“I think, for me, one was that I looked up to Emma Byrne massively as a player, and as captain in the international team when I broke through to the senior team, I was 18, 19, and I was just in awe of these players that were playing at the highest level,” she said.
“It was something I was jealous of because I really wanted to do that, and I’d wrack their heads about what it’s like training, what it’s like playing for them. I’d ask them all the questions, they’d still tell you that now. I was quite cheeky with that but I wanted to know because I wanted to get there.”
McCabe wanted a challenge but also the chance to learn from women’s football legends, which made Arsenal the best place. Like a lot of players, though, there were struggles. McCabe made 13 appearances across all competitions in her first season at Arsenal, but only seven of those were starts. Standards were high and McCabe had a lot of big names around her in the dressing room, who she was trying to depose.
McCabe spent the 2017 season on loan at Glasgow City where she started to find her feet, and returned to Arsenal ready to fight for her spot.
“As much as I wanted to be playing, I needed to learn and understand what it was to wear the Arsenal shirt and make sure I was playing at the highest level possible,” McCabe said.
“At the same time, I trusted the process with it as well, listening to coaches and players that I knew had been in that position before. And they knew what it was to achieve things. So, for me, it was about learning from them and just working as much as I could every day.”
Katie McCabe’s game explained
Versatility is important in the women’s game and McCabe has had the left flank locked down for quite some time. The 30-year-old started out as a winger for club and country, and you can still see her marauding down the left wing as much as she can. But she does play a slightly deeper role for Arsenal, namely at left-back. It was a role brought to her by former Arsenal boss Joe Montemurro, who was trying to fit all of his stars into the one team. And some of McCabe’s strengths actually pointed towards the more defensive role.
McCabe said: “It was a conversation we had and felt like my ability in build up phases of the game where you needed to either progress the ball up the pitch with passes through the lines or carrying the ball.
“And he (Montemurro) admired how tactically aware I was with seeing and reading the game. And I think that was where it naturally developed.
“I did still make sure I was doing the overlaps and underlaps, and getting up as much as I can because I still know I’m a goal threat in front of goal, whether that’s scoring them or helping the team create opportunities. So he did give me that licence to go, but the manager was really, really open about it.”
McCabe’s all-round qualities
The deeper position hasn’t hurt McCabe, or Arsenal, at all. She’s still their number one creative outlet out wide, both from open play and set pieces.
The Irishwoman has attempted 65 crosses in the Women’s Super League this season, more than any other Arsenal player. She also leads the Gunners for crosses completed with 23. In fact, only London City Lionesses’ Kosovare Asllani has completed more crosses in the WSL this season. McCabe ranks third for final third passes attempted per 90 minutes at Arsenal, with 23.63 in the WSL
When it comes to general chance creation, McCabe ranks third at Arsenal with 15, behind only Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey. Of course that will be in part down to Sleger’s tactics, progressing the ball through the middle of the pitch and Arsenal’s Spanish superstar. Caitlin Foord is the only Arsenal player to created more big chances in the league than McCabe’s two.
McCabe has longevity there, though, racking up 41 WSL assists in 162 appearances for Arsenal. Eleven of those came in a fantastic 2020-21 campaign which saw McCabe directly involved in 15 goals in total.
Then there’s the defensive side of McCabe’s game.
When comparing McCabe defensively to the other left-backs in the big four, the 30-year-old shines. She has won 57.81% of her ground duels in the WSL this season, winning 3.9 per 90 overall. She also averages 1.1 interceptions per 90 and 4.7 ball recoveries.
McCabe is a key ball-winner for Arsenal too. She averages 2.37 possessions won in the middle third per 90 and 2.05 in the defensive third. Her 18 tackles is the third-most of any Arsenal player.
McCabe’s growth in the defensive side of her game is down to the relationships built with previous full-backs. And it’s one she’s hoping to replicate with those now playing further ahead of her on the pitch.
“I was very blessed at the start of my career when I was an attacking winger,” McCabe said.
“I had Emma Mitchell behind me, who’s an unbelievable servant to the club and for her country Scotland. She was a great communicator, and when she was doing the communication early to help me position and close passing lanes, it was doing her work for her. So I learned that quite early on.
“That’s the thing about learning from the people around you at a young age, you take that into the rest of your career. And for me, now, I’ve got a great relationship with our wingers Caitlin (Foord), Chloe (Kelly), Beth (Mead) and obviously Liv (Smith) coming in in the summer as well. And Liv is such a young player, so that’s where I want to really help her understand those defensive responsibilities as well.”
Katie McCabe’s career so far
Turning 30 last September, McCabe has already achieved a lot in the game. She’s won everything possible for Arsenal, with one WSL title, one FA Cup and three League Cups. The crowning point came at the end of the 2024-25 season when Arsenal beat Barcelona to win the Champions League for the second time.
Arsenal’s journey started in the first qualifying round as the Gunners had finished third in the WSL in 2023-24, meaning they had to play 15 games in the competition. McCabe played every one of those matches, amassing 1,294 minutes from the first qualifying round to the final. It was more minutes than any other Arsenal player in the competition. In fact, McCabe played more minutes than any other player in the 2024-25 Women’s Champions League including qualifying. It’s something that adds to her achievement, being so heavily involved in a title win in which she also provided three assists from 2.8 Expected Assists.
“I mean, it’s definitely up there!” McCabe said of winning the Champions League.
“When I’m playing, I kind of have all my Ireland achievements and then my club [separate]. But with Arsenal it’s definitely up there at the top. It was incredible. It’s something as a young kid playing in Ireland I absolutely dreamed of achieving. It was one of the first things you see when you walk into the club, the players of the past winning that Champions League trophy.
“And it’s something we’ve been working for, so to see all that hard work pay off was so rewarding for the whole team, and staff, and the club and the fans. And it was a long campaign because I obviously played the most minutes in the squad during that run. It’s something I’ve been very proud of as well, because I take a lot of pride in how I perform, how I recover and to be able to say that as well is really cool.”
Inspiring a generation
McCabe’s successes extend to international level, albeit with slightly different goals. She was named Ireland captain in August 2017, becoming the youngest in the nation’s history, replacing the retiring Byrne. They were big shoes to fill, but McCabe mentioned the likes of Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn, Diane Caldwell and Denise O’Sullivan in helping her grow into the role.
In 2023, McCabe made history in being the first player to lead Ireland out at a senior Women’s World Cup. The Girls in Green had never qualified for the Women’s World Cup until the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. They finished second in their qualifying group behind Sweden, and beat Scotland in the play-offs.
Ireland had the biggest first game too, facing co-hosts Australia in their opening match. The Girls in Green did lose that game 1-0 to a second-half penalty, but history was still made. And it remains a big moment for McCabe — who went on to score Ireland’s first and only goal at a Women’s World Cup later in the group stage.
She said: “It was incredible. It felt like walking out in Ireland because there were so many Irish fans there!
“It was honestly an incredible honour, walking out knowing the world’s watching, it was the opening game. What it meant for all my teammates, for people back home in Ireland, people in the stadium and having my parents there as well was really, really special. And with us, as a nation we’re always so proud, and we leave it all out there.
“But I think the big thing for us as well was making sure we were going to inspire more girls to play back home. And for them to know there’s a place for them if they do want to be a professional footballer one day. There’s a lot of things connected to the game of football, but I think inspiring that next generation was really important for us as a group.”
What’s next for Katie McCabe?
McCabe and Arsenal have a big second-half of the season ahead of them. They have the battle for a Champions League spot in the WSL as well as the resumption of European competition. The Gunners face OH Leuven in the knockout round play-offs, with Chelsea awaiting in the quarter-finals. Big tests for Arsenal’s Champions League defence.
There is also the first ever Women’s Champions Cup. It includes all six club continental champions, with Arsenal booking their spot as the best in Europe. The Gunners have a bye to the semi-finals, where they will face African champions AS FAR. Corinthians or Gotham FC await in the final should Arsenal get there, hosted at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners did start 2026 with a draw against Manchester United in the WSL, dropping them further away from the title race. But McCabe is keen to keep going across all competitions.
“For us, obviously the Champions League is huge, but every game is important,” she said.
“Like I said, when you’re wearing an Arsenal shirt, you need to make sure you’re in for all trophies. We’re taking it game by game, we’re focusing on the process.
“Obviously it wasn’t the result we wanted last weekend, but we have to keep focusing on the positives, what we’re doing right, and tweaking where we can improve and keep building that momentum and belief as a team, because it’s a massive second half to the season.”
This year will also see the 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign start. Ireland have been placed in a tough four-team group against France, the Netherlands and Poland. But the new format does mean there is more than one opportunity to qualify for the World Cup. McCabe and co. will be hoping to join the 1990-1994 men’s teams in qualifying for back-to-back World Cups.
Read the full transcript of our exclusive interview with Katie McCabe here.