20 years ago, WAG became a noun, adjective and verb – a borderline derogatory term that turned any woman spotted with a somewhat popular football player into a target for the media to pick at, criticise and tear down.

What was once viewed with derision by mainstream media has been completely transformed in the age of social media and influencer culture. Women that were once looked down upon and mercilessly ridiculed are now the main characters of Pinterest boards and Instagram pages dedicated to that seemingly fairytale lifestyle. Though it feels sudden, this change in the zeitgeist didn’t happen on its own. The likes of Cindy Kimberly, Iris Law, Oriana Sabatini, Jessica Aïdi and more have completely changed what it means to be a WAG, and the world can’t help but pay attention.

The term WAG – an acronym for wives and girlfriends – was first coined in 2002, though it didn’t become a part of society’s vernacular until that fateful 2006 World Cup in Germany, when England’s golden generation shine was overshadowed by the glamorous glow of their better halves. Images of Victoria Beckham, Coleen Rooney, Cheryl and Abbey Clancy strutting through the cobblestone streets of Baden-Baden and dressing to impress in the stands are the textbook definition of ‘waggery.’ These women set the tone, creating an impossibly high bar for their successors to reach in order to define the culture as strongly as they did. 

WAG culture has experienced a serious decline since the days of Posh and Becks. What was once a phenomenon transcending the world of football – bleeding into fashion, beauty, and music – grew stagnant as years went by. The standard match day fit of oversized Chanel sunglasses, and an Hermés Birkin (costing more than the down payment on the house you’ve been eyeing on Rightmove) turned into uninspiring replica kits and skinny jeans. Paparazzi photos on the front pages disappeared. The allure of the WAG seemed to have been lost since the wild days of Baden-Baden and the media frenzy that followed. Society has been starved for nearly two decades, feeding on old pictures of Posh Spice as they wait for a new supreme to rise up from the Tom Ford-scented ashes. In the year 2024, that post might finally have been filled.

Cynics think that WAGs and their off-pitch royalty status are a negative addition to the sport – a distraction for the players, fans and media during some of the biggest moments in their careers. It’s the same logic that inspired Fabio Capello to ban significant others from attending major tournaments when he took over the England job after seeing the media circus that followed the Three Lions in 2006. It’s the reason WAGs are rarely seated next to each other during matches. People still believe that the inescapable presence of these women contributed to England’s poor performances in past tournaments, with a golden generation the entire country rooted for ending their careers empty-handed. In reality, football needs WAGs more than WAGs need football.

With every new tournament, the internet becomes engulfed in the sport, introducing new fans to the wonderful world of football. Though the game remains the main focus in these conversations, WAGs serve as an everlasting bridge between football and society that even the most personable players cannot compete with. When the fashion and beauty accounts on X post photos of Benson every time she wears a new Three Lions-inspired outfit, the sport gains a new follower. When people notice that she wears the same NYX lip gloss as them, another person is suddenly invested in England’s Euros campaign, hoping they make it all the way if only to see what Tolami wears for the final. 

WAGs are an institution, the other side of the football heritage coin. Society has always been obsessed with the partners of footballers, since the days of Kevin Keegan and George Best. The intrigue and nosiness is in our nature, and that’s what has kept these women occupying the public conscience for decades on end. Though it was pop music sensations and a 20-year-old Coleen Rooney going on exorbitant shopping sprees in a German spa town that changed the landscape forever, it’s hard not to believe the current crop of women looking on at yet another tournament in Germany aren’t the chosen ones. 

The WAG class of 2006 was born in the wrong generation, years removed from Instagram and Tumblr’s blowup. With images of Florian Wirtz’ girlfriend Aaliyah flooding the internet, and entire pages dedicated to keeping up with WAGs, their wardrobes and their movements, there has never been a better time to find yourself in that exclusive circle. After years of flying under the radar, nameless and unseen, WAGs are well and truly back — and this generation is doing it better than ever before.

@s.imi

If WAGs are experiencing a renaissance, consider Tolami Benson the Leonardo Da Vinci of this new era. Bukayo Saka’s girlfriend has had her fair share of viral moments in the last few years, beginning with a stunning visual of her watching the Three Lions at the 2022 World Cup. The ice blonde hair, perfect, immovable makeup even in the Qatari heat, and the crisp white and blue of England’s kit had the entire internet asking “who is she?” In April, she did it again by pairing a black and gold Arsenal jersey with a long-sleeved lace top – a simple but effective fashion statement that sent the worldwide web into a ‘blokette’ spiral. Now, turning heads at England’s first match of their 2024 Euros campaign, her custom biker jacket featuring Saka’s old academy number 87 is the perfect nod to Victoria as she gears up to take the icon’s hallowed place as the nation’s no. 1 WAG.

Benson’s rising popularity is a stark contrast to the women of 2006. Despite Victoria and Cheryl having highly successful music careers, they found themselves defined by their love lives in the way that most women were in the early ‘00s. Benson’s status is something novel in the ever-changing world of WAGs. Like the rest of the new cohort, she is not simply viewed as arm candy or another trophy for one of the biggest names in football. Saka doesn’t even feature on her Instagram feed – not physically, anyway. Small Easter eggs imply his presence in her life, so insignificant in the monthly dumps she posts that new followers unaware of her connection to football might just assume she’s a massive Arsenal fan like any other London-based content creator. She is her own separate entity. Rather than being photographed having a wild night with other footy wives in Garibaldi’s, the new it-girls curate their own snapshots of life on Instagram. Instead of tabloid write-ups, X users repost Getty photos and Instagram Story screenshots, with multiple viral posts sending their already soaring social media follower counts to the moon.