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Lia Wälti

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Lia Wälti
Wälti during a press conference with Switzerland in 2017
Personal information
Full name Lia Joëlle Wälti[1]
Date of birth (1993-04-19) 19 April 1993 (age 33)
Place of birth Langnau im Emmental, Bern, Switzerland
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Juventus
Number 13
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2009 Köniz
2009–2013 YB Frauen
2013–2018 Turbine Potsdam 97 (7)
2018–2025 Arsenal 183 (2)
2025– Juventus 17 (0)
International career‡
2011– Switzerland 125 (5)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 May 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 8 April 2025

Lia Joëlle Wälti (Swiss Standard German: [ˈliːa joˈɛlə ˈvɛlti]; born 19 April 1993) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Juventus and captains the Switzerland national team. Before signing for Arsenal in July 2018, she played for Nationalliga A club YB Frauen from 2009 until 2013 and for Bundesliga club Turbine Potsdam from 2013 until 2018.

She has been a member of the Switzerland national team since August 2011.[2] As an Under-19 international she played the 2009 U-19 European Championship[3] and the 2010 U-20 World Cup.[4] In 2025, she captained Switzerland to their home European Championship, where they reached the quarter-finals.

In March 2026, Wälti co-founded the company WNXT Agency, a sports marketing agency specifically for female athletes.[5]

Club career

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Early career

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In her childhood, Wälti played ice hockey as well as football.[6] In 2002, at the age of 8, she started playing for FC Langnau, a boys football team coached by her father. In 2007 she was admitted to the Huttwill Training Centre and, half a year later, she joined Team Bern West. In 2009 she moved to BSC Young Boys, where she played for a year in the U16 boys' team.

FC Köniz

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At the same time she played for Team Bern West, Wälti joined FC Köniz of the Swiss Challenge League.

BSC YB Frauen

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Lia Wälti for Turbine Potsdam

In 2009, Wälti joined BSC YB Frauen, where, in 2011, she won the Nationalliga A. In the same year, she debuted in the UEFA Women's Champions League.[7]

Turbine Potsdam

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In 2013, Wälti signed a contract with 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam of the Frauen-Bundesliga.[8] She was named captain in her second season and played 110 games between 2013 and 2018.

Arsenal

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After 110 appearances with the German team, Wälti signed a contract with Arsenal in July 2018.[9] Wälti was instrumental in Arsenal's 2018–2019 WSL league winning season although only played half of the season after she suffered a LCL injury which kept her out of football for 9 months In April 2019.[10] She was included in the 2018–2019 PFA Team of the Year.[11] On 13 December 2019, Wälti signed a long-term contract with the club.[12]

She later managed to achieve the 2024–25 UEFA Women's Champions League with the club.[13] In September 2025, after 7 years and 183 appearances for Arsenal, Wälti announced her departure from the club.[14]

Juventus

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On 4 September 2025, Wälti joined Serie A side Juventus by signing a contract until 2027.[15]

International career

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Youth

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Wälti played in the 2008 U-17 European Championship. She also played for the Switzerland U19 team in 2008 and 2009. She reached the semifinals in the 2009 U-19 European Championship. The next year, she joined the U20 team at the 2010 U-20 World Cup.

Senior

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On 21 August 2011, Wälti made her debut for the Switzerland senior team in a match against Scotland. In 2015, she played at the World Cup.[16] In 2019 after the retirement of Lara Dickenmann, she was named captain.[17]

On 23 June 2025, Wälti was called up to the Switzerland squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025.[18]

Personal life

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Wälti carries her mother's surname, a former national handball player, while her father, Andreas Aebi, played football in the first division.[19]

As a child Wälti played numerous sports outside of Football including Handball, Volleyball and Athletics. She stated that when she grew up she wanted to be either a kindergarten teacher or an ice hockey player. She used to attend SCL Tigers home matches as a child.[20]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 7 February 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cups Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Turbine Potsdam 2013–14 Frauen-Bundesliga 19 0 1 0 6 2 26 2
2014–15 20 2 5 0 — 25 2
2015–16 22 3 3 0 — 25 3
2016–17 15 2 — — 15 2
2017–18 21 0 3 0 — 24 0
Total 97 7 12 0 6 2 115 9
Arsenal 2018–19 WSL 12 0 5 0 — 17 0
2019–20 10 0 6 1 4 0 20 1
2020–21 20 0 3 0 — 23 0
2021–22 20 0 3 0 8 0 31 0
2022–23 18 1 2 0 11 0 31 1
2023–24 15 0 5 1 2 0 22 1
2024–25 18 0 5 0 10 1 33 1
Total 113 1 29 2 35 1 177 4
Juventus 2025–26 Serie A 9 0 3 0 5 0 17 0
Total 9 0 3 0 5 0 17 0
Career total 222 8 44 2 51 3 309 13

International

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Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wälti goal.
List of international goals scored by Lia Wälti
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 24 November 2011 Stadion Brügglifeld, Switzerland  Kazakhstan 4–0 8–1 UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying
2 21 September 2013 Colovray Sports Centre, Switzerland  Serbia 4–0 9–0 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
3 11 March 2015 Estádio Municipal de Albufeira, Portugal  Brazil 1–2 1–4 2015 Algarve Cup
4 6 March 2017 Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Cyprus  Italy 3–0 6–0 2017 Cyprus Women's Cup
5 24 November 2017 LIPO Park, Schaffhausen, Switzerland  Belarus 2–0 3–0 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Honours

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BSC YB Frauen

Turbine Potsdam

Arsenal

Juventus

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "List of Players – Switzerland" (PDF). FIFA. 30 May 2015. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  2. ^ Profile Archived 28 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine in the Swiss Football Association's website
  3. ^ French and Swiss advance to semis. UEFA
  4. ^ Statistics in FIFA's website
  5. ^ "WNXT coming soon". WNXT AGENCY (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Arseblog Exclusive Interview with Lia Wälti- 'The more we play at the Emirates, the more it will feel like home.'". 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Lia Wälti". Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Lia Wälti wechselt zu Turbine Potsdam". Archived from the original on 30 July 2013.
  9. ^ "Lia Walti joins the club". 2 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Lia Walti undergoes knee surgery, likely out 9 months". 11 April 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Lia Walti injury update". 13 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Lia Walti commits her future to the club". 13 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Lia Walti on her "beautiful memories"". Arsenal W.F.C. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  14. ^ "Lia Walti leaves Arsenal". Arsenal W.F.C. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  15. ^ "Lia Wälti joins Juventus Women!". Juventus F.C. 4 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Martina Voss benennt ihre 23 Spielerinnen für die WM in Kanada". Schweizerischer Fussballverband (in German). Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  17. ^ "Captain Lia Wälti im Interview" (in German). vaterland.li. 12 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Frauen-Nationalteam: Das Kader für die UEFA Women's EURO 2025 steht fest" (in German). Swiss Football Association. 23 June 2025.
  19. ^ Gertsch, Christof (15 January 2025). "Die beste Schweizer Fussballerin sagt: «Ich weinte jeden Tag»" (in German). Tages-Anzeiger.
  20. ^ nadja-muehlemann (26 September 2022). "Die beste Fussballerin der Schweiz". Sportlerin Magazin (in German). Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Women's Honours". www.arsenal.com. 13 July 2023. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  22. ^ Sanders, Emma (5 March 2023). "Arsenal 3–1 Chelsea: Gunners fight back to win Women's League Cup final". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  23. ^ Sanders, Emma (24 May 2025). "Women's Champions League Final: Arsenal stun Barcelona to win title". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  24. ^ "Late winner secures Bianconere glory in the Serie A Women's Cup". Juventus FC. 27 September 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  25. ^ "Girelli back-heel wins Juventus the Italian Women's Super Cup - Juventus". Juventus.com. Juventus. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  26. ^ "PFA WSL TEAM OF THE YEAR". www.thepfa.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  27. ^ baumgartner.stefan. "Swiss Football Night: Virtuelle Auszeichnung für die Besten des Jahres 2021". www.football.ch (in German). Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Lia Walti named women's Player of the Month". Lia Walti named women's Player of the Month. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
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