You’ve seen the photos. Enormous sunglasses, Birkin bags the size of carry-on luggage, and a tan so deep it looks like it was applied with a paint roller. If you’ve spent more than five minutes on a celebrity gossip site or scrolling through TikTok during a World Cup, you’ve encountered the phenomenon. But what are WAGs, exactly?
Basically, the term is a snappy acronym for Wives and Girlfriends. It started as a way for the British tabloids to group the partners of the England national football team together. Fast forward a few decades, and it’s become a full-blown subculture. It’s no longer just about who is sitting in the VIP box; it’s about a specific brand of high-gloss, high-drama celebrity that has survived every shift in the media landscape.
Where did the term actually come from?
Most people think it popped up overnight in 2006, but the history is a bit more layered. Technically, some local reporters in Dundee, Scotland, used it as far back as 1987. But for the rest of the world, the "WAG" was born in 2002.
Staff at the Jumeirah Beach Club in Dubai apparently coined it to describe the entourage of the England squad during a pre-World Cup warm-up. They needed a shorthand for the group of women following the players around, and "WAGs" just stuck. It’s punchy. It’s easy to fit into a tabloid headline. Honestly, it was a marketing dream before anyone even realized they were marketing a lifestyle.
By the time the 2006 World Cup in Baden-Baden, Germany, rolled around, the WAG was no longer just a partner. She was the main event. While the players were training, the WAGs—led by the likes of Victoria Beckham and Cheryl Cole—were busy running up £57,000 tabs in local boutiques and dancing on tables at nightclubs like Garibaldi’s. The press went wild. They were "hooligans with visas," according to the Spanish papers. They were a "virus," according to later England manager Fabio Capello.
The OG WAGs: Setting the Blueprint
You can’t talk about what are WAGs without mentioning the Mount Rushmore of the movement.
- Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice): The undisputed queen. She didn't just marry David Beckham; she helped build the Beckham brand. Her "England Rocks" tank top and those oversized white sunglasses became the uniform for an entire generation of celebrity partners.
- Coleen Rooney: Married to Wayne Rooney, she went from a teenager in Liverpool to a national obsession. She’s the one who eventually proved that being a WAG isn't just about shopping; it's about strategy (more on that later).
- Cheryl Cole: At the time, she was a massive pop star in her own right with Girls Aloud. Her marriage to Ashley Cole cemented the idea that WAGs could be power players in the entertainment industry.
These women weren't just "plus-ones." They were driving sales for magazines like OK! and Hello!. If a WAG was spotted with a specific brand of lip gloss, it sold out in hours. It was influencer marketing before Instagram even existed.
Why the world is still obsessed (The Wagatha Christie Factor)
Just when people thought WAG culture was dying out, the Wagatha Christie trial happened in 2022. If you missed it, here’s the gist: Coleen Rooney suspected someone was leaking her private Instagram stories to The Sun.
She turned into a digital detective, blocking everyone except Rebekah Vardy (wife of Jamie Vardy) from seeing her stories and posting fake updates about her basement flooding or headed to Mexico for gender selection. When those fake stories showed up in the news, Coleen dropped the legendary line: "It’s.......... Rebekah Vardy’s account."
The ensuing libel trial was a circus. It cost millions in legal fees. It featured talk of "lost" WhatsApp messages dropped into the North Sea. It proved that WAG culture isn't just a relic of the mid-2000s; it’s a high-stakes, multi-million dollar world of reputation management.
Is "WAG" a dirty word?
Honestly, it depends on who you ask.
For a long time, the term was pretty pejorative. The media used it to paint these women as shallow, gold-digging, or "distractions" for the men on the pitch. In 2010, the Equality and Human Rights Commission even criticized the term as sexist. Many women, like Rebekah Vardy herself, have argued that they shouldn't be defined by their husband's jobs.
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But on the flip side, some have reclaimed it. It’s a badge of a certain kind of lifestyle—luxury travel, front-row seats, and a massive platform. Today’s modern WAGs are often business owners or influencers with millions of followers who probably make more on a single sponsored post than some players make in a week.
The Modern WAG vs. The OG
If you look at the partners of players today, like Sasha Attwood (Jack Grealish’s partner) or Tolami Benson (Bukayo Saka’s partner), things look a bit different. The "orange" spray tans are gone, replaced by "clean girl" aesthetics and quiet luxury.
- The OG Vibe: Loud, boozy, paparazzi-friendly, visible bra straps, and chaos in Baden-Baden.
- The 2026 Vibe: Highly curated, "behind-the-scenes" TikTok vlogs, Pilates classes, and very expensive (but subtle) neutral-toned loungewear.
The mystery has been replaced by accessibility. We don't have to wait for the Sunday tabloids to see what they're wearing; we just check their "Get Ready With Me" video on the way to the stadium.
What you need to know if you're following the trend
WAG culture is essentially a masterclass in personal branding. Whether you love it or hate it, there is a lot to learn from how these women have navigated intense public scrutiny.
If you're looking to understand the space better, pay attention to the shift in how they use social media. They aren't just letting the press tell their stories anymore; they are the press.
Next Steps for the Curious:
- Watch the "Beckham" documentary on Netflix: It gives a brilliant, firsthand look at what it was like for Victoria at the height of the media frenzy.
- Look past the "WAG" label: Research the business ventures of women like Perrie Edwards or Anna Modler. You'll find that most of them are running successful brands that have nothing to do with sports.
- Observe the "Wagatha" legacy: Keep an eye on how celebrity legal battles are handled now; the Rooney v. Vardy case changed the playbook for how stars handle leaks and privacy.
WAGs might have started as a joke among hotel staff, but they’ve ended up defining a massive chunk of modern celebrity culture. It's about power, it's about fashion, and occasionally, it's even about the football.