Welcome to the WSL: your quick guide to England’s top flight
Hands up who enjoyed a dramatic summer of Euro fever? Keep your hand up if you can’t wait until the 2027 World Cup for more football? Well, the good news is that the Women’s Super League (WSL) is about to kick off, and we’ve ticked off all your biggest questions.
What Is the Women’s Super League (WSL)?
The WSL is the top league in England, home to the best teams in the country and the ideal place to enjoy high-quality women’s football. So, we get to watch stars like Chloe Kelly, Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze (once that tibia heals) every week for the next nine months. Glorious!
How Does the WSL Season Work?
The WSL features twelve English clubs, all fighting to be crowned champions. This season’s lineup includes Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester City, Liverpool, London City Lionesses, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. London City Lionesses are the newcomers this year, having won promotion and replaced Crystal Palace.
The season begins the weekend of 5–7 September and matches are played through to the final day, 17 May 2026. Every team plays each other twice, once at home, once away.
Teams get three points for a win, one for a draw, and zero if they lose. The league table tracks number of games played, points, goals scored, goals conceded and the ‘goal difference’ between them, which comes into play as a tiebreaker surprisingly often.
There are a few weekends when WSL football pauses so players can join their national teams for fixtures like the Nations League or World Cup qualifiers. After all, Hannah Hampton can’t be in goal for both Chelsea and England at once.
What Are the WSL Teams Playing For?
When all 132 games are done in May, it’s winner-takes-all. The team with the most points lifts the Women’s Super League trophy. Second and third place, along with the champions, qualify for the following season’s Champions League, the top club competition in Europe.
Chelsea won the 2024/25 WSL and were unbeaten all season
WSL promotion and relegation explained (2025/26)
There’s pressure at both ends of the table. In previous years, the team finishing bottom was automatically relegated and replaced by the WSL2 champions.
For 2025/26, both WSL2’s top teams go up automatically, and by next season, the top flight expands to 14 clubs. The team finishing bottom in the WSL this season will play a deciding match (a play-off) against the team finishing third in WSL2. The winner takes the final spot in next season's WSL. It’s high stakes for those chasing promotion and those trying to avoid the drop.
Evolution of the WSL: Why all the changes?
The WSL has been running since 2011, but it has been a constantly evolving beast ever since, adapting to the huge and ongoing development of women’s football to remain both exciting and fair as it grows.
The biggest obstacle to a truly competitive league is one it shares with the Premier League: some clubs have far more money than others, meaning they are likely to win repeatedly. Consequently, the fate of the best team in the WSL often feels predictable. Just-promoted teams should be able to establish themselves in the top tier, yet more often than not, newcomers slip straight back down to WSL2 again.
How to support your local WSL club
If you live in the North West, the Midlands, London or Brighton, there’s likely to be a local team you can support in person. Adult tickets are typically £13–£17, and it’s even cheaper for kids. Check out all the WSL and WSL2 clubs here.
Where to watch WSL matches live in the UK
Every match is live in the UK from 2025/26. Sky Sports and the BBC share TV coverage, and any games not on TV stream free on the WSL’s YouTube channel.
Sky also has a dedicated Sunday 12 noon slot, with other matches taking place throughout the weekend.
Getting involved: podcasts, social channels and more
Beyond matchdays, there’s always lively chat on social media, plus a host of quality podcasts to help you follow every twist and turn. For recommendations, keep an eye on the Twentytwo Instagram page.
Key players in the 2025/26 Women’s Super League
If the Euros got you hooked on women’s football, you’re in luck. This season’s WSL is full of Lionesses playing week in, week out. Here’s where to find England’s best by club:
Arsenal: Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Chloe Kelly, Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy are at the heart of Arsenal’s push for WSL glory this season.
Brighton: Home to England’s super-sub Michelle Agyemang (on loan from Arsenal) and former Lioness Fran Kirby.
Chelsea: South West London is stacked wall to wall with Lionesses—Lucy Bronze, Hannah Hampton, Keira Walsh, Lauren James, Niamh Charles and Aggie Beever-Jones. Millie Bright is an established Lioness, but didn’t feature at the Euros.
Manchester City: Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, Khiara Keating and new signing Grace Clinton.
Manchester United: Ella Toone and deadline-day signing Jess Park.
Not all Lionesses play in the WSL. Georgia Stanway is currently with Bayern Munich in Germany, while Jess Carter, Esme Morgan and Anna Moorhouse are playing in the NWSL in the United States.
I’m new to the WSL – what have I missed so far?
Chelsea have lifted the trophy for the last six years. If that sounds a bit dull, fear not: the standard of the rest of the league keeps rising.
Arsenal are edging closer to their first WSL title since 2019.
Both Manchester clubs have the resources to challenge Chelsea, and each season throws up a new dark horse who gives the usual top four a run for their money.
In the past, promoted teams from WSL2 often went straight back down. But London City Lionesses (with big summer signings) are determined to change that this season. We’re putting money on them being this season’s not-so-dark horse.
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