Women’s Super League (WSL) champions Chelsea will open the 2025-26 season with a Friday night home clash against Manchester City, while Arsenal host newly promoted London City Lionesses.
The opening weekend will take place during a men’s international break, with games between Sept. 5-7.
The Women’s Super League 2 (WSL2), formerly the Championship, will begin on the same weekend.
The opening weekend also features a heated Merseyside derby, with Liverpool hosting local rivals Everton. Brighton & Hove Albion take on Aston Villa, Manchester United face Leicester City, nd Tottenham Hotspur begin their season with a London derby clash against West Ham United.
The issue of competitiveness was raised at the end of last season as Chelsea secured their sixth consecutive league title — and their first under manager Sonia Bompastor — while Arsenal finished as runners-up and United in third.
The new season will see the arrival of Michele Kang’s London City Lionesses — the only independent club in the WSL — women’s football — as they make their debut in England’s top-flight.
In terms of rivalries, the two high-stakes London derbies between Arsenal and Chelsea are set for Nov. 8 and Jan. 25, and the Manchester derbies are scheduled for Nov. 16 and March 29.
The winter break will take place between Dec. 22 and Jan. 10. Arsenal and United are set to meet on Jan. 11 in their first game after the Christmas period.
The 2025-26 WSL season will also be the last in its existing format. The league will expand to 14 teams as of 2026-27, meaning the bottom-placed WSL team will face the third-place WSL2 side in a playoff, with the top two WSL2 teams gaining automatic promotion.
The playoff weekend is scheduled for May 22-25.
Meanwhile, the WSL is making an attempt to mitigate scheduling clashes with the Women’s Champions League and Europa Cup. Games between early October that involved Arsenal, Chelsea or United will be scheduled on a Friday or Saturday to ensure they have at last two days of rest before a European fixture.
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Last season, the league was forced to postpone the title-deciding clash between Chelsea and United due to conflict with their European schedules.
Every WSL game will be available on Sky Sports or BBC in the coming season, and WSL2 matches will be streamed on YouTube.
After consultation with fans and clubs, the late Sunday kick-offs have been scrapped, with most games set for Sunday afternoon between midday and 4.30 p.m. Other broadcast slots include Saturday midday and 5.15 p.m. and Friday 6 p.m.
The WSL season will end between May 15-17, during which Chelsea will host Manchester United on the final day once again.
Arsenal will travel to Liverpool, and London City Lionesses face Aston Villa.
The WSL 2 season will conclude two weeks earlier during the first weekend in May.
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