The Women's Super League from 2026-27 season will expand from 12 to 14 clubs.
Though there has been an announcement of possibly closing off the WSL, relegation is still much of a threat for clubs.
First and second place from WSL 2 (Championship) will automatically be promoted.
To make it more exciting, the third-place team in the WSL 2 will face a play-off battle with the team that finishes second-bottom of the WSL. Whoever wins stays in the WSL.
This ends all speculation surrounding the future of the WSL and the changes being made, including the rumours of relegation being scrapped.
The plans were approved today following a vote at a shareholders' meeting by WSL Football, the company that assumed control of the top two tiers from the FA in August 2024.
For this to become official, the FA must formally sign it off, which must be implemented before 31 July. However, this is just a formality.
Currently, only the WSL 2 winners earn promotion, with the bottom club relegated—essentially, one up and one down.
From the 2026/27 season, it will revert to the current one-up, one-down system.
The FA will decide the next steps for the lower tiers.
The National League Premier Division North and South winners are expected to gain automatic promotion into the WSL 2 next season.
The runners-up from those third-tier divisions would then take part in a play-off match for the final promotion spot in the second tier.
From 2026-27 onwards, two teams are expected to be relegated from WSL 2 and two automatic promotions from the third tier.
To play in the WSL 2 and the WSL, all clubs must meet the licence criteria.
This comes after this season's scandals involving Blackburn Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
This expansion is likely to be met with delight by fans as the first step in the new league operators’ 10-year plan.
Other changes that have been made since they started being in control last summer were with the licence criteria to improve the minimum standards in hopes of creating two entirely professional top tiers in England.
Requirements now include improved facilities, extra player contact hours, additional staffing, and a focus on club academies.
This expansion does come with concerns, especially around player welfare, as the clubs will now play 26 matches, not 2022, from the 2026-27 season in the same limited calendar space, as well as other competitions for the club.
It also marks the start of the Women’s Club World Cup, which will run every year starting from 2028, the Champions Cup from 2026, and the expansion of the World Cup to 48 countries from 2031.
The World Champions League semi-finals are played on weekends, not during the week, like in the men's game, taking up weekends when WSL games should be played.
There are also guidelines around player welfare, including a six-week break after a major tournament, a two-week winter break, a maximum of two midweek games in a row and no midweek games directly following an international break. This all reduces the available dates for playing the additional games.
Also, big clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal are playing more and more games at the main stadium, so clashes with the men's side are likely, and as we all know, the men's side will always come first, as we saw in November with Arsenal and the champions league
There are plans to scrap the Saturday 6:45pm evening slot on Sky Sports as average attendance at that time has been low across the WSL.
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