Everything you need to know about the WSL’s expansion to 14 teams | OneFootball

The Barclays Women’s Super League will expand from 12 to 14 teams ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. The news follows months of discussion and speculation, including suggestions that WSL Football Limited – who took control of England’s top two tiers in August 2024 – could scrap relegation from the top flight altogether.

The plans must still be approved by The FA, although this is expected to be nothing more than a formality after clubs voted in favour of the revised structure on Monday.

That proved to be immensely controversial amongst the fanbase, though their concerns seem to have been taken on board as the new plans reveal that the threat of relegation will remain moving forwards.

At the end of the 2025/26 season, two teams from WSL 2 – formerly known as the Women’s Championship – will be automatically promoted to the WSL. The third-placed team in the WSL 2 will then head into a play-off match against the 12th-placed team in the WSL, with the winner earning the right to play top-flight football the following season.

From 2026/27 onwards, the WSL 2 champions will be automatically promoted and the WSL’s bottom side will be relegated to the second division. The 13th-placed WSL team will face the WSL 2 runners-up in a play-off.

While it is widely accepted that expanding the top flight is a fundamental step towards growing the women’s game in England, some have expressed concerns that adding four extra league fixtures per season will only exacerbate player fatigue and increase the likelihood of injuries.

In addition to their league commitments, teams currently compete in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup and the Subway Women’s League Cup. The UEFA Women’s Champions League, UEFA Women’s Europa Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup will certainly involve English teams too – and many of the WSL’s players are regularly playing for their respective national teams.

Scheduling, then, could become a problem as clubs and governing bodies must devise a fixture list that meets player welfare guidelines. Currently, a six-week break is required after a major tournament and a two-week winter break is enforced. Midweek games are also subject to limits, so the expansion will likely lead to more weekend fixtures, which poses significant challenges for clubs groundsharing without a stadium of their own.