Women’s National League announces key dates and changes to promotion for 2025-26 season | OneFootball

The WSL has announced key dates and changes to promotion for the 2025-26 season. WNL sides Northampton and Loughborough Lightning pictured in February 2025. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)

The FA has announced key dates for the upcoming Women’s National League (WNL) 2025-26 season, as well as a one-off change to promotion.

WNL 2025-26 season key dates

It has been confirmed that the fixture list for the WNL 2025-26 season will be released on July 15th.

The WNL – which covers the third and fourth tiers of English football – will begin on Sunday, August 17th. The season will conclude on Sunday, April 26th.

Along with a statement confirming the key dates, changes to the WNL season and FA Women’s League Cup were also announced.

What changes are being made to promotion in the 2025-26 WNL season?

During the 2025-26 season, an extra team will be promoted from the third tier of football to WSL2 for the following campaign.

This will be decided by a play-off match between the two teams that finish second in the Southern and Northern divisions at the end of the season.

The winner of the playoff will join the winners of both the Southern and Northern Premier Divisions in the second-tier of English football in the 2026-27 season.

Meanwhile, two additional teams will be promoted from Tier 4 to 3 – alongside the four division winners.

This will be determined by two playoffs. The first playoff will see the second-placed sides in Division One North and Division One Midlands face each other.

The second playoff will feature the second-placed teams in Division One South West and Division One South East.

Relegation remains unaffected with the two bottom-placed sides from each division dropping down.

Why are changes being made to promotion in the WNL?

The changes to promotion in the WSL stem down from the expansion to the Women’s Super League.

Plans to expand the WSL from 12 to 14 teams for the 2026-27 season were recently approved by the FA.

There are changes to promotion and relegation for the 2025-26 WSL season.

The top two teams from the second-tier will automatically be promoted to the WSL. Then the side that finishes bottom of the WSL, will face the team that finishes third from WSL2 in a playoff to determine the 14th and final team in the top-flight.

It’s hoped the expansion will increase opportunities and raise minimum standards in England’s top flight.

The expansion to the WSL has had an effect on how teams get promoted to and relegated from the second, third and fourth tiers in English football.

What changes are being made to the Women’s League Cup?

The upcoming season will see an introduction of a group stage and entry of Professional Game Academy sides to the FA Women’s League Cup.

These sides last season competed in the National League Plate competition for the first time. This was done to provide more opportunities for young players.

Teams will be drawn into 22 groups of four teams. Of which 22 group winners and 10 best second-place finishers will advance to the knockout stages.

The other 12 runner-ups and 20 best third-placed teams will advance to the Plate knockout stages.