Manchester City will kick off their campaign as defending champions of the Women's Super League by taking on newly promoted Birmingham City. Their opening match follows the London City Lionesses, who will launch the 2026/27 season against Manchester United in a fixture that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The full schedule for the upcoming season has now been published, complete with kickoff times and television allocations for the first four weekends. This year marks the most extensive programme the league has ever offered, thanks to the expansion from twelve to fourteen clubs after Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic earned promotion from the second‑tier WSL 2.
Sky Sports has committed to airing ninety percent of all WSL games live across its Sky Sports and NOW platforms, amounting to 163 matches plus the end‑of‑season play‑off. Selected fixtures will also be streamed on the dedicated Sky Sports WSL YouTube channel.
The league has also introduced greater flexibility in scheduling, reducing the number of matches that start simultaneously and giving fans more options to watch their favourite teams. The London City Lionesses, who made headlines this summer by signing two‑time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, will open the season under the Sky Sports cameras on Friday 4 September when they face Manchester United. Two days later, on Sunday 6 September, champions Manchester City will host the newcomers Birmingham City in what promises to be a high‑profile clash on a day that will feature five live games.
Other fixtures on the opening Sunday include last season's runners‑up Arsenal travelling to Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur hosting a London derby against West Ham United, Liverpool visiting newly promoted Charlton Athletic, and Crystal Palace – who bounced straight back to the top flight – taking on Everton. On Saturday 5 September, eight‑time champions Chelsea will welcome Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. Fans are advised to use the Chrome browser for the best video‑player experience.
Manchester United will face a challenging start to their season, with their second match scheduled at home against Chelsea on Sunday 13 September, followed by an away trip to the Emirates Stadium to meet Arsenal on Saturday 19 September. Both of those games will be shown live on Sky Sports. Arsenal will also host Chelsea on Sunday 27 September, another fixture that will be broadcast. The league’s full fixture list continues with a series of notable match‑ups.
The first Merseyside derby of the season sees Everton travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Sunday 27 September, a game also televised by Sky Sports. Relegation will remain in effect despite the league’s expansion. The team that finishes at the bottom of the table will be automatically relegated, while the club finishing thirteenth will contest a play‑off against the runners‑up from WSL 2 to retain their place in the top tier. Key fixtures and kickoff times include: - London City Lionesses vs Manchester United, 19:00, live on Sky Sports - Chelsea vs Aston Villa, 12:30 - Brighton vs Arsenal, 12:00, live on Sky Sports - Tottenham vs West Ham, 12:00, live on Sky Sports - Charlton vs Liverpool, 14:00, live on Sky Sports - Crystal Palace vs Everton, 14:00, live on Sky Sports - Manchester City vs Birmingham City, 14:30, live on Sky Sports Additional Saturday fixtures for the early weeks are: September 12 – West Ham vs London City (12:45), Manchester United vs Chelsea (12:00), Birmingham vs Brighton (14:00), Everton vs Charlton (14:00), Liverpool vs Tottenham (14:00), Aston Villa vs Manchester City (18:30), Manchester City vs Liverpool (19:00).
September 19 – Chelsea vs Birmingham (12:45), Arsenal vs Manchester United (17:30), Brighton vs Aston Villa (14:00), Crystal Palace vs Tottenham (14:00), West Ham vs Everton (14:00). September 26 – London City vs Brighton (17:00), Manchester United vs West Ham (13:00), Birmingham vs Crystal Palace (14:00), Liverpool vs Everton (14:00), Tottenham vs Aston Villa (14:00), Chelsea vs Arsenal (16:30). The season will open on 4 September and will pause for a winter break from 21 December to 3 January.
The final round of matches is slated for the weekend of 22‑23 May, followed by the play‑off on 29‑30 May. Sky Sports has enhanced its mobile offering with an app that provides vertical video highlights, comprehensive match centres with scores and statistics, and live streams for subscribers – all at no extra cost to fans. Free‑to‑watch highlights from every WSL match will continue to be available on the Sky Sports website and app.
Beyond the traditional broadcast, Sky Sports is launching a dedicated WSL YouTube channel. This platform will be the exclusive home for live streams of selected games, match highlights, exclusive interviews and behind‑the‑scenes content featuring the league’s biggest personalities. Overall, the 2026/27 season sees Sky Sports committing to more than 1,500 live broadcasts across the Premier League, the English Football League, the Women’s Super League and the Scottish Premiership, including 215 Premier League fixtures shown exclusively live.
With the return of the iconic Super Sunday 4:30 pm slot, expanded Friday and Monday night coverage, and comprehensive WSL exposure, Sky Sports aims to deliver the most comprehensive football viewing experience for fans of the women’s game.