The upcoming 2026/27 season of the Women's Super League (WSL) has had its full fixture list released, and fans can already feel the excitement building. Manchester City will kick off their title‑defence by hosting newly‑promoted Birmingham City, while the London City Lionesses will open the campaign against Manchester United in a match that will be televised live on Sky Sports.
This season marks a significant expansion for the league, which has grown from twelve to fourteen clubs after Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic earned promotion from WSL 2. The enlarged format means more games, a broader spread of kick‑off times and increased broadcast coverage. Sky Sports has confirmed that it will air 90 percent of all WSL fixtures live across its main channel and the NOW platform – a total of 163 matches, plus the end‑of‑season play‑off – with additional highlights and selected games streamed on the dedicated Sky Sports WSL YouTube channel. The new schedule also offers greater flexibility, reducing the number of simultaneous kick‑offs and giving supporters more options to watch their favourite teams.
The Lionesses, who made headlines this summer by signing two‑time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, will be the first team to appear on Sky Sports cameras on Friday, 4 September, when they travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. Two days later, on Sunday, 6 September, Manchester City will host Birmingham City in what promises to be a marquee showdown on a day that features five live broadcasts. Other opening‑day fixtures 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 – back in the top flight after an immediate bounce‑back – taking on Everton. Chelsea, the eight‑time champions, will open their season at home against Aston Villa on Saturday, 5 September, at the iconic Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United will face a challenging start to their campaign, with a second match at home to Chelsea on Sunday, 13 September, followed by a trip to the Emirates Stadium to meet Arsenal on Saturday, 19 September. Both of those games will also be shown live on Sky Sports. Arsenal, in turn, will host Chelsea on Sunday, 27 September, adding another high‑profile clash to the early calendar. The first Merseyside derby of the season is slated for Sunday, 27 September, when Everton travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Relegation will continue to be a feature of the league despite its expansion; the team finishing in 14th place will be automatically relegated, while the 13th‑placed side will enter a play‑off against the runners‑up from WSL 2. Below is a snapshot of some of the key fixtures and their kick‑off times: - 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 fixtures for the following weeks include: Saturday, 12 September: - 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 Saturday, 19 September: - 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 Saturday, 26 September: - 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 run through to the final weekend on 22–23 May, with a winter break from 21 December to 3 January. The play‑off is scheduled for the weekend of 29–30 May.
Sky Sports has also rolled out a new mobile app that offers vertical video highlights, detailed match centres with scores and statistics, and live streams for subscribers – all available for free to fans who simply want to stay up to date. Full‑match highlights from every WSL game will continue to be posted on the Sky Sports website and app, ensuring that supporters can catch up on any action they miss.
In addition, Sky Sports is launching a dedicated WSL YouTube channel, which will become the hub for live streams of selected fixtures, match highlights, exclusive player interviews and behind‑the‑scenes content that showcases the personalities shaping women's football today. Overall, the 2026/27 Women's Super League promises a richer, more accessible experience than ever before, with a record number of televised matches, a broader schedule, and a commitment from broadcasters to bring the sport to a wider audience across multiple platforms.