Manchester City will kick off their campaign as defending champions of the Women's Super League by facing newly promoted Birmingham City, while the London City Lionesses open the 2026/27 season against Manchester United, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The full fixture list for the upcoming season has now been published, complete with kickoff times and broadcast allocations for the first four weekends. This year the league features a record number of games after expanding from twelve to fourteen clubs, thanks to the promotion of Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic from the second tier, WSL 2. Sky Sports has committed to televising ninety percent of all WSL fixtures, delivering 163 live matches across its main channel and the NOW streaming platform, plus the end‑of‑season play‑off.
Selected games will also be streamed on the dedicated Sky Sports WSL YouTube channel, offering fans more flexibility and fewer simultaneous kick‑offs. The London City Lionesses, who made headlines this summer by signing two‑time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, will make their season debut in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday 4 September when they host Manchester United.
Two days later, on Sunday 6 September, champions Manchester City will welcome newcomers Birmingham City in a marquee double‑header that includes five live games across the day. Other opening‑day fixtures feature last season's runners‑up Arsenal travelling to Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur hosting a London derby against West Ham United, Liverpool visiting the freshly promoted Charlton Athletic, and Crystal Palace – who bounced straight back to the top flight – taking on Everton. Eight‑time champions Chelsea will host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 5 September.
Fans are advised to use the Chrome browser for the best video‑player experience. Manchester United 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 play Arsenal on Saturday 19 September; both encounters will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Arsenal will also host Chelsea on Sunday 27 September, another Sky Sports broadcast. The league’s schedule also lists the first Merseyside derby of the campaign, where Everton travel to Anfield to meet Liverpool on Sunday 27 September, with live coverage on Sky Sports. Relegation will remain in effect despite the league's 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. Key opening fixtures include: - London City Lionesses vs Manchester United, kickoff 19:00, live on Sky Sports - Chelsea vs Aston Villa, kickoff 12:30 - Brighton vs Arsenal, kickoff 12:00, live on Sky Sports - Tottenham vs West Ham, kickoff 12:00, live on Sky Sports - Charlton vs Liverpool, kickoff 14:00, live on Sky Sports - Crystal Palace vs Everton, kickoff 14:00, live on Sky Sports - Manchester City vs Birmingham City, kickoff 14:30, live on Sky Sports Saturday 12 September sees: - West Ham vs London City Lionesses, 12:45 - Manchester United vs Chelsea, 12:00 - Birmingham City vs Brighton, 14:00 - Everton vs Charlton Athletic, 14:00 - Liverpool vs Tottenham, 14:00 - Aston Villa vs Manchester City, 18:30 - Manchester City vs Liverpool, 19:00 Saturday 19 September features: - Chelsea vs Birmingham City, 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 includes: - London City Lionesses vs Brighton, 17:00 - Manchester United vs West Ham, 13:00 - Birmingham City 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 slated for 29–30 May.
Sky Sports’ mobile app now offers a streamlined way to follow the action, providing vertical video highlights, match centre 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. In addition, Sky Sports is launching a dedicated WSL YouTube channel, which will become the exclusive hub for live streams of selected games, match highlights, exclusive interviews and behind‑the‑scenes content that showcases the league’s biggest personalities.
Overall, the 2026/27 season sees Sky Sports broadcasting more than 1,500 live matches across the Premier League, EFL, Women’s Super League and Scottish Premiership, including 215 Premier League fixtures shown exclusively live. The broadcaster will also revive the iconic Super Sunday 4:30 pm slot and expand its Friday and Monday night coverage, ensuring that fans can enjoy the most important moments from kickoff to the final whistle each weekend.