There may not be a major tournament in the summer but that does not mean that 2026 is going to be a quiet year. There is plenty to a lot to look forward to in the world of women’s football across the domestic and international game. Here are some highlights to keep an eye on:
Barclays WSL + WSL 2 Conclusion
The second half of the Barclays WSL begins this weekend.
Eyes will be on the Emirates on Saturday 10th January with a crucial encounter between Arsenal and Manchester United. Third-place Gunners currently sit just one point clear of Marc Skinner’s side as the battle for the Champions League places hots up.
On Sunday 11th January, league leaders Manchester City host Everton as they look to maintain their six-point advantage over Chelsea. The current holders kick off the second part of their campaign against West Ham. The Hammers, who are beginning life under new manager Rita Guarino, are locked in a battle with Liverpool at the bottom.
Gareth Taylor’s side are still searching for their first win of the campaign and will face London City Lionesses who have undergone a managerial change themselves. Spanish manager Eder Maestre replaced Jocelyn Precheur in a surprise move over the winter break. Elsewhere, a much-bolstered Tottenham Hotspur host Leicester City as they remain in touching distance of the top four and Aston Villa host Brighton with just one point separating them in eighth and seventh respectively.
The WSL 2 also restarts on Saturday 10th January with the South Coast derby at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Charlton Athletic, the only side to remain unbeaten, are current favourites in the race for the title. Karen Hills’ side have been in impressive form and sit five points clear at the top of the pack.
From there, things get a lot tighter. Second-place Birmingham City have a three-point lead over Bristol City. Only four points then separate the Robins from Southampton in seventh and results this weekend could be crucial. On Sunday, Newcastle United (4th) host Birmingham City and Bristol City travel to Nottingham Forest (6th) while Crystal Palace (5th) take on Sheffield United (9th) at Bramall Lane on Monday night.
Relegation appears more certain. Ipswich Town prop up the table, five points behind Portsmouth. Stranger things have happened in this league, however, and with a win and two draws already under their belt, Joe Sheehan’s side will have the belief that they can overturn the deficit. They do, however, have a tough opener against the league leaders while Portsmouth travel to Southampton and Durham (10th) host Sunderland (8th).
The final day for the WSL is Saturday 16th May while the WSL 2 ends on Sunday 3rd May. You can see all league tables and remaining fixtures here.
NOTES
A reminder that the top two finishers in the WSL will qualify directly for the League Phase of the 2026/2027 UEFA Women’s Champions League, while third place will enter the third qualification round.
There is no automatic relegation in the WSL as the league expands to 14 for next season. Instead, the team that finishes in 12th will feature in a play-off against the third-place finisher in WSL 2 to retain their spot.
The top two in WSL 2 will gain automatic promotion to the top flight. To get the numbers back up to 12, only one team will be relegated to the FA Women’s National League. Meanwhile, the two FAWNL Premier Division winners will gain automatic promotion and there will be a play-off between the second-place teams in each division to determine the third promoted team.
FAWNL Finale + Play-Off
The six FAWNL divisions are all shaping up to have fascinating conclusions. The final day of the season is currently on Sunday 26th April.
With three promotion places up for grabs, a lot is at stake. Last year’s runners-up Wolves currently lead the Northern Division, with Burnley (also unbeaten) in hot pursuit. The impressive AFC Bournemouth lead the way in the Southern Division. They sit just one point clear of Watford (although they do have a game in hand) with Plymouth Argyle close behind in third.
In Division 1, things are getting interesting in the push for promotion. Wythenshawe lead Huddersfield Town, Leeds United and Cheadle Town Stingers by two points in the North Division but have played more games than their opponents. Boldmere St. Michaels hold a five-point cushion over Peterborough United in the Midlands Division but have played three more matches. Fulham are the only team left unbeaten in the South East Division, sitting top with Norwich City mounting the chase. Finally, Moneyfields sit four points clear at the top of the South West Division, but have played three more games than second-place Swindon Town.
You can see all league tables and remaining fixtures here.
Adobe Women’s FA Cup
The 2025/2026 Adobe Women’s FA Cup resumes on 15th-18th January at the Fourth Round stage with WSL sides entering into the mix. There are 16 fixtures to be played. Holders Chelsea face Crystal P
alace, Manchester City face a long journey to third-tier AFC Bournemouth, London Bees host Liverpool and there is an all FAWNL Division 1 affair between Chatham Town and York City. Check out all the ties here.
From there, we will have:
- Fifth Round: 22nd February
- Quarter-Finals: 5th April
- Semi-Finals: 10th May
The Final will be played at Wembley on Sunday 31st May.
Subway Women’s League Cup
The semi-final line up is set with four teams vying for a spot in the final. Both matches will be played on Wednesday 21st January:
- Arsenal v Manchester United | Meadow Park | 19:00 GMT
- Manchester City v Chelsea | Joie Stadium | 19:00 GMT
The 2025/26 Final will be held at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate on Sunday 15th March at 14:15 GMT. Find out more about tickets here.
UWCL
While Chelsea secured direct progression to the quarter-finals from the League Phase, both Arsenal and Manchester United must get through the knockout play-offs to progress.
Arsenal face a return to OH Leuven on the 11th February, who they beat 3-0 in December, before hosting them at Meadow Park (18th February). Manchester United will travel to Atlético Madrid (12th February) – a team they also beat in the league phase – before hosting them in Leigh a week later (19th February).
Should Arsenal progress, they will face Chelsea while Manchester United would take on Bayern Munich. The quarter-finals will take place on 24th/25th March and 1st/2nd April.
The semi-finals will then be played on 25th/26th April and 2nd/3rd May.
This year’s UWCL Final is to be held in Oslo, at Ullevaal Stadion on Saturday 23rd May.
Europa Cup
The Europa Cup returns in February as the first ever edition of UEFA’s second women’s football competition heads to its conclusion.
The quarter-finals will take place across two legs on the 11th and 18th February:
- Sparta Praha vs Austria Wien
- BK Häcken vs Breiðablik
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs Nordsjælland
- Sporting CP vs Hammarby
The semi-finals will then follow on 24th/25th March and 1st/2nd April with the two-legged Final taking place on 25th/26th April and 2nd/3rd May. See the full schedule here.
FIFA Women’s Champions Cup
The inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup comes to a conclusion in London this month.
Moroccan side AS FAR came through Round 2 against Wuhan Jiangda to set up a semi-final encounter with Arsenal. Meanwhile, Corinthians will face Gotham FC. Both semi-finals will be played at Brentford Stadium on Wednesday 28th January.
The winners will then progress to the Final while the losers will face each other in a Third Place Final. Both games will take place at the Emirates on Sunday 1st February.
Buy your tickets here.
Other UK + Ireland leagues
SWPL
Both SWPL leagues restart after the winter break on Sunday 18th January.
The first phase finishes on Sunday 22nd February. Phase 2 will then see the top six play each other home and away, with the bottom four doing the same.
In the SWPL, Glasgow City remain unbeaten this campaign and sit seven points clear of Rangers, Hearts and Celtic who are all tied on 31 points. All three remain in the hunt for the second UWCL spot.
In SWPL 2, Kilmarnock have opened up a 10-point gap over Boroughmuir Thistle at the top of SWPL 2.
The regular season for the SWPL bottom four and SWPL 2 teams will finish on Sunday 17th May.
The tenth-placed team in both leagues will be automatically relegated while the winners of SWPL 2 and the SWF Championship are promoted to the first and second division respectively.
From then, the Play-Offs will follow. The quarter-final between the third and fourth place SWPL 2 sides will be played on Wednesday 20th May. The winner will then face the second-place finisher in the semi-final on Sunday 24th May. The Final will see the winner of that encounter take on the ninth-place SWPL finisher for a place in the top division.
To determine the teams in the second division for the 2026/27 season, the team finishing ninth in SWPL 2 will face the second-place team in the SWF Championship. These finals will take place happen on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th May.
Meanwhile the top six SWPL teams will conclude their season on Sunday 24th May.
You can see all league tables and remaining fixtures here.
Adran Premier League
In Wales, the Adran Premier League returned on Sunday 4th January.
Wrexham currently lead the way with Phase 1 due to come to an end on Sunday 25th January.
Phase 2 will then start on Sunday 15th February and run until Sunday 5th April. The top four will play eachother twice in the Championship Conference while the bottom four will do the same in the Plate Conference.
The title winner will secure the sole place to enter UWCL qualification. The eighth-place side will be relegated.
You can see all league tables and remaining fixtures here.
Sports Direct Northern Ireland Women’s Premiership
2025 saw another league campaign get underway. Glentoran took the title, lifting the trophy in October.
There has not been any news yet on the start of the 2026 season yet but it should all kick off in May.
SSE Airtricity Women’s National League
Athlone Town remained the team to beat in the 2025 season as they secured back-to-back titles and a spot in the preliminary round of 2026/2027 UWCL qualification.
This year sees the league kick off on Saturday 14th March. The holders travel to Sligo Rovers in their opener. The season will end on Saturday 24th October. The FAI Women’s Cup Final will take place in Tallaght on Sunday 27th September.
All fixtures can be found here.
