It is the start of the brand new campaign for 2026/2027 in the Barclays Women’s Super League, kickstarting the new era for England’s top flight as fourteen teams get set for their opening weekend matches.
Across the next three days of Matchweek 1, it will be a chance for fans to see their teams in competitive action for the first time, and in the case of many there are a few new faces who will be making their first league appearances with their new clubs. It will also be a similar story for new head coaches as Eva Olid and Arturo Ruiz taking charge of Manchester United and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively for the first time in the BWSL.
All eyes will be on Friday’s opener between London City Lionesses and Manchester United, as well as seeing how everyone else gets on, including the defending champions Manchester City at home to newly-promoted Birmingham City, and also the other two newcomers from the Barclays WSL 2, with Charlton at home to Liverpool and Crystal Palace facing Everton at home too.
Here is a look at what’s in store for the opening weekend of the Barclays Women’s Super League season for 2026/2027.
London City Lionesses vs Manchester United
Friday 4th September, Copperjax Community Stadium, 7pm
Starting with this season’s opener taking place at the Copperjax Community Stadium, as last year’s promoted side London City Lionesses begin their second top flight campaign hoping to start off on the front foot up against a Manchester United side managed by new head coach Eva Olid.
The big change in the dugout for last season’s fourth-placed side came as a result of the departure of Marc Skinner after five seasons in charge at the club, and Olid was announced his replacement off the back of her success with Scottish Women’s Premier League club Hearts, where she was successful in guiding them to a first SWPL title in their history last season.
In terms of new additions, the club have brought in four players; defender Andrea Medina, goalkeeper Janina Leitzig, winger Monica Jusu Bah, and defender Rebeca Bernal. They have also seen a number of departures from their squad, such as Leah Galton, Gabby George, Millie Turner, Lisa Naalsund, and most notably Melvine Malard in her major move to Chelsea.
London City Lionesses meanwhile, they have been amongst the busiest clubs in the summer transfer window, and their business has showcased their ambitions for the season ahead. Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas is the star name among many other players brought in by them this summer, and we could potentially see her make her BWSL debut this Friday, with Mapi León, Kadiaitou Diani, Mary Earps and Nicole Anyomi just a few of their eight new additions in total that could all feature.
Things certainly have a chance to be a bit different this season when these two sides meet, in comparison to how things went they faced off in their previous two matches against one another. The two matches last season are the only occasions that the two teams have met in competitive action, and Manchester United were victorious both times, winning 5-1 and 2-1 each time.
Going into the new season, London City Lionesses under Eder Maestre will hope they can improve on their sixth-place finish last season and seek to challenge further up the league table for this year, with ambitious sights set on the top three places. Whilst Manchester United set about what has been described by the club as a change of approach, with a focus now towards developing more homegrown players from their academy as well as transitioning to an exciting style of football they will hope that Eva Olid can implement.
Under the lights at the Copperjax Community Stadium, there will be excitement about this match being the one to kick off the new season. A lot of narrative surrounds this fixture with the potential for debuting players and a first look at a new head coach in the dugout, so it is sure to make for an interesting watch this Friday.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Saturday 5th September, Stamford Bridge, 12:30pm
The next match on the opening weekend is Chelsea facing Aston Villa in the first home fixture of the season for Chelsea since they confirmed that this season would see them play all of their home league matches at their main stadium Stamford Bridge.
Sonia Bompastor heads into her third season in charge of the former BWSL champions as they target trying to regain the title they lost to Manchester City last season. It is a different sort of challenge that awaits them in what does feel like a transitional phase that they are going through with their squad, given the several departures they have had as Millie Bright retired, and others such as Sam Kerr, Niamh Charles and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd left the club.
They have had several new arrivals, one of which has seen Katie McCabe make the switch from Arsenal to Chelsea this summer and bring her quality and versatility to their full-back options, plus Melvine Malard has joined from Manchester United to strengthen their attack. Japanese international Manaka Matsukubo is a highly-rated player that they have signed, as is Italian midfielder Giulia Dragoni and young England defender Nelly Las.
As for Aston Villa, they will be aiming to improve on last season’s frustrating campaign after conceding the second-highest number of goals out of every other team in the league last season (48). Natalia Arroyo takes charge for the second full-season of her tenure since she was appointed 18 months ago, and will hope that progress can be made on the field following some changes to the squad in some areas.
Kirsty Hanson’s sale to Tottenham could impact the side, after she was responsible for scoring 43% of their goals last season. In terms of replacing her, they have added experienced Danish forward Amalie Vangsgaard, as well as some youthful attack-minded options in Kamilla Melgård and Mia McAulay. There could be debuts also for defender Mathilde Harviken, midfielder Justine Kielland, and young keeper Akane Okuma, all of whom have featured in pre-season action.
This fixture has largely been dominated by Chelsea over the years in the Women’s Super League, with the home side having won all twelve league meetings between them, the last of which was a seven-goal thriller at Kingsmeadow back in March when six goals all came in the first 35 minutes before Sjoeke Nüsken won it for Chelsea in the 82nd minute.
If the match this Saturday has the same level of drama and exciting football, then it will surely be a fantastic watch at Stamford Bridge between two sides who both have their sights set on improvements in their own way.
Brighton and Hove Albion vs Arsenal
Sunday 6th September, Broadfield Stadium, 12pm
Brighton and Arsenal kickstart their campaigns for 2026/2027 against each other at Broadfield Stadium this Sunday, where the Seagulls have seen a change of head coach in the dugout, and the Gunners having had a busy summer refreshing their squad.
It was a week ago when it was confirmed that Dario Vidosic had departed from his role as Brighton’s head coach, and it didn’t take more than a couple of hours before his replacement was announced, as Spaniard Arturo Ruiz was appointed. A young coach with a proactive style of play was recently with Real Sociedad in Liga F, having led them to Women’s Champions League qualification last season.
Ruiz joins a Brighton side that have been active in the transfer window in making seven new signings, a few of which have BWSL experience as Lia Wälti made her return to England, and Gabby George and Eleanor Heeps also joined from Manchester United and Tottenham respectively. Emily Murphy and Sophie Peskett make the step up from the BWSL 2, plus Emilie Joramo and Nadia Krezyman could be two additions to watch this season for them.
As for Arsenal, their transfer window has seen many new incomings and also a few outgoings, including long-term names such as Katie McCabe, Beth Mead and Victoria Pelova who were allowed to leave this summer. The number of departures gave Renee Slegers side a chance to refresh things up with a few new faces, and with familiar former BWSL players Georgia Stanway and Ona Batlle coming in, plus debutants such as Lisa Baum, Selina Cerci and Géraldine Reuteler, they will be targeting another strong performance in the league this season.
This fixture has provided some interesting encounters in the last year whenever they have met. Brighton have caused some headaches to Arsenal in the last two meetings, beating them in the Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals and then holding them to a draw back in May.
Prior to a 4-2 win for Brighton in May 2025, Arsenal had largely dominated in this fixture in terms of victories, even having a 28-0 aggregate scoreline that they had accrued in the seven meetings between March 2022 and January 2025.
Despite the challenge that Brighton now have to quickly adjust to with Arturo Ruiz’s style of play, they will still look to be a team that can aim higher up the table this season. Three-time BWSL champions Arsenal on the other hand, will be targeting an immediate chance to get on the front foot and challenge for the title this upcoming season.
Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United
Sunday 6th September, Betwright Stadium, 12pm
An all-London clash is also amongst the 12pm kick-offs on Sunday as Tottenham Hotspur start their season up against West Ham United, with both teams meeting on the opening weekend in a repeat of the same fixture last season.
In that opening day meeting, Tottenham won on that occasion courtesy of a Bethany England penalty in a game that West Ham had been the better side in terms of the chances created, out-striking their opponents by ten shots to six. Defeat for West Ham that day was also the start of a run of seven straight defeats and one draw, where they subsequently improved during the second half of the campaign as Rita Guarino took charge of the team.
This summer was all about refreshing the squad to look how the Italian head coach would have wanted it, and with nine players brought in to counter for the eleven players that have left the club, many of whom were regulars in the starting XI, such as Shekiera Martinez, Kinga Szemik and Katrina Gorry. Kelly Gago and Ebony Salmon have been added to improve their attacking front line, with Katie Zelem and Estelle Cascarino both permanent buys as well after spending the second half of last season on loan with the Hammers. Constance Picaud acts as the replacement keeper for Szemik, and Swiss defender Nadine Riesen will be another player to look out for this season.
Meanwhile, for Tottenham and Martin Ho, they have had an ambitious transfer window of their own, making six signings, one of which is the now-former West Ham forward Shekiera Martinez, plus they have added to their attacking numbers further with Kirsty Hanson joining from Aston Villa. Defensively, Caitlin Dijkstra and highly-rated Alice Sombath have signed with them, plus Victoria Pelova crossed the North-London divide to join Spurs, and they added a young goalkeeper in Selma Panengstuen as well.
After their fifth-place finish last season where at one point they were even challenging for a place in the top three, Spurs will be setting their sights on being the big disruptors again. To do so this season, they will have to improve in matches against the top sides as it was results against the likes of Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea and Man Utd that proved costly in the end. Consistency will be the key for them to push forward for their goals for this season.
Both sides will be eager to start the campaign well and with how closely-fought many of their previous BWSL meetings have been based on the scoring margins, then we could expect the same to happen again this Sunday. No league match between these two has ended in a scoring margin higher than two goals for the winning side.
Charlton Athletic vs Liverpool
Sunday 6th September, The Valley, 2pm
Sunday also sees newly-promoted Charlton Athletic start their campaign and mix things up in the top flight when they take on last season’s 11th-placed side Liverpool in a home game at the Valley.
Charlton were one of the beneficiaries of the new expanded format for the Barclays Women’s Super League, courtesy of their play-off victory after the heroics of goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse in the penalty shootout against Leicester City where she saved four of the five penalties that had faced her that day. Karen Hills’ side became the first team to be promoted to the BWSL after finishing as the BWSL 2’s third place team as a result, and now they have a big season that awaits them.
To make sure they are competitive in this division, they have signed seven players to their squad, and a couple of players from their promotion side have left, including Emma Bissell, Karin Muya, Katie Bradley and Amalie Thestrup. Replacing those four names was key as they contributed a combined 13 goals between them and out of the 31 they amassed in total last season in the second tier. Loaned in forwards Paula Partido and Lorena Azzaro, and permanent buy Linda Líf Boama will be looked to for goals in this campaign, plus they will need the added BWSL experience that Ashleigh Neville and Emily van Egmond will bring to this squad.
Liverpool will be wanting to put last season firmly behind them after a first season under manager Gareth Taylor where they spent the first half of the season without a single win, before turning around their fortunes despite finishing just above relegated Leicester in the table. Much like Charlton, they did also struggle in attacking areas, scoring just 21 goals in total, six of which were from Beata Olsson in her debut campaign with the club.
Goalkeeper Khiara Keating was also one of their additions from Manchester City as she looks to establish herself as a regular starter in the BWSL. They also have strengthened their options in attacking and midfield areas, with Vivien Endemann and Natalia Ramos having performed well at their past clubs, plus young Japanese international Mao Itamura joins off the back of her last Vrouwen Eredivisie campaign that saw her named the league’s Player of the Year after scoring eight goals and registering six assists with Feyenoord.
Itamura will be out for a while though after the club confirmed this week that she has undergone minor abdominal surgery, which ruled her out of participating at the upcoming U20 Women’s World Cup.
These two sides have not played each other too many times in recent years, with any previous encounters coming in cup competitions, which is what happened last season when the pair met in the Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals. Liverpool won on the day in extra time thanks to Zara Shaw’s goal in her first appearance back after a long-term injury.
Both of these teams have something to prove this season in the BWSL. Charlton showed last season that they were able to get results largely down to their defensive solidity, but that is something that will surely be tested more in the top flight. Liverpool meanwhile, they will want to get off to best start possible and avoid having to worry about a potential relegation battle this time around.
Crystal Palace vs Everton
Sunday 6th September, VBS Community Stadium, 2pm
Last season’s second-placed promoted side Crystal Palace kick-off with a home fixture against Everton, as the Eagles find themselves back in the top flight at the first time of asking following their relegation in the 2024/25 season. Everton on the other hand have Scott Phelan now as their head coach on a permanent basis after his interim spell last season.
Under head coach Jo Potter, Crystal Palace will be hoping to have learned from their experience of the BWSL the last time they were here two seasons ago, and with how their promotion push went last season in gaining 12 wins from their last 14 games, they will be hopeful of starting on the front foot this weekend against Everton.
Much of the core of their promotion squad is still with them, such as Abbie Larkin, Ashleigh Weerden and Annabel Blanchard, but they will be without My Cato this season after she sustained an ACL injury that will keep her out for the whole season. They have recruited strongly with the additions of a prolific goal scorer in the BWSL, Bethany England, plus one of the best scorers in the second tier in recent seasons, Lexi Lloyd-Smith. Goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, Shannon O’Brien, Molly Bartrip and Teyah Goldie on loan are amongst the other new signings for Palace.
Everton finished in eighth-place last season, which was respectable enough for them given how they did have some bad spells during the campaign. But this season does bring some fresh optimism, and many fresh faces to their squad. With a couple of attacking departures in their squad, they have had to recruit heavily in that area, bringing in the likes of Hannah Cain, Jutta Rantala and Noemie Mouchon all from Leicester City, plus Australian forward Holly McNamara from the A-League in Australia, where she won back-to-back Golden Boot awards with Melbourne City.
Defensive changes also have had to be made after Martina Fernández was re-signed by Barcelona, and with Naomi Layzell coming in on loan, plus Hannah Silcock moving from the red-half of Merseyside to the blue-half, they will be looking to be much stronger at keeping goals out this season. Hannah Blundell joining on a permanent deal also came to fruition after a successful loan spell at the club, plus goalkeeper Rylee Foster-Inman has returned for a second time with them.
This will only be the third meeting between Crystal Palace and Everton in the last three years, with the previous two being in that 2024/25 season, where the first meeting ended in a 1-1 draw that saw Indiah-Paige Riley score after just 29 seconds. Honoka Hayashi managed to salvage a point for Everton in that one, with Everton then winning the second match by three goals to nil.
With the two new-look attacks on display from both of these teams in Sunday’s encounter, it could be very interesting to see which, or whether even both manage showcase what they hope will be some newfound firepower up top.
Manchester City vs Birmingham City
Sunday 6th September, Joie Stadium, 2:30pm
Last but not least, the opening weekend concludes with the defending champions Manchester City beginning their title defence up against a Birmingham City side making their return to the BWSL after four seasons away from the top flight.
Man City managed to end their ten-year wait for a Women’s Super League title last season, winning the league by four points and capping off Andree Jeglertz’s debut campaign off on a high note when they won a domestic double, winning the Women’s FA Cup against Brighton. They go into the next test now of seeing if they can win it once again and manage the added game load of being in the Champions League alongside competing in the BWSL.
Transfer-wise, they haven’t been one of the busier sides, but have recruited two former BWSL winners in Beth Mead from Arsenal and Niamh Charles from Chelsea. Another new signing they made to add to their depth was German defender Carlotta Wamser. In terms of departures, Laura Coombs retired, plus Kerolin, Khiara Keating and Leila Ouahabi were among the names who left for clubs elsewhere. The biggest bit of business for Man City would have been keeping Khadija Shaw, who signed a new contract with the club and will be aiming for another goal-filled campaign, where three of her five BWSL seasons have seen her score at least 20 goals.
With head coach in charge Amy Merricks, Birmingham City will be hopeful of keeping their place in the top flight, and have recruited in many areas to build a squad that is capable of managing what will be testing campaign. With some of their top performers from their BWSL 2-winning success such as the second tier’s Player of the Season Lily Crosthwaite and forward Wilma Liedhammer still at the club, plus the addition of some BWSL experienced players in Millie Turner, Lisa Naalsund and Sophie Baggaley, they will aim to manage the pressure and build up some confidence that they can compete this season
Among the rest of their new signings are Canadian defender Marie Levasseur, Japanese midfielder Suzu Amano, and also young French forward Chancelle Effa Effa, who is highly-regarded as a talent that is coming through, having impressed with France’s youth teams.
Going into their opening match, Manchester City do have a major injury concern in their squad, following the news in the midweek that Vivianne Miedema will be unavailable for the start of the season after confirmation that the Dutch international sustained a knee injury issue in training.
For the newly-promoted side, there are not many harder encounters they could have gotten to begin their first season back in the WSL with, but what Birmingham City will have is recent experience of facing Andree Jeglertz’s side. Much like one of the other opening day fixtures, Manchester City and Birmingham City also recently met in the Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals. If a shock was to happen, it would be first time Birmingham City have beaten Manchester City since February 2018.
Amy Merricks’ side will have to find ways to get forward and hurt Manchester City’s defence unlike they had done earlier this year, and they will also have to be mindful of the attacking threats that the home side will carry as well with Khadija Shaw and the wide players whose qualities are well-regarded at this point of their careers.
