The 2026/27 Barclays Women’s Super League 2 season marks the beginning of a new era. Following the expansion of the BWSL, Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic have all departed for the top flight, bringing an end to a period in which the trio became synonymous with promotion races in the second tier.
Their success was not built on a single campaign. Since the 2021/22 season the three clubs have consistently occupied the upper reaches of the table and competed for promotion. Birmingham City and Crystal Palace both played in the BWSL during that period, while Charlton Athletic established themselves as one of the division’s most consistent challenges.
Birmingham brought the experience of being a former BWSL club, while Crystal Palace rose rapidly with a strong attack earning them promotion twice in three seasons. Charlton Athletic, meanwhile, have provided remarkable defensive consistency under Karen Hills with their record breaking 27 league match unbeaten streak.
The absence of the league’s established frontrunners presents an opportunity for a new group of clubs to emerge as promotion contenders. But with only one automatic promotion place available, and second place entering a promotion play-off, the race to reach the BWSL could be more competitive than ever.
Who is best placed to take advantage?
Rather than one clear favourite emerging, several clubs begin the season with ambitions of challenging for promotion. Some arrive with BWSL experience, others have built steadily across several seasons, while ambitious summer recruitment has strengthened the depth of others.
Bristol CIty
Bristol City sit as one of the closest in line for a strong campaign to try to return to the BWSL, following their relegation from the top flight in 2024. Despite finishing sixth and struggling in the BWSL2 in 2024/25, last season saw Bristol field one of the strongest attacks in the league, narrowly missing out on the top three.
The Robins finished fourth, five points behind third place Charlton. Their credentials are built around firepower, finishing last season as the division’s highest scorers with 47 goals, while Lexi Lloyd-Smith claimed the Golden Boot. Bristol also ranked second for most shots on target (117) and big chances (50).
Bristol have brought some depth in the summer transfer window, with Emma Bissell joining from Charlton Athletic after scoring four goals in the last season. Brooke Aspin has also re-joined the club, with huge potential for the youngster following a difficult ACL injury.
The major question heading into the new season is whether Bristol can maintain that attacking output following Lloyd-Smith’s departure to Crystal Palace. While Rio Hardy provides a proven goal threat after scoring 10 times last season, the Robins will need others to contribute if they are going to convert attacking dominance into promotion.
Leicester City
Leicester City enter the BWSL2 with something few of their promotion rivals can match: five consecutive seasons of top-flight experience. However, their relegation campaign highlighted the scale of challenge ahead with the Foxes losing their final 11 league matches before defeat to Charlton in the relegation play-off brought their BWSL stint to an end.
Despite their relegation, Leicester remain one of the most intriguing promotion candidates due to the quality and experience within their squad. Returning to the BWSL immediately following relegation is common, as Palace have shown this season, but it requires Leicester to translate these top-flight experiences into consistent results.
Their biggest challenge will be rebuilding confidence and finding attacking consistency after the BWSL campaign, where they scored just 11 goals and conceded 52 goals across the season.
Leicester’s summer business suggests a squad focused on balancing experience with the demands of the second tier. The departure of Shannon O’Brien represents a loss of attacking threat, but the permanent arrival of Sarah Mayling provides valuable BWSL experience and defensive stability. Jessie Stapleton also adds BWSL2 familiarity following spells with Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.
Newcastle United
Newcastle United enter the new campaign as one of the BWSL2’s most intriguing promotion candidates. Since becoming fully professional in 2023, the Magpies have accelerated their progress through the women’s pyramid, establishing themselves as a competitive BWSL2 side.
In their first two BWSL2 campaigns, Newcastle have finished fifth and sixth, but their underlying performances suggest a side closer to challenging than their league position suggests.
Newcastle’s style under Tanya Oxtoby is built around control, regularly looking to dominate possession and dictate the tempo of matches with a high volume of passes to create chances. Their defensive solidity was one of their biggest strengths last season, conceding just 25 goals, the third best in the BWSL2. But with only 32 goals scored, Newcastle need to work on converting their chances.
Their summer recruitment appears designed to address those fine margins with strong reinforcements which could prove important in pushing for the top positions. Gemma Evans adds BWSL experience to Newcastle’s strong defence, while Lenne Kiernan proves another attacking option.
