Latest news with #WSLFootball
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New season, new structure: FA WSL expansion approved
The FA Women's Super League is set to expand to 14 teams from the 2026/27 season, following a shareholder vote conducted by WSL Football, the organisation responsible for managing the WSL and Championship. The changes still require ratification by the FA Board. Photo byA new promotion and relegation mechanism will come into effect across the top three tiers of women's football in England from the end of the 2026/27 season. Under the revised system, the team finishing bottom of the WSL will be relegated automatically, while the Championship winner will be promoted. The second-from-bottom WSL side will face a play-off against the Championship runners-up. Advertisement The situation below that remains more fluid. The FA is still to confirm whether the current two-up, two-down system between the Championship and the FA Women's National League will continue. Presently, the bottom two sides in the Championship drop to the third tier, but this could be reviewed in light of the broader changes. Importantly, the Championship will remain a 12-team division. Only the WSL will expand, meaning transitional changes will take place at the end of the 2025/26 season. Either zero or one team will be relegated from the WSL, with two or three promoted from the Championship to bring the top flight to 14 clubs. The top two Championship teams will be promoted automatically, while the third-placed side will play off against the WSL's bottom club for a potential spot. That raises the possibility of no relegation from the WSL in 2025/26, should the bottom-placed club win their play-off. UEFA Women's Champions League qualification will remain unchanged. As England finished the 2024/25 season ranked as the top association, the WSL champions and runners-up in 2025/26 will both qualify directly for the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA WCL. The third-placed club will enter in Round 3 of qualifying. Advertisement While the expansion is broadly welcomed, the 2026/27 season will pose significant scheduling challenges. The addition of four extra league games will place further strain on an already crowded calendar. With the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 scheduled to begin on 24 June, and clubs also competing in the FA Women's Cup, the Continental Tyres League Cup, and an expanded UWCL format, fixture congestion is likely to intensify. As FIFPRO continues to raise concerns about player workload and the rise in injuries, the demands of a longer domestic season may heighten risks for elite players.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Women's Super League set to expand from 12 to 14 teams
The Women's Super League (WSL) will be expanding from 12 teams to 14 from the start of the 2026-27 season, it's been announced. Currently the bottom WSL club are relegated and the WSL 2 winners are promoted but that is going to new rules aim to grow the league by allowing two extra teams to get complicated! But read on to find out more. How will it work next season in the WSL? Here's how the expansion will happen at the end of the next season - top two teams from the second tier, known as WSL 2, will automatically be promoted as part of the expansion. Also, the team that comes bottom of the WSL and the team that comes third in the WSL 2 will play each other, with the winner getting the final spot in the top league What will happen for the 2026-2027 WSL season? Once next season is over and the expansion is done, things will change again for the 2026-2027 you would expect, the WSL team that comes in last place will be automatically relegated and the team that comes top of the WSL 2 will be automatically promoted. But - there will one other big change. There will be a play-off match between the the WSL team in 13th position (second to bottom) and the team that comes second in the WSL 2. The winner of this match will then play in the WSL in 2027-2028. Nikki Doucet the boss of WSL Football said: "Over the past few months, WSL Football has led a thorough and robust, consultative process backed by research and analysis which explored multiple options that could drive the game forward and help it reach its potential," She said the changes would "stimulate movement between leagues" and "increase opportunities".The Football Association (FA) will now need to formally approve the proposed changes for the 2026-27 season by the 31 July 2025 before they can be officially introduced and before the next season starts.
RTÉ News
17-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Women's Super League expanding to 14 teams from 2026
The English Women's Super League is set expand to 14 teams from the start of the 2026-27 season, with a promotion and relegation play-off to be introduced. A proposal put forward by Nikki Doucet, chief executive of Women's Professional Leagues Limited, was voted through at Monday's WSL Football shareholders meeting. It requires the approval of the Football Association board but, if it gets the green light, 14 teams will compete in the women's top flight from next year and the 2025-26 campaign will conclude with a relegation/promotion play-off. "Over the past few months, WSL Football has led a thorough and robust, consultative process backed by research and analysis which explored multiple options that could drive the game forward and help it reach its potential," Doucet said. "Our priority was to find a route that would benefit the whole women's game pyramid, and we believe this next evolution of women's professional football will raise minimum standards, create distinction and incentivise investment across the board. "Subject to the approval from the FA board, expanding the BWSL to 14 teams will stimulate movement between leagues and through the pyramid which increases opportunities. "The introduction of a promotion/relegation play-off creates distinction for the women's game and introduces a high-profile, high-stakes match." If the expansion from a 12-team WSL to 14 gets FA approval, it offers three Women's Championship clubs the chance to gain promotion during the 2025-26 campaign. The top two of the Championship will go up automatically and the third-placed side will take on the team which finished bottom of the WSL in a play-off. The Championship will continue as a 12-team league with "additional promotion opportunities" from the FA Women's National League Northern and Southern Premier Divisions at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. "The method for these promotions, and any impact further down the pyramid, will be confirmed by The FA in due course," a WSL Football statement read. It means from the 2026-27 season, the 14th-placed team would be relegated and replaced by the winner of the Championship. A relegation/promotion play-off between the 13th-placed club in the WSL and Championship runner-up would then determine the final place in the top-flight. There were 14 Republic of Ireland internationals with WSL clubs last season and 24 in the Championship. Meanwhile, women's football is set to become one of the world's top five sports by 2030, according to a report by Nielsen Sports (in collaboration with PepsiCo), with a global fan base projected to grow by 38% to reach more than 800 million people. Some 60% of those fans are projected to be women, according to their report 'Undervalued to Unstoppable' released on Tuesday, creating one of the few sports which is followed by more females than males. The global broadcast audience is also expected to rise by 30% across major tournaments by 2030. While sponsorship deals tripled for the 2023 Women's World Cup from the 2019 tournament, only a small fraction of global sponsorship budgets are allocated to women's football, according to the study. It presents a significant opportunity, the researchers argued, considering women are projected to drive over 75% of household purchasing decisions by 2028. Women's football is already one of the top 10 most followed sports globally, and momentum appears to be building. Viewership of the U.S.-based National Women's Soccer League championship last year had an 18% increase over the previous year. Disney+ announced last month a deal to broadcast Women's Champions League matches across Europe, while Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit co-founder and husband of tennis great Serena Williams, acquired a stake in Women's Super League champions Chelsea that same month. Deloitte recently reported that WSL revenues climbed by 34% during a record-breaking 2023-24 season, and are forecasting WSL clubs' total revenue will reach a record £100 million pounds (€117 million) in the 2025-26 season. WSL attendance, however, has dropped after it peaked in 2023-24 on the heels of the 2023 Women's World Cup, but is expected to have another rise after the European Championship next month in Switzerland.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How WSL's expansion to 14 teams will reshape the women's football pyramid
The transfer of ownership of WSL and WSL2 last summer from the Football Association to WSL Football prompted an analysis of the leagues' future. The transfer of ownership of WSL and WSL2 last summer from the Football Association to WSL Football prompted an analysis of the leagues' future. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian The announcement that the Women's Super League is to expand to 14 teams is welcome and long overdue. For years there has been a clamour for expansion and it was a matter of time before it happened, but how did we get here? The transfer of ownership of WSL and WSL2 last summer from the Football Association to WSL Football, in which the clubs are shareholders, prompted an in-depth analysis of the leagues' future. Every format and variation was on the table and explored, with fans, clubs and other stakeholders consulted. Advertisement Related: 'We took a big leap of faith': how a community project built Arsenal Women Some possibilities – such as a pause in relegation and promotion as the league expanded – were widely condemned after being reported. What has been settled on is a two-club expansion of the WSL from 2026-27, with WSL2 remaining a 12-team league. From then, the WSL's bottom club will be relegated and 13th will play off against the WSL2 runners-up for a top-tier spot. At the bottom of the second division, things remain the same, with two relegated and the champions of the Women's National League (WNL) North and South promoted, providing they meet the licensing criteria. This is a solid conclusion, the playoff adding extra jeopardy at the bottom of the WSL, an extra something to play for in WSL2, and a one-off showpiece game that will hopefully prove engaging audience-wise. Advertisement In the interim 2025-26 season, which is needed to build a 14‑team WSL, things will get very interesting. Two teams will be promoted automatically from WSL2, and the WSL's bottom club will enter a playoff against third place in WSL2 for the final spot in the new top flight. That is a one-year pause in relegation by default, because it is unlikely the team third in WSL2 will beat the club bottom of the WSL, given upsets when teams from the leagues meet in cup competitions are extremely rare. For a single season this slight manipulation of the principle of promotion and relegation can be forgiven. At the bottom of WSL2 and top of the WNL, there will be a further one-off easing of the bottleneck, a process that started with the switch in the 2023-24 season from a single WNL promotion place to the WNL North and WNL South champions being promoted. Next season a third promotion spot will be available, a playoff between the runners-up from both leagues determining who joins the two league winners. Why will there be 14 teams and not 16 in the WSL? That is understood to be in part because research suggests the competitiveness of the league would be reduced should it expand further at present. There are also big issues with the international match calendar, which has seven international windows for the women's game and five for the men's. Meanwhile, WSL Football's player‑welfare‑centred ethos means an array of principles affect the number of match rounds available in the calendar, including a minimum six-week gap between a major tournament and new season, no midweek games after international windows, no more than two consecutive midweek fixtures, few midweek fixtures during the winter to allow for postponements and maintaining the winter break. Advertisement However, further expansion has not been ruled out in the future and this is viewed as the first phase of the development of the leagues under WSL Football. It is valid to ask why WSL2 is not expanding. However, given the two extra teams entering the WSL and the knock-on impact of three teams being promoted from the WNL next season, this feels like a reasonable move in the context of the changes being made to minimum standards in the division. With WSL2 becoming fully professional the financial demands on clubs in the division have ramped up. Blackburn have self-relegated out of the second tier to avoid having to meet the new requirements. Wolves failed to apply for a WSL2 licence despite the club being in a battle for promotion to the end of the season. These clubs have the financial resources to meet the minimum standards, and the onus is on those owners to step up and properly back their women's team. There will be hope that the extra incentive of a playoff place for the runners-up and the benefits of WSL football will encourage further investment and commitment, but there will be only so many clubs at this stage willing and ready to make the leap up into WSL2 and professionalism. Advertisement Sustainable leagues and the integrity of the pyramid matter and it will be vital for WSL Football to build a strong relationship with the WNL, which is run by the FA, and WNL clubs to ensure that clubs facing promotion to WSL2 are able and willing to reach the minimum standards. That said, WSL2 clubs need more matches and moving towards expansion has to be a priority. Despite the hiccup around the potential scrapping of promotion and relegation and the fury that caused, WSL Football has settled on an, overall, solid solution to expanding the WSL and raising minimum standards across the top two tiers.
The Guardian
17-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
How WSL's expansion to 14 teams will reshape the women's football pyramid
The announcement that the Women's Super League is to expand to 14 teams is welcome and long overdue. For years there has been a clamour for expansion and it was a matter of time before it happened, but how did we get here? The transfer of ownership of WSL and WSL2 last summer from the Football Association to WSL Football, in which the clubs are shareholders, prompted an in-depth analysis of the leagues' future. Every format and variation was on the table and explored, with fans, clubs and other stakeholders consulted. Some possibilities – such as a pause in relegation and promotion as the league expanded – were widely condemned after being reported. What has been settled on is a two-club expansion of the WSL from 2026-27, with WSL2 remaining a 12-team league. From then, the WSL's bottom club will be relegated and 13th will play off against the WSL2 runners-up for a top-tier spot. At the bottom of the second division, things remain the same, with two relegated and the champions of the Women's National League (WNL) North and South promoted, providing they meet the licensing criteria. This is a solid conclusion, the playoff adding extra jeopardy at the bottom of the WSL, an extra something to play for in WSL2, and a one-off showpiece game that will hopefully prove engaging audience-wise. In the interim 2025-26 season, which is needed to build a 14‑team WSL, things will get very interesting. Two teams will be promoted automatically from WSL2, and the WSL's bottom club will enter a playoff against third place in WSL2 for the final spot in the new top flight. That is a one-year pause in relegation by default, because it is unlikely the team third in WSL2 will beat the club bottom of the WSL, given upsets when teams from the leagues meet in cup competitions are extremely rare. For a single season this slight manipulation of the principle of promotion and relegation can be forgiven. At the bottom of WSL2 and top of the WNL, there will be a further one-off easing of the bottleneck, a process that started with the switch in the 2023-24 season from a single WNL promotion place to the WNL North and WNL South champions being promoted. Next season a third promotion spot will be available, a playoff between the runners-up from both leagues determining who joins the two league winners. Why will there be 14 teams and not 16 in the WSL? That is understood to be in part because research suggests the competitiveness of the league would be reduced should it expand further at present. There are also big issues with the international match calendar, which has seven international windows for the women's game and five for the men's. Meanwhile, WSL Football's player‑welfare‑centred ethos means an array of principles affect the number of match rounds available in the calendar, including a minimum six-week gap between a major tournament and new season, no midweek games after international windows, no more than two consecutive midweek fixtures, few midweek fixtures during the winter to allow for postponements and maintaining the winter break. However, further expansion has not been ruled out in the future and this is viewed as the first phase of the development of the leagues under WSL Football. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion It is valid to ask why WSL2 is not expanding. However, given the two extra teams entering the WSL and the knock-on impact of three teams being promoted from the WNL next season, this feels like a reasonable move in the context of the changes being made to minimum standards in the division. With WSL2 becoming fully professional the financial demands on clubs in the division have ramped up. Blackburn have self-relegated out of the second tier to avoid having to meet the new requirements. Wolves failed to apply for a WSL2 licence despite the club being in a battle for promotion to the end of the season. These clubs have the financial resources to meet the minimum standards, and the onus is on those owners to step up and properly back their women's team. There will be hope that the extra incentive of a playoff place for the runners-up and the benefits of WSL football will encourage further investment and commitment, but there will be only so many clubs at this stage willing and ready to make the leap up into WSL2 and professionalism. Sustainable leagues and the integrity of the pyramid matter and it will be vital for WSL Football to build a strong relationship with the WNL, which is run by the FA, and WNL clubs to ensure that clubs facing promotion to WSL2 are able and willing to reach the minimum standards. That said, WSL2 clubs need more matches and moving towards expansion has to be a priority. Despite the hiccup around the potential scrapping of promotion and relegation and the fury that caused, WSL Football has settled on an, overall, solid solution to expanding the WSL and raising minimum standards across the top two tiers.
