The Women’s Super League is back: What’s new, key match-ups and how to watch

If your crystal ball is looking a little murky, don't worry, you're not alone.

With more teams, a broken title run and contrasting approaches to investment, this could be the most uncertain season of the Women's Super League yet. We could even see its power dynamics majorly disrupted for the first time in years.

London City Lionesses finished sixth last season but have signed two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, signalling a shift in the league's status quo. Manchester United are entering a new era, with former Hearts head coach Eva Olid replacing Marc Skinner, whose five-year tenure ended in August. Does their focus on youth mean a place in the top four is up for the taking? Who will be the kingmakers in a title race that feels more open now that Manchester City have ended Chelsea's run of six consecutive WSL titles? And who will emerge as the next England star as the women's game gears up for the 2027 World Cup?

Welcome to The Athletic 's mega preview of the new Women's Super League season.

Manchester City lifted the WSL trophy for the first time in a decade, ending a once-impenetrable Chelsea dynasty that had stretched for a record six seasons.

Who qualified for the Women's Champions League?

Champions City and runners-up Arsenal went straight into the league phase, while third-placed Chelsea earned a place in the final qualification round. They confirmed their place in the Champions League proper on Wednesday, beating Real Sociedad 6-2 on aggregate.

City's Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw finished top scorer for the third time in four seasons. The 29-year-old bagged 21 goals in 22 matches, becoming the first player to notch three 20-goal seasons. Those numbers are why City forked out the big bucks to keep hold of the Jamaica international for another four years. Can anyone beat her?

For fans in the United Kingdom, every game from the WSL and WSL2 will be shown on either Sky, the BBC or YouTube.

Opening the WSL season on Friday, London City vs Manchester United can be found on six Sky channels — including Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One. Chelsea vs Aston Villa on Saturday will be available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Brighton & Hove Albion's lunchtime clash with Arsenal will take the Sky's Main Event slot on Sunday, with the remaining games available on Sky Sports+, a streaming service included in Sky Q and Glass subscriptions and available on the Sky Sports app.

Sky Sports will remain the WSL's primary home, with 90 per cent of all matches (163 in total) to be shown live on Sky Sports, including the promotion play-off match at the end of the season. Some of those games will also be shown on the Sky Sports WSL YouTube channel. BBC will show the remaining 10 per cent of matches.

In May, the WSL announced it had reached a broadcast deal with CBS . For the United States audience, Paramount+ will stream 183 matches and CBS Sports Network will air one match per week, with select matches also airing on CBS Sports' Golazo Network.

First match : London City vs Manchester United, Friday, 7pm UK (3pm ET/12pm PT)

Manchester City vs Arsenal (October 4 and January 30): If Arsenal are to win a first title in eight seasons, this feels like their best chance. Last season's showdown between the eventual champions and the runners-up at the Joie Stadium didn't disappoint. Former City attacker Chloe Kelly arrived as a substitute and equalised for the team she forced a move to in the 83rd minute. Kelly kissed the Arsenal badge. Five minutes later, Iman Beney won it for City. City fans trolled Kelly. Kelly trolled back. It was glorious, delirious drama.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United (December 20 and February 7): A trio of ex-United coaching staff now at Tottenham taking on their former club. The battle for the last Champions League spot could be tighter than ever this year, and these fixtures may result in a changing of the guard.

Chelsea vs Arsenal (September 27 and March 28): The most historic rivalry in the WSL, now with added spice courtesy of Katie McCabe's switch to the blue side of London and Arsenal knocking their rivals out of Europe in last season's quarter-final. They faced off four times last year, with Arsenal's only defeat coming in the second leg of their Champions League clash, which Chelsea lost 3-2 on aggregate. Chelsea will be desperate to reclaim bragging rights.

Charlton Athletic vs Birmingham City (October 25 and January 10): In a roundabout way, Charlton have Birmingham to thank for one of the greatest days in their modern history. Charlton had been top of WSL2 going into the final day last season, but a 2-0 defeat against Birmingham meant they finished third. Birmingham won the title, runners-up Crystal Palace took the second automatic promotion spot, and Charlton were left to contend the inaugural WSL promotion-relegation play-off.

Facing Leicester City, who finished bottom of the top flight, Charlton goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse saved four penalties in the shootout to send her side into the WSL for the first time. In October, Charlton and Birmingham will have a chance to reignite the rivalry.

Will this be the most competitive title race in recent years?

Yes. City, Arsenal and Chelsea, as always, are all title contenders, but it feels even tighter this season after City knocked Chelsea off their perch. The way they did so suggests they can do it again. However, as the cliche goes: getting to the top is hard, staying at the top is even harder. City approach this season with a different perspective, going from hunters to hunted. "We love that, we want that, we welcome that challenge," City midfielder Sam Coffey told The Athletic .

Like City last year, Arsenal are hungry after a seven-year title drought. They are talented enough to win the league but have been slow starters in recent years.

Change is afoot at Chelsea, but they will want to exact revenge. Manchester United have a new head coach and faced recruitment difficulties this summer, all the while watching the league's depth get stronger. It is not just the games between the top four that could be defining, with Tottenham, Brighton and London City licking their lips at the prospect of taking points off the biggest sides.

The relatively new kid on the block and an independent club disrupting the status quo went for high-profile names — Putellas, Mary Earps, Mapi Leon and Kadidiatou Diani — and got them.

Former Manchester United captain and London City player Katie Zelem, now at West Ham United, was not surprised by their signings. "Michelle Kang is a powerhouse," she told The Athletic . "Having been in it, you understand they won't stop until they get to the top."

Their strategy is to spend money on older stars first, in the hope that revenue will come later from a new fanbase and sponsorship deals . On the pitch, they want to qualify for the Champions League. It's ambitious.

Some argue they are destroying the game and the salary cap. An increase in spending creates a divide and wage inflation beyond a club's means. Financial regulations are in place to stop clubs from doing that, and there is no sense yet that London City have broken any financial rules.

Others argue a club investing and bringing such players into the league brings more eyeballs, which is beneficial for the game's growth.

London City may be less popular in the mid-table section where Brighton, Tottenham and Aston Villa are fighting to build their fanbases and compete. Whether this video-game-style assembly of individuals will gel remains to be seen.

How will the 2027 World Cup impact the season?

A year out from the biggest Women's World Cup in history (literally, in terms of teams but also magnitude and potential impact), players have an eye on Brazil. U.S. women's national team forward Alyssa Thompson, who joined Chelsea last summer, told The Athletic that her move to the WSL took into account the physical and tactical preparation it offered for next summer's action. "Playing in tournaments means you have to be playing every two days," the forward said.

"I always want to be prepared for the national team," said Switzerland midfielder Geraldine Reuteler when asked about her move to Arsenal this summer. "It's the right step for me to be here to improve my football skills."

England youth international Ruby Mace, who, despite being a No 6 most of her career, was deployed as a centre-back last season for Everton, is among the players having conversations with their teams about how they fit into squads. "My position was a big question mark," Mace said. "Playing in (midfield) this year hopefully can allow me the platform to showcase what I can do."

Players ensuring they're performing in the ideal positions for their national teams is paramount. Teams want to capitalise on marketing opportunities with potential World Cup stars, so it benefits all parties to strike a balance — or make a move to do so.

What can we expect from Manchester United's new era?

After a bittersweet season that saw United reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time, but fail to qualify for this season's edition, the club is entering a new era.

Skinner departed the club by mutual agreement after five seasons as head coach. In his place, Olid is taking on her first WSL role after guiding Hearts to their maiden Scottish league title.

A change of coach — bearing in mind that Olid will only be the third person to manage United since their reformation in 2018, following Casey Stoney and Skinner — is seismic in isolation, but it also comes with significant movement in the squad.

Six players have departed permanently, most notably Melvine Malard, who had the most goal involvements in the squad last season. The France forward joined Chelsea in a club-record sale. Full-back Andrea Medina and goalkeeper Janina Leitzig have been recruited. United also signed Hacken winger Monica Jusu Bah last week and Washington Spirit defender Rebeca Bernal before Thursday's transfer deadline.

Olid's appointment aligns with the club's desired direction, emphasising sustainable investment and bringing through young players from United's Carrington academy. As The Athletic reported , Skinner's doubts over United's approach to squad investment were a factor in his exit.

Teenagers Layla Drury (17), Jess Anderson and Scarlett Hill (both 18) signed professional contracts this summer and other youngsters who spent last year on loan are also expected to feature more heavily.

The shift to youth is a big change — United ranked at the bottom of the WSL for minutes given to under-21 players last season. Particularly on the men's side, the club has a rich history of bringing through Carrington graduates and relying on youth. Supporters are keen to see academy talents given a chance, but teams around them invested heavily. Given the physical and tactical challenges academy talents can face when stepping up to the WSL , can United's approach propel them back into the top three?

Which of the middle of the pack can actually have a go?

We say it every season. But for real this time, with gusto, the status quo might be in trouble! Or, you know, a little nervous. Sure, City, Arsenal and Chelsea will likely be the teams locked in a title race, but that fourth-place berth is not so straightforward, and we should not underestimate other teams' impact on the title race itself.

As discussed, London City have taken an ambitious approach. Beyond them, Spurs impressed under head coach Martin Ho in his first season, finishing fifth in the table. The club have backed him by signing defender Alice Sombath for a club-record fee (above £375,000), plus additions such as forward Kirsty Hanson and defender Caitlin Dijkstra. Last season's signings Signe Gaupset and Julie Blakstad should be more settled (and dangerous) in their second year. Victories against the established top three will be the aim.

It can sound wild that Liverpool – bottom of the WSL last winter break – are included here but summer recruitment has been strong (Vivien Endemann! Mao Itamura!) and the underlying attacking numbers last season were exceedingly positive. A teething year was always necessary given the style and managerial shift under Gareth Taylor. It won't be seamless but those at Liverpool believe they can start looking upwards.

Brighton were most people's picks for dark-horse hopefuls this season, particularly after reaching their first major final under former head coach Dario Vidosic in his second season in charge. But Vidosic's exit less than two weeks before the season's start has thrown expectations into the air. Brighton's squad was fashioned in his image, and while new head coach Arturo Ruiz impressed during his time at Real Sociedad, getting to grips with a brand new team so close to the season's beginning screams teething problems.

Charlton, Birmingham, and Crystal Palace have been promoted, with Leicester the only relegated side. Consequently, the WSL has expanded from 12 to 14 teams.

From now on, the champions of the second-tier WSL2 will win automatic promotion and the bottom WSL team will be automatically relegated. The WSL2 runners-up and 13th-placed WSL team will have a play-off to decide the final top-tier spot.

"It's a huge positive," Zelem said. "Before, it was really difficult for players to filter in, find a team, or get as many minutes as they would like. But the more teams in the league, the better, especially now that the quality is increasing. And you can see the teams coming up are putting in money and signing some great players. So that just adds to the competitiveness."

With each team playing 26 rather than 22 league fixtures, the hope is that one rogue result or dropped point will no longer have a disproportionate impact on a team's season. "It's a good thing because it means the margins aren't so small all the time," Zelem said. "Before it was such a short season and it felt a little bit dragged out, but now it'll be more flowing and less breaks hopefully."

"It gets a lot more eyes on it because there are different things going on throughout the season," Crystal Palace playmaker Annabel Blanchard said. "There's extra spice, with the play-offs and everything."

"It's also really good for the fans that it's not just (about) finishing top two or three."

The knock-on effect, though, is an increased load for those players who already juggle club and international fixtures in a tightly packed calendar.

"It's hard because the expansion is good, but on the flip side, there are players that are playing every single minute for club and country," Zelem, who is not a regular international for England, said. "It's difficult to get the balance — but that's when it is on the clubs and countries to make sure players get rest. Teams, especially the top teams, have huge squads that they need to use to keep players fresh."

Charlotte Harpur: Manchester City's squad is too thin to compete for the WSL title and the Champions League.

Megan Feringa: Tottenham Hotspur will, finally, beat one of the top three.

Cerys Jones: Arsenal will go further in the Champions League than City or Chelsea, but finish below both in the WSL.

Katie Whyatt: A team outside of the big four, most likely London City or Brighton, will make a final and become one of the historically weaker WSL sides to deliver a big 'cupset'.

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