The Women’s Super League will expand from 12 to 14 teams from the 2026/27 season.

The upcoming 2025/26 season will begin with the usual 12 teams, but the top two sides from the second tier — WSL 2 — will be automatically promoted to take the total up to 14 for the following campaign.

The third-placed team in the WSL 2 will also feature in a play-off with the WSL’s bottom-placed side for a place in the top flight.

From then onwards, there will be just one automatic promotion place for the winner of WSL 2, with the bottom team in the WSL relegated. There will also be a play-off between second bottom of the WSL and runners-up in WSL 2.

The change comes after clubs voted in favour of expansion in the latest WSL Football shareholders’ meeting. The FA will now meet to formally green light the changes, which are to be implemented before July 31. 

All clubs must still meet the licence criteria to play professionally in the WSL 2 and the WSL.

The quality of competition at the top of English women’s football has received widespread criticism, but this expansion comes as a welcome change for what many fans believe is a stagnant system. This announcement also ends months of speculation following suggestions that relegation could be temporarily scrapped in the WSL.

Given Chelsea won their sixth league title in a row, Crystal Palace’s relegation from the top tier felt like a foregone conclusion just a year after promotion and the teams in between know they will most likely avoid relegation — adding more jeopardy to the league should make for an even more marketable product.