2025–26 Women's Super League 2
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 5 September 2025 – 3 May 2026[1][2] |
| Matches | 66 |
| Goals | 211 (3.2 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Emily Scarr (Sunderland) (7 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Bristol City 7–0 Ipswich Town (9 November 2025) |
| Biggest away win | Sheffield United 0–4 Sunderland (5 September 2025) Ipswich Town 0–4 Birmingham City (12 October 2025) |
| Highest scoring | Crystal Palace 4–4 Southampton (14 September 2025) |
| Longest winning run | (3 games) Charlton Athletic (2 November 2025 – 16 November 2025) Crystal Palace (16 November 2025 – Present) Newcastle United (16 November 2025 – Present) |
| Longest unbeaten run | (11 games) Charlton Athletic (7 September 2025 – Present) |
| Longest winless run | (7 games) Sunderland (28 September 2025 – 7 December 2025) Ipswich Town (5 October 2025 – Present) |
| Longest losing run | (5 games) Ipswich Town (5 October 2025 – 16 November 2025) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 21 December 2025. | |
The 2025–26 Women's Super League 2 is the first season of the Women's Super League 2 since it was reverted to the WSL2 name, and the 11th since the creation of the WSL 2 in 2014. The season began on 5 September 2025 and will end on 3 May 2026.[1][2]
On 16 June 2025 it was announced that the Women's Super League would be expanding to 14 teams for the 2026–27 season. Because of this, the 2025–26 WSL 2 season will have two promotions and a promotion/relegation play-off for the 3rd placed team.[3]
Teams
Location of clubs for the 2025–26 season
Twelve teams compete in the WSL2 for the 2025–26 season, an increase of one from the previous season,[4].
London City Lionesses were promoted to the Women's Super League as 2024–25 Women's Championship winners.[5] They are replaced by Crystal Palace who returned to the division following relegation from the Women's Super League after one season.[6]
Nottingham Forest, winners of the 2024–25 FA Women's National League North,[7] and Ipswich Town, winners of the 2024–25 FA Women's National League South were both promoted.[8] Both clubs are making their WSL2 debuts.
On 20 May 2025, it was announced Blackburn Rovers had withdrawn from the WSL2 due to the club owner's unwillingness to meet league requirements on facilities, player welfare and staffing.[9][10] They will re-enter at the fourth tier (Division One North). Sheffield United who were set to be relegated to the FA Women's National League after spending seven seasons in the Championship were reprieved from relegation.[11]
| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham City | Birmingham (Bordesley) | St Andrew's | 29,902 | Amy Merricks |
| Bristol City | Bristol (Ashton Gate) | Ashton Gate | 27,000 | Charlotte Healy |
| Charlton Athletic | London (Charlton) | The Valley | 27,111 | Karen Hills |
| Crystal Palace | London (Sutton) | Gander Green Lane | 5,013 | Jo Potter |
| Durham | Durham | Maiden Castle | 1,800 (League) 2,400 (Cup) |
Adam Furness |
| Ipswich Town | Colchester | Colchester Community Stadium | 10,105 | Joe Sheehan |
| Newcastle United | Gateshead | Gateshead International Stadium | 11,800 | Tanya Oxtoby |
| Nottingham Forest | Nottingham (West Bridgford) | The City Ground | 30,404 | Carly Davies |
| Portsmouth | Havant | Westleigh Park | 5,300 | Jay Sadler |
| Sheffield United | Sheffield | Bramall Lane | 32,050 | Ash Thompson |
| Southampton | Southampton | St Mary's Stadium | 32,384 | Simon Parker |
| Sunderland | Hetton-le-Hole | Eppleton CW | 2,500 | Melanie Reay |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Palace | Leif Gunnar Smerud | Mutual agreement | 11 May 2025[12] | Pre season | Jo Potter | 24 June 2025[13] |
| Bristol City | Stephen Kirby | Mutual agreement | 13 May 2025[14] | Charlotte Healy | 24 June 2025[15] | |
| Southampton | Marieanne Spacey-Cale (interim) | End of interim period | 4 May 2025 | Simon Parker | 4 July 2025[16] | |
| Sheffield United W.F.C. | Ash Thompson | Mutual Agreement | 30 September 2025[17] | 12th | Luke Turner (interim) | 30 September 2025[17] |
| Newcastle United | Becky Langley | Sacked | 20 October 2025[18] | 9th | Claire Ditchburn (interim) | 22 October 2025[19] |
| Claire Ditchburn (interim) | End of interim spell | 22 November 2025 | 4th | Tanya Oxtoby | 22 November 2025 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlton Athletic | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 27 | Promotion to the WSL[a] |
| 2 | Birmingham City | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 13 | +15 | 22 | |
| 3 | Bristol City | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 26 | 17 | +9 | 19 | Qualification for promotion/relegation play-off |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 19 | |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 16 | |
| 6 | Nottingham Forest | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 16 | |
| 7 | Southampton | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 16 | +6 | 15 | |
| 8 | Sunderland | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 12 | |
| 9 | Sheffield United | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 19 | −9 | 12 | |
| 10 | Durham | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 15 | −2 | 10 | |
| 11 | Portsmouth | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 27 | −12 | 10 | |
| 12 | Ipswich Town | 11 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 30 | −21 | 5 | Relegation to the Women's National League North or South |
Updated to match(es) played on 21 December 2025. Source: Women's Championship League Table
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Notes:
- ^ Dependent on obtaining a licence.
Matches
Season statistics
- As of 3 December 2025
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[20] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beth Hepple | Durham Women | 6 |
| 3 | Emily Scarr | Sunderland | 5 |
| Meg Hornby | Portsmouth | ||
| Rio Hardy | Bristol City | ||
| 4 | 7 players | 4 | |
| 5 | 13 players | 3 | |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[21] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sophie Whitehouse | Charlton Athletic | 6 |
| 3 | Fran Bentley | Bristol City | 3 |
| 4 | Catriona Sheppard | Durham Women | 2 |
| Emily Batty | Nottingham Forest | ||
| 5 | 7 players | 1 | |
Discipline
| Most yellow cards | Total | Most red cards | Total | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Charlie Devlin (Bristol City) Sarah Wilson (Durham Women) |
4 | Jessie Stapleton (Nottingham Forest) Sophie Ingle (Bristol City) Beth Roe (Ipswich Town) Katie Bradley (Charlton Athletic) Sophie Barker (Plymouth) |
1 | [22][23] |
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
| September | Amy Merricks | Birmingham City | Emily Scarr | Sunderland | [24] [25] |
| October | Simon Parker | Southampton | Jodie Hutton | Charlton Athletic | [26] |
| November | Karen Hills | Charlton Athletic | Megan Hornby | Portsmouth | [27] |
References
- ^ a b "Key dates confirmed for 2025–26 Barclays WSL and Barclays Women's Championship season". The Football Association. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Key dates confirmed for 2025/26 Women's Championship season". Yahoo Sports. 9 April 2025.
- ^ Sanders, Emma (16 June 2025). "WSL expanding to 14 teams - but relegation remains". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Veevers, Nick (30 June 2024). "FA and Women's Professional Game statement on Reading FC Women". The FA. Archived from the original on 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ "London City Lionesses promoted to Women's Super League after clinching Women's Championship". Sky Sports. 4 May 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ Nelson, Joe (27 April 2025). "What next for Crystal Palace after WSL relegation?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Forest Women Crowned League Champions". Nottingham Forest F.C. 27 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Cunningham, Alice (28 April 2025). "Ipswich Town Women exhilarated after promotion". BBC. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "WSL Football Statement: Blackburn Rovers FC Women". The Football Association. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Sanders, Emma (20 May 2025). "Blackburn withdraw from Women's Championship". BBC. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Garry, Tom (5 June 2025). "Sheffield United get reprieve to stay in WSL 2 after Blackburn withdrawal". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Statement: Leif Smerud". Crystal Palace F.C. 11 May 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "Palace Women appoint Jo Potter as manager". Crystal Palace F.C. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "Bristol City Women part company with Steve Kirby". Bristol City F.C. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "Healy announced as women's Head Coach". Bristol City F.C. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "Simon Parker appointed Women's Head Coach". Southampton F.C. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ a b FC, Sheffield United (30 September 2025). "Club statement". Sheffield United FC. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Newcastle United Women and Becky Langley part ways". Newcastle United F.C. 20 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
- ^ "Claire Ditchburn to lead Newcastle United Women on interim basis". Newcastle United F.C. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "Women's Super League 2 top scorers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "England - WSL 2 clean sheets". soccerstats.com. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Yellow Cards - WSL 2 Season 2025/26". FotMob. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Red Cards - WSL 2 2025/26". FotMob. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Amy Merricks Wins WSL2 Manager of the Month Award for September". www.bcfc.com. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Emily Scarr wins Barclays Player of the Month award". www.safc.com. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ Football, W. S. L. (24 October 2025). "Barclays Women's Super League 2 October award winners announced". WSL Football. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ Football, W. S. L. (28 November 2025). "Barclays Women's Super League 2 November award winners announced". WSL Football. Retrieved 3 December 2025.