Match rounds run from the weekend of 3 and 4 October through to the weekend of 31 October and 1 November.

The first weekend of this run of fixtures begins with Manchester United taking on Liverpool live on BBC One, before the weekend concludes with reigning champions Manchester City facing Arsenal at 16:30 on Sky Sports.

Other matches being shown on Sky Sports include Tottenham Hotspur versus London City Lionesses, Aston Villa versus Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion versus Charlton Athletic, Everton versus Birmingham City and West Ham United versus Chelsea.

Round 6 features two London derbies on Sky Sports, with Tottenham Hotspur hosting Chelsea and Crystal Palace taking on West Ham United at midday on Sunday 18 October. Other Sky Sports fixtures include Aston Villa versus Liverpool, Arsenal versus Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic versus Manchester United and London City Lionesses versus Everton. The BBC One match is Manchester City versus Brighton & Hove Albion.

There are two major derbies in Round 7, beginning with Tottenham Hotspur versus Arsenal at 12:45 on BBC One on Saturday 24 October. The weekend then concludes with Manchester United facing Manchester City at 18:00 on Sky Sports.Other Sky Sports fixtures across the weekend include Brighton & Hove Albion versus West Ham United, Crystal Palace versus Chelsea, Birmingham City versus Charlton Athletic, Everton versus Aston Villa and Liverpool versus London City Lionesses.

The final round of fixtures in this period begins with Everton versus Manchester United at 12:45 on Sky Sports. Other matches being shown on Sky Sports include Arsenal versus Aston Villa, London City Lionesses versus Manchester City, Birmingham City versus Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion versus Crystal Palace and West Ham United versus Liverpool.

Charlton Athletic’s clash with Chelsea on Sunday 1 November will be shown live on BBC Two at 14:30.

Match Round 5

Match Round 6

Match Round 7

Match Round 8

All Barclays WSL 2 fixtures across the same weekends will be available to watch on the division’s own YouTube channel.

With thanks to the WSL

Women’s football’s summer of seven-figure transfers has raised a new question: what do these fees actually mean, and what would they look like in the men’s market? SportsBoom crunches the numbers.

A summer that rewrote the record books

Five years ago, a single women’s transfer breaking the million-euro mark would have seemed fanciful.

This summer, it has become almost routine. Brazil forward Kerolin left Manchester City for Barcelona in a deal reported at up to €1.5 million (£1.28m), the biggest sale in Women’s Super League history.

Days later, Swedish teenager Felicia Schröder joined her in the Spanish capital at Real Madrid for a similarly reported €1.5 million (£1.294m) from BK Häcken, while Manchester United forward Melvine Malard completed a WSL-to-WSL switch to Chelsea for a fee north of £850,000.

None of those deals, however, has troubled the record set by France midfielder Grace Geyoro, whose move from Paris Saint-Germain to London City Lionesses in September 2025 remains the most expensive transfer in the history of women’s football at £1.43 million (€1.65m).

It was actually Naomi Girma, not Geyoro, who broke the symbolic million mark first, her January 2025 move from San Diego Wave to Chelsea was the first women’s transfer to cross $1 million.

Since then, a further eight players have gone past the same threshold, with Geyoro’s fee still standing more than a year on as the marker every subsequent deal is measured against.

Translating the fees into the men’s game

The obvious next question for a betting and sports finance audience is what these numbers would mean if the players in question were men.

There is no exact science to this, women’s and men’s football operate as almost entirely separate markets, and a straight currency comparison tells you little beyond the fact that the women’s game is still catching up.

Instead, SportsBoom has scaled each fee using the revenue gap between the two English top flights.

Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance puts WSL clubs’ aggregate revenue at £90m for 2024/25, against combined Premier League club revenue of £6.3bn in 2023/24, a gap of roughly 70 times.

Applying that multiple to each women’s transfer fee gives a rough sense of what an equivalent deal would look like if negotiated inside the Premier League’s financial ecosystem, rather than a literal prediction of what any specific player would fetch.

How we calculated it: 

Equivalent fee = actual transfer fee × 70 (the ratio of aggregate Premier League club revenue to aggregate WSL club revenue, per Deloitte’s 2024/25 figures). This is a revenue-scaled illustration, not a market valuation. Actual fees are shaped by many other factors, including player age, position and release clauses.

The comparison is a useful gut check. On this model, Geyoro’s world-record women’s fee lands in almost exactly the same bracket as Tottenham’s £100m deal for Sandro Tonali this summer, or a shade under Real Madrid’s £107m swoop for Yan Diomande.

Kerolin and Schröder’s fees sit close to what Manchester City accepted for winger Sávio.

Even Naomi Girma’s fee, which broke a psychological barrier rather than a financial record, scales up to roughly the £65m Manchester United paid for Carlos Baleba.

None of these fees, it’s worth restating, come close to the actual world transfer record in men’s football, which remains Neymar’s €222m move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, a fee that would translate to somewhere in the region of £2m if the ratio were run in reverse.

Broadcast growth: WSL v Premier League

The transfer market is only one measure of the women’s game’s financial rise. Broadcast numbers tell a more complicated, if broadly positive, story.

WSL clubs’ aggregate revenue has grown sharply in recent seasons: £48m in 2022/23, up 34% to £65m in 2023/24, then up a further 39% to £90m in 2024/25, with Deloitte forecasting the league will break £100m in 2025/26.

Viewership growth has not moved in a straight line, however.

Sky Sports’ most recent WSL/Premier League deal reported WSL viewing up 16% year-on-year for 2025/26, solid growth, but well behind the 25% rise recorded for Premier League coverage on the same platform over the same period.

That followed a rockier 2024/25 season in which BARB’s linear TV data showed average WSL match audiences on Sky actually fell 35%, from 261,000 to 169,000, and WSL attendances dropped 10% to an average of 6,661 per game.

Men’s Premier League audiences fell too that season, by 9%, so some of the dip reflects a broader shift in how fans consume football rather than anything specific to the women’s game. But it is a reminder that growth in commercial revenue and growth in match-day viewing figures are not always the same trend.

With thanks to SportsBoom

The partnership unites two organisations with a shared ambition to support people and build a stronger future. WTW’s expertise in helping people and organisations understand risk, build resilience, make informed decisions and create conditions for stronger performance is a natural fit with WSL Football’s ambition to transform women’s football into the world’s most distinctive club competition for the players and fans of today and tomorrow.

Over the course of the partnership, WTW will collaborate with WSL Football and clubs from the BWSL and BWSL2 to explore solutions designed to support female athletes and help advance the game. A key pillar of the collaboration is the intention to co-create an insurance solution designed specifically for players at BWSL and BWSL2 clubs which will help transform how they are supported and protected throughout their careers.

While injuries are an unavoidable part of football, female players can face different health considerations and risk exposures than their male counterparts. The need for tailored cover has become increasingly clear as the women’s game has grown and professionalised.

For players, appropriate insurance can help protect their earnings and provide greater financial security in the event of injury or illness. For clubs, it can help protect their investment in their players.

WTW adds to WSL Football’s world-leading roster of brand partners that are all driving transformational growth for the women’s game.

Zarah Al-Kudcy, Chief Revenue Officer, WSL Football, said: “Ensuring we have the right protection and support in place for players during their careers and for clubs is an important part of building a truly professional and sustainable game.

Bringing on WTW as a new partner with specialist expertise, whose people-first approach aligns with our values, means that together we can explore new ways to address the specific needs of women footballers and help create a stronger future for players, clubs and the wider game.

Like all our WSL Football partnerships, it is more than investment into the league, it is investment into the whole women’s football ecosystem and ensures that the infrastructure around the game continues to develop alongside it.”

Carl Hess, CEO, WTW said: “At WTW, our purpose is to transform tomorrows. We see this as the driving force behind everything we do — and it’s a vision shared by WSL Football.

This long-term collaboration presents a unique opportunity to bring our risk, insurance and advisory capabilities to women’s football. Our focus is on enabling players, clubs and leagues to thrive with confidence as the women’s game continues its rapid ascent on the world stage.

We are proud to be working with WSL Football to drive meaningful, lasting impact.”

About WTW

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) provides data driven, insight led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues in more than 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate workforce performance and maximize value. Visit wtwco.com.

About WSL Football

WSL Football is building the most distinctive, competitive and entertaining women’s football club competition in the world for the players and fans of today and tomorrow.

Our competitions represent the pinnacle of women’s professional football in England, where the world’s best players and 26 clubs compete for honours in the Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL), the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 (BWSL2) and the Subway Players Cup.

With thanks to the WSL

Developed by WSL Football’s creative agency Anomaly, and produced by Sata Studios, the campaign sees players from both leagues’ ‘intercept’ creators belonging to social subcultures of every kind, creating unexpected moments where football meets online culture.

As audiences are immersed in a creator’s world and niche, a moment of football brilliance interrupts the action, turning the spotlight on the players and showcasing their skill, personality and individuality.

The campaign has been created in partnership with creators who have built trusted communities around their own passions and interests. By bringing women’s football into these existing cultural spaces, the campaign aims to spark conversation, reach new audiences and increase visibility for the leagues and their clubs.

Across 14 films and three distinct creative treatments, the campaign brings the concept of ‘interception’ to life in different ways:

• Live Collabs: Real-time collaborations between creators and footballers, capturing unexpected crossover moments as they happen.
• Edit Collabs: Creators produce content within their own spaces, which is then stitched together with footage of players to create a seamless interaction between the two worlds.
• Makers:  Artists and creators document themselves mid-creation, only to be ‘intercepted’ by the power of the BWSL – transforming their work with a distinctly football-inspired twist

Creators taking part include Bimini, Abbie Franks, The History Magpie and GIRLI, with further names set to be revealed as additional batches of content are released over the coming weeks.

Players featuring include Alexia Putellas, Georgia Stanway, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, Jess Park, Ffion Morgan, Ruby Mace, Natalie Bjorn, Eden Sykes, Sophie Whitehouse and Ruby Mace.

With football players stepping into unexpected corners of the internet, ‘Interception’ aims to broaden the conversation around the BWSL and BWSL2, showing audiences that women’s football has a place in every community, interest and corner of culture online – and getting more people tuning in and turning up for the unmissable drama on the pitch, week in, week out.

The 2026/27 season kicks off on 4 September. Fans can look out for ‘Interception’ content across social and tune in for the first fixtures as the new season gets underway.

With thanks to the WSL

The brand-new fantasy football experience is built specifically around the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Super League 2 with the intention to create weekly habit and bring fans closer to the players that feature in both leagues.

The game has been built in response to what fans said they wanted, after WSL Football surveyed and spoke to thousands of fans during the development process to build a game that is accessible to the widest possible audience both domestically and internationally.

The response was broad, but key themes that emerged were that the game needed to have community at the heart of it, that it catered for shorter commitments and gave players a reason to come back throughout the season.

With prizes for managers to win throughout and at the end of the season, five key things make Barclays WSL and WSL2 Fantasy different to other games.

Both leagues, one game – Players from all 26 clubs across the Barclays WSL and the Barclays WSL2 sit in a single squad pool. A manager can build a team mixing both tiers if they want to.

Six Legs, six fresh starts – In addition to the full season leaderboard, the season is split into six blocks called ‘legs’, each with its own leaderboard and its own prize. A bad start does not end the season because of the opportunity to win legs throughout the campaign.

Change the team between match days – Most fantasy games lock the entire team at one deadline before fixtures begin. In this game, managers can still move and switch the captain for players who have not yet kicked off once the matchweek begins.

Points for more than goals – Alongside goals and assists, players earn points for tackles, interceptions, blocks, recoveries, key passes, crosses and dribbles. A holding midfielder who never scores can still be one of the best picks in the game.

No price-rise – Player prices move, but players can always sell a player for exactly what they were paid for so nobody gets left behind for joining late or missing a price rise.

The game was developed in collaboration with SI (formerly Sportz Interactive) who were chosen following a competitive tender process. SI have experience building some of the biggest fantasy games in sport, understand how to build community and they have delivered a simple user-friendly interface that will make it accessible to both seasoned fantasy players and newcomers.

To play Barclays WSL and WSL2 Fantasy, managers need to download the WSL Football app and go to relevant button where they can start building their team.

Although the game is available now, with the transfer window still open and player registrations still pending, not all squads will be complete but it will continue to be updated and populated with new player profiles until the beginning of the season.

The format

The general format of Barclay WSL and WSL2 Fantasy will be familiar to anyone who has played similar fantasy games before.

For WSL Football, Fantasy exists to provide an accessible route for fans to connect with the women’s game and turns passive watching into something active, strategic, and personal. It gives fans a reason to follow every match, discover players across every club, and feel genuinely invested in the season.

Managers pick 15 players, starting 11 with four subs and have a budget of £100m. Managers can only pick three players from one club with two free transfers every match week, a wild card to rebuild the squad and a free hit for a one-week change and captains score double points.

Where the game differs is that there is a single player pool, so managers have the option to pick players from across both the Barclays WSL and Barclays WSL2.

Including Barclays WSL and Barclays WSL2 in the game deepens the pool of available players to managers and increases jeopardy in the game because it encourages differentials and means that there will be fewer identical teams.

There is no minimum or maximum requirement limit, so managers have the choice to pick from just one league or combine both and it is the same scoring for players, no matter which league they play in.

Legs

To keep managers engaged and give them multiple opportunities to win throughout the season, they are never out of the running because the season is split into six blocks, called ‘Legs’. Each leg has its own leaderboard and prize, meaning every manager is competing in two competitions at once.

The season table never resets, but the leg table resets to zero for everyone at the start of each new leg. This means that a bad start or a bad week doesn’t mean the end of the season. Managers get a fresh start and another opportunity to win when a new leg begins.

It also means new managers can join during the season because although they wouldn’t be able to win the full season, they could still win a leg.

There are six legs, each lasting between three and six match weeks. They follow the football calendar, with breaks where the season naturally pauses.

Data

Players are scored by utilising official OPTA match data with live match and action highlights made available on the WSL Football app.

Alongside points for goals, assists and clean sheets, players score points for work all over the pitch.

For example, every players can earn points for attacking actions such as shots on target, key passes, successful crosses, successful dribbles or defensive actions such as tackles won, interceptions, clearances, blocks, recoveries.

There is no cap so players can still post a big score without ever getting on the scoresheet or keeping clean sheet.

The three best performers in every match earn extra points too with three points for the best, two for the second, one for the third and captain’s whole score is doubled, including bonus points.

With thanks to the WSL 

Previously known as the Subway® Women’s League Cup, the competition was recently renamed as the Subway® Players Cup, with a format change to a League Phase and a Knockout Phase.

From the upcoming season onwards, the first stage of the competition will see a Swiss-style league format implemented with fixtures drawn by region, guaranteeing a minimum of six matches per club.

The draw for the League Phase was conducted by WSL Football CEO Nikki Doucet with clubs and media present, where the 69 fixtures were confirmed.

Teams were divided geographically into Northern (11 clubs) and Southern (12 clubs) sections and were assigned a numerical ball number for their regionalised segment of the draw.

As the balls were drawn, each team was allocated to a code which determined their fixtures, providing three home and three away fixtures per club in their respective regionalised sections.

These will be played across ten different fixture windows between mid-September and mid-December.

The outcome of the draw in its entirety is as follows:

Further details on each League Phase fixture – including ticket prices and on-sale dates – can be found on each club’s website.

Following the conclusion of those games, the teams who occupy the top eight positions in the league standings will progress to the Knockout Phase.

This will take place from January through to March, with the quarter finals across January 13 and 14, 2027 in the following structure:

• 1st Place v 8th Place (QF1)
• 2nd Place v 7th Place (QF2)
• 3rd Place v 6th Place (QF3)
• 4th Place v 5th Place (QF4)

The winners of those fixtures will then meet in the semi-finals across February 10 and 11, with the match ups as follows:

• Winner of QF1 v Winner of QF3
• Winner of QF2 v Winner of QF4

The final will then be played at a to-be-confirmed neutral venue across the weekend of March 13 and 14, 2027.

With thanks to the WSL

The action across both the BWSL – now boasting 14 teams for the first time – and BWSL2 gets underway across 4, 5 and 6 September, with every game across both leagues available for fans to watch live either on Sky Sports, the BBC and YouTube.

In the top-flight, the season kicks off with London City Lionesses taking on Manchester United on Friday evening where all eyes will be on Mary Earps as she returns to face her former club and a BWSL debut for Alexia Putellas.

Across the rest of the weekend, BWSL champions Manchester City kick off their campaign at home to 2025-26 BWSL2 champions Birmingham City, Brighton & Hove Albion take on Arsenal and play-off winners Charlton Athletic take on Liverpool at home.

Elsewhere, there is a London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham, Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge and Crystal Palace play host to Everton as the Eagles make their return to the BWSL after just one season away.

Full fixtures for the BWSL are available here with kick off times and all broadcast picks for September confirmed.

Scheduling BWSL games for the season is a complex process, and WSL Football has run more than 1.5 billion scheduling iterations to build the best outcome for the league.

Unlike many leagues, WSL Football can only build the fixture schedule for both leagues after the confirmation of the Premier League, EFL and Men’s National League fixtures, whilst also accounting for the Men’s Emirates FA Cup, Adobe Women’s FA Cup, Carabao Cup, UEFA Men’s Champions League and UEFA Women’s Champions League calendars due to stadium availability and broadcast windows.

Whist WSL Football works collaboratively with all clubs, finding a schedule that best serves everyone whilst maintaining competition integrity, supporting operational requirements, meeting broadcast commitments and driving attendance is a challenging task.

Barclays Women’s Super League 2 

In the BWSL2, the upcoming season will see the team finishing first automatically promoted and replacing the 14th placed outfit in the BWSL.

A new fixture at the end of the season is a pre-qualifying match contested by the 2^nd and 3^rd placed BWSL2 teams. The winner of this match will determine which BWSL2 team will play the 13^th placed BWSL team in The Play-Off.

Having finished fourth and narrowly missed out in the promotion race last season, Bristol City will travel to Sunderland whilst Durham welcome Southampton to the North East.

FAWNL promotion winners Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers meanwhile will travel to Watford and Newcastle United respectively on the opening weekend, while Leicester City begin life in the BWSL2 with an away fixture against Sheffield United.

Finally, Ipswich Town play Nottingham Forest for their first fixture of the season.

Details for The Play-Off will be confirmed in due course, but the match will be played over the weekend of May 29 and 30, while the pre-qualifying match will take place over the weekend May 22 and 23.

Full fixtures for the BWSL2 are available here

To accompany the fixtures, WSL Football has launched its first ever fixture launch show, exclusively on the WSL Football app. From opening day to game week standouts across both leagues, derby dates and predictions, join Jen Beattie and Laura Coombs as they dissect the fixtures and provide insight and analysis.

Broadcast Slots

Sky Sports and the BBC continue as broadcast partners for the BWSL, BWSL2 matches will be available to watch on YouTube.

Like last season, Sky Sports will show 90% of all BWSL matches live on Sky Sports and NOW – 163 matches in total, as well as the Play-Off – with select games also shown on the Sky Sports WSL YouTube channel.

Sky Sports and BBC have co-exclusive rights to both the Play-Off and the Subway Players Cup Final.

In response to feedback from fans and clubs, WSL Football has worked in collaboration with Sky Sports and the BBC to find more broadcast slots that balance broadcast windows with the need to drive match attendance.

This season there will be greater flexibility with fixtures across game weekends with less matches kicking off at the same time.

Matches picked by Sky Sports will generally be played at:

• Friday – 19.00
• Saturday – 12.45
• Sunday – 12.00
• Sunday – 18.00

BWSL matches picked by the BBC for BBC One or BBC Two will generally be played at:

• Saturday – 12.30
• Sunday – 14.30

Broadcast Picks for September

Broadcast Picks for all match rounds in September have been confirmed, with the first game of the season between London City Lionesses and Manchester United live on Sky Sports at 19.00 on Friday 4^th September.

Match round 1

Match Round 2

Match Round 3

Match Round 4

Key Dates

Other key dates for the season are as follows:

• • Opening Weekend (BWSL and BWSL2): Friday 4, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September
  • Subway Players Cup League Phase Fixtures: September through to December (See below for specific dates)
  • Winter Break (BWSL and BWSL2): Monday 21 December until Saturday 3 January
  • Subway Players Cup Quarter Finals: Wednesday 13/Thursday 14 January 2027
  • Subway Players Cup Semi-Finals: Wednesday 10/Thursday 11 February 2027
  • Subway Players Cup Final: Saturday 13/Sunday 14 March 2027
  • BWSL2 Final Weekend: Saturday 8/Sunday 9 May 2027
  • BWSL Final Weekend: Saturday 22/Sunday 23 May 2027
  • BWSL2 Play-Off pre-qualifying match: Saturday 22/Sunday 23 May 2027
  • The Play-Off, Saturday 29/Sunday 30 May 2027

Subway Players Cup League Phase Fixture Dates:

• 23/24 September 2026
• 30 September/1 October 2026
• 17/18 October 2026 (BWSL2 Teams only)
• 21/22 October 2026
• 28/29 October 2028
• 31 October/1 November 2026 (BWSL2 Team only)
• 10/11 November 2026
• 18/19 November 2026
• 21/22 November 2026 (BWSL2 Teams only)
• 16/17 December 2026

Dates for the Adobe Women’s FA Cup can be found on The FA’s website here: https://www.thefa.com/competitions/the-womens-fa-cup/round-dates

With thanks to the WSL

Previously The Subway Women’s League Cup, the competition has been renamed the Subway Players Cup to recognise that the new format has been built around player welfare principles and that the ambition for the competition is to put players at the heart of everything.

The group stage of The Subway Players Cup will adopt a Swiss-style league format, with fixtures drawn by region. This structure guarantees a minimum of six matches and is designed to increase playing opportunities for players not involved in European competition which ensures they are not underloaded and playing too few matches.

The new proposals will mean the three UEFA Champions League qualified teams would not participate in the competition because of the increased playing load due to the calendar.

A competition designed around player welfare

When WSL Football was established, it was agreed that a competition review would take place, including the secondary cup competition. The result of a comprehensive format review which included consultation with clubs, players and fans recognised there was an opportunity to reshape the tournament and provide it with a new clarity of purpose.

Because the proposed new format will not include UEFA Champions League clubs, the competition required repositioning, as it will not feature every club across the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Super League 2.

Built with player welfare at its core, the new format of the Subway Players Cup addresses calendar congestion by removing UEFA Women’s Champions League qualified clubs from the competition while increasing meaningful playing minutes, rotation opportunities and development pathways for all other squads and opening the possibility for new winners of the competition.

Players spoken to about the changes are excited by the format, the prospect of more matches and a viable chance to win silverware. They see the competition as valuable and believe the structure will increase competitiveness and appreciate that welfare and development are the primary drivers.

New competition identity

To coincide with the launch of the Subway Players Cup, a distinctive new identity was developed for the competition, drawing inspiration from the theme of player movement which was central to the launch of the new WSL Football brand.

While the WSL Football identity reflects the dynamism of on pitch movement, the new identity for the cup competition focuses on the movement associated with celebration and features an emblem inspired by the action of lifting a trophy.

With new icons set to light up the competition and a platform for emerging and established talent alike, the primary colour palette combines the signature colours of the BWSL and BWSL2, signalling that clubs from both leagues will be competing for the trophy.

Throughout the design process players, fans and clubs were consulted and fed back to help shape and refine the new competition identity.

Subway renewal 

Subway will become the title partner of The Players Cup following two successful seasons supporting The League Cup. The renewed partnership ensures the continued growth of women’s football, whilst also supporting Subway’s work in communities across the UK that champion active lifestyles and increase accessibility to the sport.

Since Subway’s involvement with WSL Football, they have developed groundbreaking nutrition guidance on female focused fuelling in collaboration with The Well HQ, and the most recent Subway League Cup Final took place in Bristol at Ashton Gate on Sunday 15th March. Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 in front of over 21,000 fans – a record attendance for a women’s league cup final.

Zarah Al-Kudcy, Chief Revenue Officer, WSL Football said: “Subway have already proved themselves a valued partner of the League Cup and we have no doubt they will bring that same energy, creativity and commitment to the Players Cup.”

“We wanted to create something that provided a platform to provide meaningful playing minutes for young and fringe players and to address disparity on playing opportunities across the leagues without compromising our player welfare principles in an increasingly busy women’s calendar. We‘ve spoken to a lot of people in the game about the direction we want to take, and we are confident that we have found a positive solution and that The Players Cup can become an exciting new domestic competition in England.”

Kirstey Elston, Senior Marketing Director, Marketing, EMEA Subway said “We’re excited to renew our partnership with WSL Football as they continue to bring something fresh to the women’s game. The Players Cup represents a brilliant opportunity to support a sport that’s growing fast and inspiring communities across the country and we’re proud to stand alongside WSL Football in championing the women’s game.”

New Format Structure

The Subway Players Cup will be split into two stages – the League Phase, and Knockout Phase.

 The League Phase will be played primarily during the UEFA Women’s Champions League match rounds and will replace the previous group phase.

All 23 participating teams will compete together in a single, unified league table, where each club plays three home and three away fixtures against teams in their regionalised section.

Fixtures for the League Phase will be announced on Thursday 6 August at 12pm.

In total, there will be 69 fixtures in the League Phase, with these played between September and December with three points for a win. For any game tied after 90 minutes, a penalty shoot-out will take place where the winner receives two points, and the loser is awarded one point.

Following the conclusion of those games, the teams who occupy the top eight positions in the league standings will progress to the Knockout Phase. This will take place from January through to March, with the quarter finals across January 13 and 14, 2027 in the following structure:

• 1st Place v 8th Place (QF1)

• 2nd Place v 7th Place (QF2)

• 3rd Place v 6th Place (QF3)

• 4th Place v 5th Place (QF4)

The winners of those fixtures will then meet in the semi-finals across February 10 and 11, with the higher ranked team from the league phase earning home advantage as follows:

• Winner of QF1 v Winner of QF3

• Winner of QF2 v Winner of QF4

The final will then be played at a to-be-confirmed neutral venue across the weekend of March 13 and 14, 2027.

For all the details regarding the Subway Players Cup, visit HERE

With thanks to the WSL

Bringing together returning champions, rising contenders and inspiring stories from across the globe, the tournament continues to provide a unique platform for female footballers to showcase their talent on an international stage.

Among the teams heading to Toronto are reigning champions Portugal, who return to defend the title they won at last year’s Global Final in Salzburg, Austria. Their victory was a landmark moment for the women’s competition and demonstrated the level of quality, intensity and passion that has become synonymous with Red Bull Four 2 Score.

Part of Portugal’s successful journey was the support of their Wingwoman, football star Kika Nazareth. As an ambassador and mentor, she inspired players throughout the tournament and encouraged female footballers across the country to get involved. Through the Red Bull Four 2 Score Wing (wo)man programme, football stars, creators and freestyle athletes help motivate participants and bring them closer to the wider Red Bull football community.

The Portuguese champions return to Toronto with exactly the same squad that lifted the trophy in Salzburg last year. Bringing together players with roots in Portugal, Romania, Angola, Cuba, Brazil and Canada, the team embodies the diversity and unifying power of football. Although they first met while representing some of Portugal’s biggest rival clubs, including Benfica and Sporting, the sport helped forge friendships that extend far beyond club loyalties. Their Red Bull Four 2 Score journey began after seeing a social media post shared by Portuguese football star and Wingwoman Kika Nazareth. What started as a spontaneous decision quickly turned into a world title and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For the players, Red Bull Four 2 Score has always been about more than results. As they describe it, it is “the opportunity to travel, compete and create unforgettable memories with the people who matter most.” Now, the defending champions are back with even bigger ambitions. “We’re the same team as last year—just with five times more hunger to win.” While their goal remains clear, the team is equally motivated by the opportunity to represent Portugal once again on the international stage. “Qualifying for Toronto means proving that hard work, friendship and ambition can take us anywhere.”

This year, a new generation of players is ready to make its mark. One of the standout stories comes from Egypt, where a team of first-time participants fought their way through a highly competitive national tournament to secure their place at the World Final.

“Honestly, it means everything to us. We put in a lot of effort and trusted each other throughout the tournament, so winning feels amazing. We’re really proud to represent Egypt,” said the team after their victory.

For most of the players, Red Bull Four 2 Score was their first experience of the tournament, making the achievement even more special. Facing strong opposition throughout the competition, teamwork and determination became their biggest strengths.

“It was definitely tough. We played against some really strong teams, and every game needed full focus and teamwork. It wasn’t easy at all, but that’s what made it worth it.”

Now, the Egyptian champions are preparing for their first international football experience and the opportunity to compete against some of the best amateur teams from around the world.

“We’re super excited about the opportunity to travel to Canada as it’s our first time. It’s a big opportunity for us to compete internationally, experience a different level of football, and represent Egypt. We can’t wait.”

Their story reflects the spirit of Red Bull Four 2 Score: creating opportunities, building confidence and opening doors for players to experience football beyond their local communities. “For us, it’s not just about winning, it’s about the journey, the team spirit, and the memories we made together. This is just the beginning for us.”

From defending champions Portugal to emerging contenders like Egypt, the women’s field in Toronto highlights the growing international footprint of the tournament and the increasing number of female players embracing the fast-paced 4v4 format.

When the teams arrive in Canada later this year, they will not only compete for the Red Bull Four 2 Score World Final title but also continue to inspire the next generation of female footballers around the world.

With thanks to Red Bull

Samantha Gough, an inspirational visually impaired athlete from Edinburgh, has been awarded an MBE in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours for services to sport and to the visually impaired community.

Sam’s journey to becoming one of Britain’s most accomplished visually impaired athletes, excelling across multiple disciplines including blind football, goalball and rowing, has not been an easy one and it was only a few years ago she believed her sporting ambitions were over.

Born with cerebral visual impairment (CVI), Sam’s condition means that while her eyes are healthy, her brain cannot fully process visual information. Her sight deteriorated significantly in 2014, requiring her to relearn essential life skills, including mobility and independent navigation. She describes attending Sight Scotland’s Royal Blind School in Edinburgh as a real turning point in her life.

Sam, who will be 23 next week, explains: “This is a huge honour. I want to use it to highlight blind football and visually impaired sport, and to show others what can be achieved if you follow your dreams. I have struggled with my mental health and sport truly saved me, so I am determined to show others what can be achieved. I would never have believed this was possible, and to be recognised in this way is incredible. There is still so much more we can do to make sport accessible and inclusive, and I hope this helps raise awareness and open doors for more visually impaired athletes.

“It wasn’t very long ago that I didn’t think I could take part in sport at all. I went from being registered partially sighted to severely sight impaired and was basically excluded from all sport. Instead of asking how they could support me, I was seen as a problem. If you had told me then what I’d be doing now, I would never have believed you. It shows what can be achieved if you are given the right support.

“The Royal Blind School was a real turning point for me. I was given tailored support and the opportunity to learn vital independent living skills, which really helped rebuild my confidence. It also helped me accept myself and my disability, which was such an important part of my journey. Before I came to the school, I did not fully understand my visual impairment or how to explain it.

“Learning braille was another huge moment for me. I had lost the ability to read and write as my sight deteriorated, and braille helped me reconnect with that. It felt like I had found a part of myself again. The school also helped me develop everyday skills like cooking, going to the shops, and speaking up about the support I need. They also showed me how to use my white cane, which was a complete game changer. I then got my wonderful guide dog, Helga, last year, which again transformed my life and gave me even more confidence to get out and about.

“All the amazing things that have happened to me through sport and my advocacy work would not have been possible without the incredible teachers at the Royal Blind School. They believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself and gave me the skills and confidence to move forward. It quite literally changed my life.”

In 2022, Sam made history as the first-ever captain of the England Women’s Blind Football team, a landmark achievement that established her as a pioneer of the women’s game. She went on to lead the national side at the inaugural IBSA Women’s World Championships in 2023, guiding England in their first appearance on the global stage and helping to mark a defining moment for the sport.

Her success extends beyond football. In goalball, she became one of the UK’s top female goal scorers and represented Great Britain at the 2022 European Para Youth Games, where she secured a bronze medal. In rowing, she claimed gold at the 2023 British Rowing Indoor Championships and was selected for the Great Britain Para Rowing performance pathway.

Beyond her sporting success, Sam has also been recognised for her advocacy work. In 2023, she won a Midlothian Young People’s Award and was also commended in the UK Parliament for her achievements. She is also an ambassador for Sight Scotland, using her platform to promote inclusion and inspire others with disabilities to take part in sport.

Sam adds: “One of my life goals is to raise awareness of visual impairment and encourage people to embrace and accept it. I want to use my platform, whether through sport, social media, visiting schools to talk about my disability, or working with organisations like Sight Scotland, to show what is possible and help influence positive change.

“The support I received changed my life, and I would encourage anyone to reach out. There are people who understand and want to help, and it really can make such a difference.”

With thanks to Sight Scotland