Your guide to getting into the WSL

Here's everything you need to know if you want to start following the Women's Super League

Over 72 million people, from all around the world, watched the BWSL and BWSL2 last season. Rapid growth has allowed the league to attract the brightest players and the best managers, and clubs are now investing in their own infrastructure like never before.

It’s no surprise therefore that the 25/26 season has had one of the best openers yet with exciting twists, incredible debuts and many instances of underdogs prevailing. The WSL has become one of the most exciting and competitive football leagues around and if you needed a sign to start watching, this is it.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: Caitlin Foord of Arsenal during the Barclays Women’s Super League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Emirates Stadium on February 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Where to watch

This season is the first in a 5-year broadcast deal for the WSL with Sky Sports. This means that Sky broadcast 118 games every season from the WSL and 78 of these games are only to be shown exclusively on Sky.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a subscription for Sky though – there’ll also be 21 live games shown on the BBC and 34 matches shown on the WSL YouTube channel. Whilst Sky do tend to get their pick of the bunch, they have also been showing a lot of games on free-to-air channel Sky Showcase to keep growing broadcast figures. The success of this has been questionable and there are many people who are asking whether it’s actually a good thing for so much of women’s football to be put behind a paywall.

Depending on where you’re based, you can also head to your local ground to watch a game. Teams are playing more and more games each season at the main stadium. Arsenal, for example, committed to playing all of their WSL games at the Emirates for the 25/26 season. The atmosphere is often a lot nicer here than it is attending for a men’s game, and the league has been trialling a new scheme this season that, unlike in men’s football, allows you to consume alcohol in view of the pitch, creating an even better social feel. We suppose that’s what happens when you can be trusted to drink a few pints and not start a fight with opposing fans…

LEIGH, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 7: Hannah Cain of Leicester City and Maya Le Tissier of Manchester United in action during the Barclays Women’s Super League match between Manchester United and Leicester City at Leigh Sports Village on September 7, 2025 in Leigh, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

The cups

Alongside the league, there are also several cups that run throughout the season. Subway sponsor the League Cup, open to all 24 teams from the top two women’s divisions. The quarter finals will take place on the weekend of 21 December and there are some great draws to be played including Arsenal vs Crystal Palace and Manchester United vs Tottenham. The semi-finals will take place a month later on 21 January and the final is due to take place on the weekend of 14 March.

The oldest and most prestigious domestic cup is the Adobe Women’s FA Cup. WSL clubs enter the cup in the third round which takes place in early January, with the final played at Wembley in early May.

Three WSL clubs are also taking part in the European Women’s Champions League – the competition for the very best clubs around Europe. Chelsea qualified automatically because they won the WSL title last season. Manchester United succeeded in the qualifying rounds and in an incredible feat, Arsenal beat Barcelona 1—0 in last season’s UCWL final so qualified automatically and will be defending their title in this year’s competition.

Whilst the league started back in early September, it’ll run until mid-May and all the excitement of cup finals and the battle for UCWL spots as the season nears the end is still yet to come. It’s definitely not too late to get involved, so pick your team and start supporting – you won’t regret it.