Revamping the Women’s League Cup: Key Changes Ahead

Chelsea currently holds the title of Women’s League Cup champions, having triumphed over Manchester City in the 2025 final.

Next season, the Women’s League Cup will undergo a substantial revamp, adopting a structure akin to the Champions League and potentially changing its name.

It has been confirmed that clubs from the Women’s Super League (WSL) that qualify for the Women’s Champions League will not compete in the League Cup. Additionally, the WSL aims to introduce a Swiss-style format for the league phase, which will allow for more games for all participating teams.

At present, all WSL2 teams and some WSL teams compete in round-robin groups comprised of four or five teams in the opening round, with winners advancing to the quarter-finals. Teams participating in the Champions League, such as Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United this season, enter the competition at the knockout stage.

In the revamped format, all participating clubs will take part in the league phase, facing off against six other teams. The top eight teams will then advance to the quarter-finals. Unlike the Champions League, there will be no play-off round due to scheduling constraints.

The competition’s name is still under consideration; it is unlikely to retain the title of League Cup, as not all league teams will be involved.

The final of the 2026 Women’s League Cup is scheduled to take place at Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City.

A spokesperson from the WSL indicated that other options, including abolishing the League Cup entirely, had been evaluated. However, the proposed changes aim to provide “clarity of purpose” to the competition.

“The calendar poses significant limitations, with a finite amount of weekend slots available,” the spokesperson remarked. “We’ve taken feedback from fans and clubs into account, and it appeared the competition lacked a clear direction, especially with Champions League teams entering at the quarter-final stage. We even considered eliminating the secondary cup competition altogether.

“However, the reality is that top players at elite clubs accumulate numerous minutes and matches, while those in WSL2 experience a pronounced disparity. We aim to bridge that gap.

“We also explored the possibility of allowing Champions League clubs to field secondary teams, but deemed it impractical at this stage.”

Plans are being finalized in collaboration with clubs and commercial partners, with proposals expected to be submitted to the Football Association within the next month.

These changes come at a time when the women’s domestic calendar is becoming increasingly congested. This season, the Women’s Champions League expanded from 16 to 18 clubs in the league phase, featuring Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United—marking the first instance of three WSL teams reaching this stage.

Arsenal and Manchester United will enter the knockout play-offs—a new round introduced this season—after finishing fifth and sixth in the league, respectively.

Looking ahead to next year, the number of top-flight domestic games will also increase as the WSL expands from 12 to 14 teams.

WSL organizers have confirmed that teams participating in the Champions League will not drop into the secondary domestic cup, even if they fail to advance through the qualifying rounds.

BBC Sport has learned that the league phase will continue to be regionalized, as it is currently structured, to assist clubs with travel costs and time.

The future sponsorship of the competition remains uncertain, with the current deal with Subway set to expire this summer, although there’s an option to extend it for an additional year.

Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie will return for another season of the Women’s Football Weekly podcast. New episodes will be available every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, along with interviews and additional content from the Women’s Super League and beyond.