All you need to know about the new WSL season

Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, Alessia Russo and Kirsty Hanson were the 2025-26 Women's Super League top scorers [Getty Images] London City Lionesses host Manchester United on Friday night (19:00 BST) to kick-off the 2026-27 season in the Women's Super League. With more teams competing and high-profile signings in the transfer window, there will be plenty to keep across throughout the season as domestic double champions Manchester City attempt to fend off rivals and retain their title. Here is all you need to know about the new campaign. Who are the new signings to look out for? London City Lionesses made one of the biggest signings in WSL history by bringing in Alexia Putellas (left) [Getty Images] London City Lionesses have made the most headlines with their summer signings - namely two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas on a free transfer. The midfielder arrives in Bromley after 14 years at Barcelona, winning 38 trophies including 10 league titles. London City have also added Putellas' former Barcelona team-mate Mapi Leon , and former England goalkeeper Mary Earps from Paris St-Germain. On the other side of London, Arsenal have brought in double Euros-winning England midfielder Georgia Stanway from Bayern Munich. Meanwhile England forward Beth Mead departed the Gunners on a free transfer to head north to reigning champions Manchester City. And Liverpool signed Women's Eredivisie player of the season, Mao Itamura , from Feyenoord. Which teams are in the WSL for the 2026-27 season? Charlton, Crystal Palace and Birmingham City were involved in an epic three-way tussle for the WSL 2 title on the final day of 2025-26 [Getty Images] There is a big change this season as the league expands from 12 to 14 teams. Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic have been promoted from WSL 2 , as Leicester City made the journey in the opposite direction. Defending champions Manchester City will hope to build on their first league title in a decade - here is how the other clubs fared last season. Full list of WSL teams for 2026-27: Arsenal Aston Villa Birmingham City Brighton & Hove Albion Charlton Athletic Chelsea Crystal Palace Everton Liverpool London City Lionesses Manchester City Manchester United Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United The dates you need to know Each team will play 26 matches across the season, as the number of fixtures increases to 182 in the newly-expanded league. The WSL calendar runs from Friday, 4 September until Saturday, 22 May 2027, with a winter break taking place from 21 December to 10 January. The Women's FA Cup final will be held on Saturday,15 May 2027. You can find every date that should be in your calendar for league, cup and European fixtures here. How to watch WSL matches on the BBC The BBC will broadcast four more 2026-27 WSL matches than last season, with 25 games being shown across BBC TV and iPlayer, and new reaction segment The Women's Football Fallout following every live BBC game. The first match to be shown free-to-air by the BBC is Chelsea v Aston Villa on Saturday, 5 September (12:30 BST). Digital highlights from every match will also be available via the BBC Sport website, app and social channels. The dedicated BBC Women's Football YouTube channel will also feature highlights and exclusive interviews and features. Sky Sports will show the majority of WSL matches, and selected games will also be available to stream for free on the WSL YouTube channel. This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. More questions answered... What is the Bundesliga's 50+1 ownership rule? Why can't Real Madrid play at Anfield in the Champions League league phase? What happens during a football medical? How do European squad lists work?