Important Dates for the 2026-27 Women’s Football Season
The 2026-27 women’s football season has begun, with Champions League qualifiers already underway alongside the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Later in August, the FA Cup preliminary rounds will start, followed by the opening matches of both the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Super League 2 (WSL2) in early September.
The Subway Players Cup, also known as the League Cup, will kick off in September. The full rounds of the FA Cup begin at the end of October. There are five international breaks scheduled before the Women’s World Cup takes place in Brazil during June and July 2027.
Key Dates for the Women’s Super League and Women’s Super League 2
- Women’s Super League:
- 4 September 2026 – Season opener
- 21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 – Winter break
- 22 May 2027 – Last regular season match
- 29 or 30 May 2027 – Promotion/relegation play-off
- 4 September 2026 – First game of the season
- 21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 – Winter break
- 8 or 9 May 2027 – Final regular season match
- 22 or 23 May 2027 – Play-off pre-qualifying match
- 29 or 30 May 2027 – Promotion/relegation play-off
FA Cup and Subway Players Cup Schedule
- Women’s FA Cup:
- 23 August 2026 – Preliminary round
- 6 September 2026 – First qualifying round
- 20 September 2026 – Second qualifying round
- 4 October 2026 – Third qualifying round
- 25 October 2026 – First round
- 15 November 2026 – Second round
- 13 December 2026 – Third round
- 17 January 2027 – Fourth round
- 21 February 2027 – Fifth round
- 21 March 2027 – Quarter-finals
- 11 April 2027 – Semi-finals
- 15 May 2027 – Final
- 23 and 30 September 2026 – League phase fixtures
- 17 and 18 October 2026 – League phase fixtures (WSL2 sides only)
- 21 and 28 October 2026 – League phase fixtures
- 31 October and 1 November 2026 – League phase fixtures (WSL2 sides only)
- 11 and 18 November 2026 – League phase fixtures
- 22 November 2026 – League phase fixture (WSL2 sides only)
- 16 December 2026 – League phase fixture
- 13 or 14 January 2027 – Quarter-finals
- 10 or 11 February 2027 – Semi-finals
- 13 or 14 March 2027 – Final
Champions League Timeline
- 26 August 2026 – Third qualifying round first legs
- 2 September 2026 – Third qualifying round second legs
- 4 September 2026 – League phase draw
- 22 and 23 September 2026 – League phase matchday one
- 30 September and 1 October 2026 – League phase matchday two
- 28 and 29 October 2026 – League phase matchday three
- 10 and 11 November 2026 – League phase matchday four
- 18 and 19 November 2026 – League phase matchday five
- 16 December 2026 – League phase matchday six
- 3 and 4 February 2027 – Knockout phase play-offs first legs
- 10 and 11 February 2027 – Knockout phase play-offs second legs
- 23 and 24 March 2027 – Quarter-final first legs
- 30 and 31 March 2027 – Quarter-final second legs
- 1 and 2 May 2027 – Semi-final first legs
- 8 and 9 May 2027 – Semi-final second legs
- 28, 29, or 30 May 2027 – Final
International Breaks and Major Tournaments
- 24 July to 16 August 2026 – Africa Cup of Nations
- 5 to 13 October 2026 – October international break
- 24 November to 5 December 2026 – November/December international break
- 23 February to 6 March 2027 – February/March international break
- 13 to 24 April 2027 – April international break
- 7 to 15 June 2027 – June international break
- 24 June to 27 July 2027 – Women’s World Cup in Brazil
