Promoted: The New Clubs in WSL & WSL2 | OneFootball

It’s safe to say that the 2025/2026 season was full of lots of excitement.

In the first tier, Manchester City won the domestic double, Arsenal failed to go back-to-back in the Champions League, and Chelsea’s undefeated season was soon forgotten with disappointing performances all round.

In the second tier, promotion was down to the last day, there were impressive unbeaten runs and standout performances, and shocking results made it exciting to follow.

Also this season, the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Super League 2 grew from 12 teams to 14, with two teams promoted and playoffs to decide the final spot.

So who’s new this season?

WSL

The top flight of women’s football in England is welcoming 3 new teams to the league for the 2026/2027 season: Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace.

Birmingham City

Manager: Amy Merricks

Home Ground: St Andrews

Birmingham City are a club with a deep history, founded in 1968; they were founding members of the FA Women’s Super League (WSL) all the way back in 2011.

They won the Women’s FA Cup in 2012 and achieved back-to-back top two finishes in the league in 2011 and 2012. In 2016, they were runners-up in the Women’s FA Cup, losing 4-1 to Manchester City in the final.

They left the top flight of football in 2022, where they also lost to Manchester City 6-0 with one game remaining of the season.

In the 2024/2025 season, the Blues almost made their way back to the WSL, facing London City Lionesses on the final day of the season, missing out on promotion by 2 points after drawing 2-2 at the end of full time.

They had a very impressive 2025/2026 season, winning 14 of 22 games and losing only 2. They kept 9 clean sheets throughout the season. Beating Charlton Athletic 2-0 on the last day of the season secured the title and saw them promoted back to the WSL.

Charlton Athletic

Manager: Karen Hills

Home Ground: The Valley

Charlton Athletic, a club based in south-east London, have had a frustrating last few seasons in the WSL2, finishing third, second, and fourth in the seasons prior to their promotion in 2026.

The club was founded in 1991 as Croydon Women’s F.C. When Charlton were in the top flight of football, they were consistently league contenders and even won the Women’s FA Cup in 2005. They were relegated from the top league in 2008.

Their route to promotion wasn’t all that straightforward. They were unbeaten for 27 games, dating back to the previous season, and spent most of the 2025/2026 season at the top of the table. After a loss to Birmingham City, a newly promoted side, and a win for Crystal Palace on the final day of the season, Charlton were forced into the playoffs against Leicester City.

The playoff game ended in a 0-0 draw at the end of extra time, and it was decided on penalties. After a very impressive penalty shootout from the London side, the Addicks were finally back in the WSL, knocking Leicester City out, ending the Foxes’ 5-year stay in the top league.

Crystal Palace

Manager: Jo Potter

Home Ground: VBS Community Stadium

If you’ve been following the WSL for a few seasons, you may recognize this side from the 2024/2025 season. The women’s team was founded in 1992, and in 2018 they were given semi-professional status, allowing them to become founding members of the FA Women’s Championship, now known as the WSL2.

In 2023, they were crowned WSL2 champions, securing promotion to the top flight for the following season. After a very disappointing season, in which they secured only 10 points and won just 2 games, the Eagles were relegated the following season.

Palace had a much more impressive season the following year, going undefeated in their final 8 games and finishing on 44 points, the same amount as winners Birmingham City, missing out on first on goal difference. However, despite the league’s restructuring, they were still able to secure promotion.

WSL 2

WSL 2 has also expanded this season; three new teams will be playing in England’s second tier of football.

Burnley

Manager: Ross Wallace

Home Ground: County Ground, Leyland

After their very impressive season, Burnley will be competing in the BWSL 2 for the first time in the club’s history, since its founding in 1995.

After moving into a full-time professional club at the start of the 25/26 season, they appointed experienced manager Matt Beard in hopes of securing promotion at the end of the season. However, just 2 months into his appointment, he stepped down, and days later the club learned of his death.

Despite this heartbreak and shock, the Clarets pushed through, and Louise Roberts stepped up for the first half of the season. Burnley had a very impressive season, going undefeated and winning 20 of their games, scoring 121 goals and conceding only 15.

They had an equally impressive FA Cup run, bowing out in the fourth round to 2024 winners Manchester United in a 4-0 defeat.

In April, they were crowned winners of the FA Women’s National League Northern Division with an impressive 62 points.

Watford

Manager: Renee Hector

Home Ground: The Orbital Fasteners Stadium

After spending 2 years in the FA Women’s National League Southern Division, Watford will be making their way back into the WSL2.

The club was founded in 1970 and was one of the founding clubs of the WSL2 in 2014. They spent 4 seasons in the second tier before being relegated in the 2023/2024 season.

Watford began their season with an important win against league rivals Plymouth Argyle, securing them as frontrunners for promotion.

A difficult end to the first half of their season, resulting in an FA Cup knockout and back-to-back league defeats, might have ruined these chances, but the Golden Girls used this to fight harder.

In January, they came back stronger, overcoming a 1-0 deficit and winning 2-3 against Plymouth Argyle again.

This triggered an 8-game winning streak, and despite losing the last game of the season, they secured promotion and were named champions of the Southern Division.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manager: Daniel McNamara

Home Ground: New Bucks Head

Wolverhampton Wanderers, like Burnley, will be competing in the BWSL2 for the first time in the club’s history. The women’s team was founded in 1975, and this promotion marks the first time professional football has been brought to the club.

Wolves have come very close to promotion on several occasions in their history, most notably in the 2024/2025 season, missing out by 3 points. However, even though they did not achieve promotion this time, it was found out that the club hadn’t submitted the necessary applications to allow them to play in this flight of football- their efforts were all for nothing anyway. This understandably frustrated fans and players, and left them feeling let down.

They didn’t let that stop them, though. This season is a different story. The Wanderers were just one point of automatic promotion by the end of the season and played in a playoff against the Southern Division’s second place, Plymouth Argyle. They won 0-1, securing the final spot and creating a historic moment for the club.

This season is set to be another interesting one, with record-breaking transfers being made across both leagues, old and new faces coming back to England’s top flight, and a World Cup around the corner; the 2026/2027 season won’t be one to miss.