Important Dates for the 2026-27 Women's Football Season
The 2026-27 women's football season is underway, featuring ongoing Champions League qualifiers and the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Preliminary rounds of the FA Cup will start later this month, while league matches for the Women’s Super League and Women’s Super League 2 kick off in early September. The Subway Players Cup, also called the League Cup, begins in September, and full FA Cup rounds follow from late October.
This season includes five international breaks ahead of the 2027 Women’s World Cup, scheduled for June and July in Brazil.
Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Super League 2 (WSL2) Key Dates
- WSL:
- 4 September 2026: Season opener
- 21 December 2026 - 3 January 2027: Winter break
- 22 May 2027: Final regular season match
- 29 or 30 May 2027: Promotion/relegation play-off
- 4 September 2026: Season starts
- 21 December 2026 - 3 January 2027: Winter break
- 8 or 9 May 2027: Last regular season game
- 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 & 30 September 2026: League phase fixtures
- 17 & 18 October 2026: League fixtures for WSL2 teams
- 21 & 28 October 2026: League phase games
- 31 October & 1 November 2026: WSL2 league fixtures
- 11 & 18 November 2026: League fixtures
- 22 November 2026: WSL2 league fixture
- 16 December 2026: League phase games
- 13 or 14 January 2027: Quarter-finals
- 10 or 11 February 2027: Semi-finals
- 13 or 14 March 2027: Final
Champions League Important Dates
- 26 August 2026: Third qualifying round first legs
- 2 September 2026: Third qualifying round second legs
- 4 September 2026: League phase draw
- 22 & 23 September 2026: League phase matchday one
- 30 September & 1 October 2026: Matchday two
- 28 & 29 October 2026: Matchday three
- 10 & 11 November 2026: Matchday four
- 18 & 19 November 2026: Matchday five
- 16 December 2026: Matchday six
- 3 & 4 February 2027: Knockout play-offs first legs
- 10 & 11 February 2027: Knockout play-offs second legs
- 23 & 24 March 2027: Quarter-final first legs
- 30 & 31 March 2027: Quarter-final second legs
- 1 & 2 May 2027: Semi-final first legs
- 8 & 9 May 2027: Semi-final second legs
- 28, 29 or 30 May 2027: Final
Women’s International Breaks and Tournaments
- 24 July - 16 August 2026: Africa Cup of Nations
- 5 - 13 October 2026: October international break
- 24 November - 5 December 2026: November/December international break
- 23 February - 6 March 2027: February/March international break
- 13 - 24 April 2027: April international break
- 7 - 15 June 2027: June international break
- 24 June - 27 July 2027: Women’s World Cup in Brazil
