The WSL hasn't looked like this in a long time, and honestly, we're here for every second of it.
Fourteen teams, three promoted sides, a summer free of major international football for the first time in six years, and a title race that nobody can call with a straight face. Managers have had a full pre-season with all their players available, no excuses built in, no tournament fatigue to hide behind. Whatever happens from Friday, it's on the coaches.
The Title Race Is Genuinely Anyone's
Manchester City arrive as holders, and their case for retaining the title is real. Bunny Shaw has won three consecutive Golden Boots and the squad looks settled. The complication is that City now re-enter Champions League football after avoiding it last season through a fourth-place finish the year before. Juggling that alongside defending the WSL and FA Cup is a different kind of pressure.
Arsenal should finally be out of excuses too. Renée Slegers spent her first two seasons with an explanation always available, whether tight turnarounds after major tournaments or Champions League qualifying campaigns. None of that applies now. The Gunners have lowered the age profile and brought in serious top-level talent. Georgia Stanway, Ona Batlle, Géraldine Reuteler and Selina Cerci are not squad fillers. If Arsenal blow another slow start, that's a football problem, not a schedule one.
Chelsea are in transition but not in crisis. Millie Bright has retired, and Guro Reiten, Sam Kerr, Catarina Macario, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Niamh Charles have all gone. That is a significant chunk of identity out the door. What they have in return is Melvine Malard, who already scored twice from the bench in a 5-2 Champions League qualifier win over Real Sociedad. She previously worked under Sonia Bompastor at Lyon. This one could take until Christmas to click into gear, but do not write them off.
The Rest Are Closer Than They Look
Manchester United open the season on Friday night against London City Lionesses, and that fixture alone tells you something has shifted in this league. [Alexia Putellas](getohedz/football/womens-super-league-2026-27-preview-no-10-london-city-lionesses) lining up in Bromley, two Ballon d'Or wins to her name, facing a United side under new manager Eva Olid who turned Hearts from relegation candidates to champions in Scotland. The spectacle is real. Whether either side is genuinely ready to compete for a title is a different question.
Olid is an interesting appointment but United's transfer window has not backed her up. Marc Skinner, for all the frustration, consistently punched above his weight given the wage bill. Olid needs the same margin just to maintain that level, and it is not clear she has it.
Tottenham are the side most people are quietly watching. Martin Ho overdelivered in his debut season and the club have signed Kirsty Hanson, the third-highest scorer in the league last season, plus club-record acquisition Alice Sombath. [Brighton face their own question mark](getohedz/football/brighton-appoint-arturo-ruiz-as-head-coach-following-exit-of) after Dario Vidosic left for the NWSL, but Arturo Ruiz is a promising appointment and the squad has real potential. Everton, Liverpool and West Ham have all invested shrewdly and could surprise people.
Of the three newcomers, Charlton look the most exposed on paper. Birmingham and Crystal Palace have recruited more ambitiously, with names like Millie Turner, Lisa Naalsund and Bethany England coming in to fight for survival.
Our verdict: City start as favourites by a thin margin, Arsenal need to prove they mean it this time, and at least three or four teams below the top three will do something unexpected before Christmas. The expanded WSL was supposed to make things interesting. It already has.