The New Promotion-Relegation Structure Explained

At the start of this season, the FA announced an overhaul to the women’s football pyramid, confirming that the Women's Super League will expand to 14 teams from the 2026/27 season onwards.

The decision represents one of the most significant structural changes in recent years and will alter the promotion and relegation system not only in the WSL but also in WSL 2 and the FA Women's National League.

Under the current format, only one team is relegated from the WSL each season, with one team promoted from WSL 2.

However, from the 2026/27 campaign onwards, these changes will add new challenges and have much higher stakes.

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In the topflight, the team finishing 14th will be automatically relegated, with the champions of WSL 2 earning automatic promotion to the top tier.

For the WSL side in 13^th spot, they will enter a relegation playoff against the runners-up from WSL 2.

In order to expand the league to 14 teams in time for the 2026/27 season, transitional arrangements will apply at the end of this current campaign.

The top two teams in WSL 2 will be automatically promoted to the WSL. The final 14th spot will then be decided by a one-off relegation playoff between the team that finishes 12th in the WSL and the team that finishes 3rd in WSL 2.

To put it into context, if the season were to end based on the current standings, Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City would earn automatic promotion as they sit first and second respectively in WSL 2.

Meanwhile, Leicester City, who are currently bottom of the WSL, would face Crystal Palace, who occupy 3rd place in WSL 2, in the relegation-promotion playoff.

Several outcomes are possible under this transitional format. If the WSL side were to win the playoff, no topflight team would be relegated and only the two automatic promotion places would be filled.

However, if the 3rd placed WSL 2 team were to win the playoff, one WSL team would be relegated, and three sides would be promoted overall.

Changes will also take place further down the pyramid to ensure that tiers two, three and four all retain divisions of 12 teams by the start of the 2026/27 season.

Within the FA Women’s National League structure, an additional team will be promoted from tier three to WSL 2 alongside the champions of both the Northern Premier Division and Southern Premier Division.

Photo Credit: Burnley FC Women

This extra promotion place will be decided by a playoff between the teams who finish second in the Northern and Southern Premier divisions.

At tier four level, two additional teams will be promoted to tier three alongside the four Division One champions.

These extra places will also be determined through playoffs. The teams finishing second in Division One North and Division One Midlands will face each other for one promotion spot, whilst the runners up in Division One South West and Division One South East will all compete for the other.

Photo Credit: Fulham FC Women

Relegation across tiers three and four will remain unchanged, with the bottom two teams in each division continuing to drop down as under the current system.

The FA’s decision signals continued growth within the women’s game and introduces greater movement between divisions.

The expansion to 14 teams, combined with the introduction of playoffs and increased promotion places, is set to create heightened competition, greater opportunity and added drama throughout the English women’s football pyramid.