Inaugural WSL play-offs explained: Leicester face Charlton to decide relegation

Leicester have been in the WSL for the past five seasons but face relegation Alex Pantling/Getty Images Share articleThis Saturday, May 23, a Women’s Super League decider is taking place at Charlton Athletic’s stadium, The Valley. The 12:30pm BST (7:30am EST) kick-off between this year’s last-placed team in the WSL, Leicester City, and the WSL2 third-place finishers, Charlton, will determine a place in next season’s (2026-27) expanded 14-team WSL. Charlton are hoping to join Crystal Palace and Birmingham City, who have already confirmed their automatic promotion from WSL2. This season, the top two in WSL2, the English second tier, were automatically promoted to the WSL. This resulted in Birmingham City being promoted as champions and Crystal Palace in second. No top-tier side was automatically relegated, with Leicester given the opportunity to retain WSL status in their play-off against Charlton. It is a one-off match, not a home-and-away tie, played at the WSL2 club’s home ground, in this case, Charlton’s The Valley. In England’s third-tier competitions, the winners of the Women’s National League North, Burnley, and Women’s National League South, Watford, secured automatic promotion to the 12-team WSL2 to replace Crystal Palace and Birmingham. Portsmouth were relegated after finishing bottom of WSL2 and, in a play-off between the WNL North and WNL South runners-up, Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Plymouth Argyle 1-0 on May 4 for the final second-tier place for next season. In previous years, the last-placed team in the WSL would have been automatically relegated and the WSL2 champions promoted in their place. The WSL is expanding from 12 teams to 14, however, as part of a 10-year plan to fully professionalise the top two tiers of women’s football. For this to happen, two extra teams were promoted from WSL2 this season. The expansion was announced in June 2025 after a vote by the 24 member clubs of the top two tiers. “Expanding the BWSL to 14 teams will stimulate movement between leagues and through the pyramid which increases opportunities,” CEO of WSL Football Nikki Doucet said in June. “The introduction of a promotion/relegation play-off creates distinction for the women’s game and introduces a high-profile, high-stakes match.” The side trying to avoid relegation is Leicester. They have only managed to collect nine points from 21 games this season and in any other campaign would have been relegated automatically. Leicester have been in the WSL for the last five seasons since being promoted to the top-tier for the first time in 2020-21, the season they became a professional outfit. Their opponents, Charlton, will be the home team and are eyeing promotion to the top tier for the first time since 2008. Charlton have been near promotion in their previous two WSL2 seasons, finishing second and third. This year, they missed out on automatic promotion despite being top of the table on the final day, being leapfrogged after losing to Birmingham City 2-0. From the 2026-27 season, last place in the WSL of the 14 teams will be relegated, as previously, and the winners of WSL2 will be promoted. However, there will be the addition of a play-off between the second-last in the top tier and the runners-up of the second tier, creating an extra route for promotion. WSL2 will have two automatic relegation spots for the bottom two, 11th and 12th, with the winners of WNL North and WNL South automatically promoted. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms