Alexia Putellas, one of the most decorated footballers in the women's game, is set to make her Women's Super League debut when London City host Manchester United in their home opener. The 2026/27 WSL fixtures, published on 30 July, hand the two-time Ballon d'Or winner a blockbuster start — and give fans an immediate marquee matchup to circle on the calendar. The opening weekend is scheduled for 4–6 September, with the season running through to final matches on 21–23 May. (BBC Sport, BBC Sport)

For Manchester United, the start of the season is about as tough as it gets. Their first three fixtures pit them against London City, then Chelsea, then Arsenal — three sides with genuine title ambitions. By the time October arrives, United will already know exactly where they stand against the league's strongest squads.

Manchester City, the reigning WSL champions, have a gentler opening. The fixture schedule keeps them away from their closest rivals until October, giving them room to settle before the tests that will define their title defence.

The league itself looks different this time around. The WSL has expanded to 14 clubs — a move approved by the FA Board in June 2025 — which means an extra match for fans to watch each weekend. More teams, more fixtures, more football on the schedule. (The FA)

Two of those new top-flight stories are already written into the opening weeks. Charlton Athletic will play their first ever WSL fixture on home soil — a milestone moment for a club with deep south London roots. Meanwhile, Birmingham City and Crystal Palace, who finished as last season's top two in the second tier, are scheduled to face each other in September in a meeting that carries the edge of recent rivalry.

The fixture computer has also clustered the local derby matches — the games that fill stadiums and divide households — into February and March. That midseason block should bring some of the loudest, most intense atmospheres of the campaign, when fans of rival clubs finally get to settle scores on the pitch.

What makes this fixture release feel different is the depth of storylines across the board. Putellas arriving in English football is the headline that will draw casual eyes to the opening weekend. But beneath that, a bigger, 14-team league means more debut nights, more local rivalries, and more weekends where something is genuinely on the line for someone. The WSL has been growing steadily for years; this season, the calendar finally stretches wide enough to hold all of it.