The Barclays Women's Super League 2 (WSL2) kicked off on Friday night under the lights. We witnessed some shock results, own goals, a red card and new signings shining. It was a ****** per weekend of footballing action.
There was plenty to talk about across the WSL 2 match-week one results, from Sunderland's four-goal win over Bristol City to Ipswich Town's late equaliser against Nottingham Forest. Here's how the opening round unfolded.
Two newly promoted teams faced off as Watford hosted Burnley at Vicarage Road. It was the first time the two teams had ever played each other.
Watford dominated possession but couldn't make any of their 12 shots count against a resolute Burnley defence. Burnley pressed Watford, giving them little to no time on the ball.
Burnley debutant and captain Christie Harrison-Murray came close with an audacious lob, but it drifted beyond Safia Middleton-Patel's post. Saoirse Noonan had Watford's best chance as she arched her run perfectly behind the last defender but shot into the side netting.

#time #barclays #league #wsl2

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Hammers this afternoon.
The 35-year-old has signed a one-year contract at The Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Kumagai joined London City Lionesses in January 2025. She won the Barclays WSL2 ******* le with the club three months later before featuring for The Pride in the top tier last term. The midfielder has also turned out for Urawa Reds, Eintracht Frankfurt, OL Lyonnes, FC Bayern Munich and AS Roma in her career to date. ******* agai won five UEFA Women's Champions League ******* les with OL Lyonnes while she has lifted league ******* les in four different countries.
On the international stage, ******* agai has been capped by ******* an on 173 occasions in which she has scored four goals. The midfielder was a FIFA Women's World Cup winner with her country in 2011.
After joining West Ham United, ******* agai said "I'm very happy to be here and excited to join West Ham United.

#lyonnes #league #club #titles

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Magpies just a short time ago.
The 23-year-old is a product of the Newcastle United development squad and she went on to make her senior debut for the club in the 2022/2023 season. McQuade was a back-to-back promotion-winner with The Magpies in the FA Women's National League system and she has continued to turn out for the club in Barclays WSL2. In total, McQuade has made 68 appearances for Newcastle United in all competitions.
McQuade will now test herself north of the border with Hibernian. She joins a Hibs side that were SWPL champions in 2024/2025.
After joining Hibs, McQuade told the club's official media team "I'm really excited to be here at Hibs. The opportunity to come here came out of the blue but I knew right away it sounded like a great move.
"I always knew I would make the move to Scotland at some point in my career and Hibs is the perfect club for me to join."

#mcquade #magpies

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official media update from The Foxes this afternoon.
The 28-year-old French international defender leaves Leicester City after spending the last three seasons with the club. Marseille have paid an undisclosed fee to Leicester City to secure her services on a permanent basis.
In her time with Leicester City, Thibaud made 72 appearances for the club in all competitions. She helped the club to record back-to-back top flight points records in 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 but was relegated with The Foxes at the end of last season. With Leicester City now facing the prospect of Barclays WSL2 football, Thibaud has opted to continue playing at the top level by joining Marseille. She joins an OM side that finished the 2025/2026 campaign in ninth place in the Arkema Première Ligue table.
Thibaud is the latest departure at The King Power Stadium this summer. Several Leicester City players have opted to move on following the club's relegation in May. The Foxes have been rebuilding their squad in recent weeks with a view to challenging for the Barclays WSL2 ******* le in the upcoming season.

#thibaud #club #barclays #wsl2

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Magpies this morning.
The 19-year-old makes the move to Tyneside in a bid to further her experience in senior football. Gale hasn't had the regular first team opportunities at ******* nal yet but she enjoyed two successful loan spells with Barclays WSL2 clubs in 2025/2026. The youngster spent the first half of the campaign with Portsmouth before joining Bristol City in the second half of the season. In total, Gale netted eight goals in 22 matches in Barclays WSL2 last season.
Gale joined the ******* nal academy in January 2024 and she signed her first professional terms with the club the following year. She won the FIFA Youth Cup and the PGA League Under-21 Division One ******* le whilst playing within ******* nal's academy structure.
On the international stage, Gale has represented England at various youth levels up to and including Under-23 level.
After joining Newcastle United on loan, Gale said "I'm just so happy to finally be here and be part of such an ambitious club. This is not the type of club that you turn down. When I heard about it, it was a no-brainer.

#year #half

The WSL have announced the full list of fixtures for the 2026/27 campaign.
The opening weekend includes several eye-catching clashes, starting with London City Lionesses taking on Manchester United.
Here are some of the important dates to note for the upcoming campaign…
Other key dates for the season are as follows:
Opening Weekend (BWSL and BWSL2): Friday 4, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September

#united

WSL Football revealed the 2026/2027 Barclays Women's Super League fixtures this morning via an official press release.
The pick of the opening weekend's games sees big-spending London City Lionesses play host to Manchester United at The Copperjax Community Stadium in Bromley. Both clubs will be chasing European qualification this season and potentially more.
Other notable fixtures see Chelsea play host to Aston Villa while **** nal go to Brighton & Hove Albion. There's also a London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
The other opening weekend fixtures see Manchester City play host to Barclays WSL2 champions Birmingham City while the two other promoted sides, Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace, have home ties against Liverpool and Everton.
All fixture dates and kick-off times across the entire season will be announced in due course.

#fixtures

WSL Football revealed the 2026/2027 Barclays WSL2 fixtures this morning via an official press release.
The opening game of the new Barclays WSL2 season will see last season's FA Women's National League divisional champions Watford and Burnley go head-to-head at Vicarage Road.
Elsewhere on the opening weekend in Barclays WSL2, relegated Leicester City go to Sheffield United while Sunderland's new era begins with a home fixture against Bristol City.
Durham's first game under new ownership sees them play host to Southampton while Ipswich Town have a home game against Nottingham Forest and newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers go to Newcastle United.
All fixture dates and kick-off times will be announced in due course.

#city #head #home

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Addicks this afternoon.
The 33-year-old joins Charlton Athletic following a short spell with Leicester City. Neville joined The Foxes in January and made 13 appearances for the club in all competitions. She was unable to keep the East Midlands side in the Barclays Women's Super League.
Neville is best known for her eight-and-a-half-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur. She was a Barclays WSL2 promotion-winner and an Adobe Women's FA Cup runner-up in her time in North London. Neville was so often one of Spurs' top performers and she was unlucky not to receive an England call-up earlier in her career.
After joining Charlton Athletic, Neville said "I'm really happy. It's an exciting journey for myself and the club, so really happy to be here.
"I think I know what Karen [Hills] is about and vice versa [from working together at Spurs]; she knows what I bring. I think I know how good this pre-season's going to be and what Karen brings to the on and off of the pitch. I'm really looking forward to working with her again.

#neville #club #really #charlton

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Magpies this morning.
It has been reported that Newcastle United have paid an undisclosed fee to Liverpool to secure the player's services.
The 27-year-old joined Liverpool from West Ham United in summer 2021. Kiernan went on to make 76 appearances for The Reds in all competitions in which she scored 23 goals. The forward was a Barclays WSL2 ******* le-winner with Liverpool in 2021/2022.
On the international stage, Kiernan has been capped by the Republic of Ireland on 44 occasions while she has scored four goals for her country.
After joining Newcastle United, Kiernan said "I'm really excited. I'm looking forward to a fresh start and meeting the fans. It was a dream of mine to come and play professionally and to go to a club like Newcastle, it really felt right when the contact came in.

#newcastle #Liverpool #kiernan #full

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Blues this morning.
It has been reported that Chelsea have paid an undisclosed fee to Leicester City to secure the player’s services.
The 18-year-old is a product of the Leicester City academy system. Las made her senior debut for The Foxes in October 2024. In total, she has gone on to make 23 appearances for the club at first team level.
Las spent the second half of last season on loan at Ipswich Town. She helped the club to retain their Barclays WSL2 status.
On the international stage, Las has represented England at various youth levels up to and including Under-19 level. She is now pushing for honours with the Under-20s.

#full #Chelsea

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Pride this morning.
The 36-year-old Swede joined London City Lionesses in summer 2024 after leaving former club AC Milan. As club captain, Asllani was a driving force behind The Pride’s Barclays WSL2 **** le win in 2024/2025. Asllani continued to feature for London City Lionesses in the top tier last season before sustaining a complex multi-ligament injury, including an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.
Asllani is currently in rehabilitation and may not be fit for some time but London City Lionesses have stood by the player and have agreed fresh terms for the new season.
After signing on again with London City Lionesses, Asllani said “History is constantly being written at this club. To have been part of it from the very start, to have believed when some did not, and to see what we’ve achieved in just two years is the most inspiring part of this journey.
“Helping pave the path, earning promotion to the WSL in our first season and seeing the club continue to grow makes me incredibly proud.

The Robins announced the news via a post on their official club X account this morning.
The 35-year-old midfielder joined Bristol City on a three-year deal last summer. Losada made 13 appearances for The Robins in Barclays WSL2 in 2025/2026, scoring one goal.
Losada arrived at Ashton Gate with a wealth of experience of playing at the top level. The player was a UEFA Women’s Champions League winner with FC Barcelona back in 2020/2021. Losada represented Barca across three separate spells. In total, she won 23 trophies with the club.
Losada will now return to her native Spain this season with FC Badalona. She joins a club who finished last season in 10th place in the Liga F Moeve table. FC Badalona have spent the last four seasons competing in the Spanish top flight and the club have long-term ambitions to kick on. Losada’s current club Bristol City and loan club FC Badalona fall under the Mercury13 multi-club ownership group.
Further Bristol City squad news will be announced by the club in due course.

The Clarettes announced news of the deals on Friday. Both players move to Turf Moor on free transfers.
The club first announced the arrival of midfielder Harrison-Murray. The 36-year-old has enjoyed a long career in the professional game in which she has turned out for the likes of ******* nal, Bristol Academy, Doncaster Rovers Belles, Liverpool and Birmingham City. Harrison-Murray's most successful spell arguably came at Birmingham City. She spent six years in the Midlands in which she captained the club and made 138 appearances in all competitions. She won Barclays WSL2 with Blues last season.
Harrison-Murray has signed a one-year contract at Burnley with the option of an additional year.
Centre-back Cooper's arrival at Burnley was announced soon after. She joined the Lancashire club following a two-year spell with Newcastle United. Cooper helped The Magpies to establish themselves in Barclays WSL2 and she will be hoping to do similar with Burnley. Cooper has top flight experience from her time with Chelsea and Reading.
Cooper has signed a two-year contract with Burnley with the option of a further year.

The Lady Black Cats announced news of the transfer via a post on their official club website this afternoon.
It has been reported that Sunderland have paid an undisclosed fee to Southampton to secure Stenson's services.
The 25-year-old has spent the last two seasons at St Mary's Stadium. Stenson made 47 appearances for Southampton in all competitions.
The player has bags of experience in Barclays WSL2. In addition to her time with Southampton, Stenson has turned out for Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Sheffield United in the second tier.
On the international stage, Stenson has represented England at various youth levels up to and including Under-23 level.

The Gers announced news of the transfer via a post on their official club website this morning.
The 32-year-old full-back moves to the Ibrox club after recently agreeing to leave Nottingham Forest.
Smith joined The Tricky Trees last summer ahead of their debut season in Barclays WSL2. She made 12 appearances for Nottingham Forest, scoring one goal as the club secured a mid-table finish.
The defender had signed a two-year deal with Nottingham Forest last summer but is has been agreed that she can take up a new challenge in 2026/2027 with Rangers.
After joining Rangers, Smith said "I am obviously really excited to be here and just be back home in Scotland. I have met all the girls, they are all so lovely, and I just can't wait to get started.

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Tricky Trees earlier this afternoon.
The 25-year-old defender will officially join Nottingham Forest on 1 July 2026 when her contract with Portsmouth comes to an end. She has signed a two-year deal at The City Ground.
Coan came through the Everton youth ranks before going on to establish herself at senior level in a spell with Blackburn Rovers. The defender joined latest club Portsmouth in summer 2024 and she has helped them to compete in Barclays WSL2. Coan appeared in all 22 of Portsmouth's fixtures in this season's Barclays WSL2.
After joining Nottingham Forest, Coan said "I'm really excited to be here, it's a massive club with big ambitions and after listening to what the Club wants to achieve this year, it really aligned with me.
"We want to be getting as high up the table as we can, winning as many games as possible and I can't wait to get into the group to hopefully settle in quick and hit the ground running."

A new head of women and girls' football has been appointed at Wolverhampton Wanderers following the team's promotion last season.
Wolves Women secured their place in the Barclays Women's Super League 2, (WSL2) for the first time, with a victory over Plymouth Argyle Women in May.
The club said that Russ Fraser has worked at the top of the women's system with Reading, West Ham United, Leicester City and Liverpool, and has history of transitioning clubs into the professional game.
He will manage all aspects of the women's operation at Wolves, including player and staff recruitment and academy planning, the club added.
He has joined the club for its first season as a professional outfit, having also spent time with Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia as women's sporting director.