The Women’s National League Cup returns this week, uniting Women’s Premier League and WPL 2 teams in a single contest.
Chelsea currently possess the title, having triumphed over Manchester City in the prior season’s finale at Pride Park in Derby, securing the initial silverware of their national treble.
Here’s comprehensive information regarding the setup, divisions, and significant dates.
Format
What’s the format of the Women’s League Cup 2025/26?
Group phase
The group phase involves 21 squads, allocated geographically into five divisions – four divisions of four, and a division of five.
Each squad engages with every other squad in their division once, except for the division of five, where they engage with three of the other squads once.
Scoring structure
- Victory = 3 points
- Tie = 1 point each + penalty competition for an additional bonus point granted to the penalty competition victor
- Defeat = 0 points
Advancement
The leading squad from each of the five divisions advances to the quarter-finals, accompanying the three UWCL squads in the final eight.
Teams
Who enters the Women’s League Cup?
All 24 clubs from the WPL and WPL 2 participate in the competition.
The 21 clubs not taking part in European competition enter in the group phase.
The three English squads participating in the UEFA Women’s Champions League – Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United – join a round later at the quarter-final stage, signifying they could secure the title by participating in merely three contests.
Groups
What are the groups for the Women’s League Cup 2025/26?
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Group A |
Manchester City, Everton, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest |
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Group B |
Liverpool, Durham, Sunderland, Sheffield United |
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Group C (five teams) |
Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United, Charlton Athletic, Southampton, Portsmouth |
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Group D |
Leicester City, Crystal Palace, London City Lionesses, Ipswich Town |
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Group E |
Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Birmingham City, Bristol City |
Squads were categorized into northern and southern segments to determine the divisions.
Northern squads populated divisions A and B, whereas southern squads populated divisions C, D, and E
Dates
What are the dates for the Women’s League Cup 2025/26?
Group phase:
24/25 September 2025
8/9 October 2025 (Group C only)
18/19 October 2025
2/13 November 2025 (Group C only)
22/23 November 2025
Quarter-finals:
20–21 December 2025
Semi-finals:
21–22 January 2026
Final:
15 March 2026
What’s at stake?
The League Cup represents the initial national trophy of the season obtainable, and with the UWCL squads joining subsequently, the competition can showcase some compelling knockout stages.
Nonetheless, with the three European squads receiving a pass to the latter phases, it generally remains the well-known powerhouses that advance completely.
Since the competition underwent rebranding from the FA Women’s Premier League Cup in 2011, solely Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City have secured the title.
