The 2025/26 WSL2 season kicked off this weekend with more at stake than ever.
For the first time, three promotion spots are on offer – two automatic and one via a playoff against a WSL side. Meaning every point, every goal, and every performance matters that little bit more. And the opening round delivered: 19 goals across six games, debut scorers making their mark, and early hints at who might be in the promotion race come spring.
Here’s our WSL2 Gameweek 1 roundup — every match, every goal, and the key stats.
Fri 5th Sep 25
Sunderland kicked off the new WSL2 season in style, dismantling Sheffield United 4–0 under the Friday night lights at Bramall Lane. Four goals, four different scorers, and just five shots on target. Clinical.
Izzy Atkinson set the tone with a sweetly struck volley just before the break, her debut goal as crisp as they come. Captain Rhiannon Roberts doubled the lead early in the second half with a commanding header, before Katie Kitching unleashed a rocket on 80 minutes to put the game beyond doubt. Emily Scarr added the gloss deep into added time.
The scoreline perhaps slightly flattered the visitors but Sunderland’s cutting edge told the bigger story.
Match Stats
Lineups and Player Ratings
Subs
Sheffield United
Sunderland
Match Highlights
Sat 6th Sep 25
Southampton opened their WSL2 campaign in ruthless fashion, sweeping aside newly promoted Ipswich Town 4–0 at St Mary’s.
Atlanta Primus swept home on 9′ after Ellie Brazil’s burst down the right; debutant Amy Goddard made it 2–0 on 29′ with a close-range header from Tara Bourne’s corner. Mary Bashford then bagged a debut brace – a near-post header from Jess Simpson’s corner on 45+2′, and a tap-in on 57′ after another corner wasn’t cleared.
A sobering second-tier debut for Ipswich with 0 shots on target telling its own story. The Saints, however, go marching on.
Match Stats
Lineups and Player Ratings
Subs
Southampton
Ipswich Town
Match Highlights
Sun 7th Sep 25
An emphatic opening day win for Birmingham as they battered Bristol 5-1.
Simone Magill set the tone early, bagging a brace by the 13th minute (7′ & 13′) with sharp finishing and clever positioning. The lead was extended in the second half when Lily Crosthwaite smashed home in the 48th minute. Christie Murray added a fourth with a well-struck strike in the 58th minute, before Batcheba Louis capped the rout in the 76th with a composed finish.
Bristol managed a consolation through Maria Farrugia in the 18th, but the victory Birmingham was never in doubt.
Match Stats
Lineups and Player Ratings
Subs
Birmingham City
Bristol City
Match Highlights
Sun 7th Sep 25
Charlton edged their South London derby opener 1–0 over Crystal Palace at The Valley in what was a tight and tense affair.
The breakthrough came in the 55th minute, when Emma Bissell pounced on a loose ball in the box and fired it high past the stranded keeper. It was a smart, composed finish after sustained pressure.
The first half had seen Palace enjoy the better chances – Emma Watson’s deflected shot on 33′ and Ashleigh Weerden’s dipping effort on 42′ both called into action by Charlton keeper Sophie Whitehouse.
In the end, Charlton’s grit held firm — they saw the game out despite late pressure from Palace and came away with South London bragging rights.
Match Stats
Lineups and Player Ratings
Subs
Charlton Athletic
Crystal Palace
Full Match
Sun 7th Sep 25
Nottingham Forest’s first WSL2 match since promotion ended in a narrow 2–1 defeat to Newcastle United at the City Ground.
Newcastle struck early when Emily Murphy nodded in at the far post from a corner on 7′, and summer signing Molly Pike made it 0–2 on 26′, sliding in Shania Hayles’ cut-back. Forest rallied after the break and halved the deficit when Kirsty Smith headed in Chloe Mustaki’s corner on 51′ — the club’s first ever WSL2 goal.
Forest pushed for an equaliser and can take heart from their second-half showing, but Newcastle had already done enough to secure all three points.
Match Stats
Lineups and Player Ratings
Subs
Nottingham Forest
Newcastle United
Match Highlights
Sun 7th Sep 25
Durham began their WSL2 campaign with a comfortable 2–0 victory at Westleigh Park, showing the kind of professionalism and efficiency you’d expect from one of the division’s established contenders.
The opener came on 23′, when Grace Ede poked home after a well-worked set-piece routine. The lead was doubled before half-time as Mariana Speckmaier finished low on 39′, capping a neat passage of play down the right. Portsmouth battled hard, pressed with energy, and enjoyed spells of possession, but couldn’t test the keeper — they finished without a shot on target.
Durham only finished 7 points off top spot last year, and with three promotion places up for grabs, results like this will be the foundation for a sustained push to the promised land that is the WSL.
Match Stats
Lineups and Player Ratings
Subs
Portsmouth
Durham
