Charlton host Leicester in first-ever WSL play-off to decide final top-flight place

Charlton Athletic will host Leicester City at The Valley on Saturday, 23 May 2026 in the first play-off in Women’s Super League history, with a 12:30pm BST kick-off. The winner of the one-legged tie secures the final place in next season’s expanded 14-team WSL.

Leicester finished bottom of the WSL this season, ending the campaign 12th and eight points adrift of safety. Rather than facing automatic relegation, the expansion of the league to 14 clubs has afforded them a lifeline — a winner-takes-all match against a Championship side for the right to compete at the top level next term.

Charlton, for their part, earned their shot at promotion by finishing third in WSL 2, despite having led the title race for much of the campaign. The Valley will therefore stage a fixture that carries enormous consequences for both clubs: Leicester fighting to preserve their top-flight status, Charlton chasing a place among the elite for the first time.

The format is straightforward — no second leg, no extra-time aggregate, just 90 minutes (plus any additional time required on the day) to settle who occupies that 14th berth. It is a novel mechanism for the WSL, which has not previously used a promotion-relegation play-off, and its introduction reflects the league’s ongoing structural growth.

For Leicester, the play-off represents a significant reprieve. Finishing bottom of any division rarely comes with a second chance, and the club will be acutely aware that a defeat at The Valley would confirm their drop to the second tier. For Charlton, the occasion is an opportunity to reach the WSL for the first time — a prize that eluded them despite a strong Championship campaign.