Leicester fell to a 6-0 away defeat against Man City, leaving them bottom of the WSL, but could benefit from structural changes at the end of the season.
leicestermercury
15:19, 17 Feb 2026
Manchester City's Rebecca Knaak and Leicester City's Noemie Mouchon battle for the ball during the Barclays Women's Super League match at Joie Stadium
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Leicester's Noemie Mouchon in action against Manchester City(Image: Gary Oakley/PA Wire.)
Leicester City Women could be handed a second chance of staying in the Women’s Super League this season, even if they finish at the bottom of the table.
City fell to 12th place last week, following defeat against second-placed Manchester United, coupled with wins for Liverpool, West Ham United and Everton.
The task didn’t get any easier for City in the weekend just gone. Friday night saw them travel to take on league leaders Man City, where they fell to a 6-0 defeat, thanks to goals from Bunnny Shaw, Vivianne Miedema (x2), Yui Hasegawa, Kerolin and Aoba Fujino.
City will now have to dust themselves down for what could be a crucial match against Liverpool when the WSL returns. The break gives Rick Passmoor time to work with his players on the Belvoir Drive training pitch.
There is still just one point between City and Liverpool in the table, with City also having a game in hand over their rivals.
While it’s nice to try to compete with the teams at the top of the table, games like the ones against Man City are not going to be the pivotal ones in deciding where the team ends up in the table. City had a disappointing loss against West Ham a few weeks ago, they will be looking for a better outcome against Liverpool.
Manchester City's Aoba Fujino scores her side's sixth goal of the game during the Barclays Women's Super League match.
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Leicester fell to a 6-0 loss against Manchester City on Friday night. (Image: Gary Oakley/PA Wire.)
While it won’t be something that City will want to rely on, a rule change this season could be a safety net for the team.
The expansion of the WSL for the 2026/27 season from 12 to 14 teams will see a relegation play-off introduced for the current campaign. While the top two teams from WSL 2 will automatically be promoted to the WSL, the play-off will see the third-placed team take on the side that finishes the season at the bottom of the WSL table.
The winners of that clash will play in the top division for the 2026/27 campaign. The new regulations coming in next season will see the 14th-placed team automatically relegated, with the 13th-placed team then in a play-off with the WSL 2 runners-up.
A statement from the WSL back in the summer said: "Our priority was to find a route that would benefit the whole women's game pyramid, and we believe this next evolution of women's professional football will raise minimum standards, create distinction and incentivise investment across the board.
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"Expanding the BWSL to 14 teams will stimulate movement between leagues and through the pyramid which increases opportunities. The introduction of a promotion/relegation playoff creates distinction for the women's game and introduces a high-profile, high-stakes match."
For Leicester, the next few weeks could be crucial in deciding if they will be part of that play-off match at the end of the season. While they would go into that encounter as favourites, given the current gulf between the two leagues, it’s a chance that they won’t want to take.
In order to do that, a win over Liverpool could be crucial, with that being the only remaining game City have against one of their relegation rivals.
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