Arsenal begin away at Brighton before facing last season’s leading sides during a demanding opening phase of the new WSL campaign.
Arsenal Women will begin their 2026/27 Women’s Super League campaign away to Brighton & Hove Albion on September 6.
Renée Slegers and her squad will not have to wait long to find out if they have managed to bridge the fine margin that kept them from the title last season.
In the first five league games, Arsenal will go up against every other side that finished in last season’s top four. It is a demanding start, and by the end of that stretch, we should have a much better sense of whether they are genuine title contenders.
There is a sense of déjà vu in the fixture list, too.
Arsenal will travel to Manchester City during the first weekend of October, almost exactly a year after visiting the same opponents on October 4, 2025.
That match produced Arsenal’s only WSL defeat of the entire campaign. Slegers’ team lost 3-2 in Manchester, but recovered to go unbeaten through their remaining 17 league fixtures and later defeated City 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Normally, losing just once in 22 matches would be the foundation for a title-winning campaign. Yet Arsenal still ended up four points adrift of City, undone by too many games that finished all square.
Six draws proved costly, especially when City managed just one. Both clashes with Manchester United ended goalless, and Arsenal also dropped points against Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brighton.
Several of those familiar stumbling blocks are waiting early in the new campaign. It will not take long to see if the summer’s work has given Arsenal the edge they need to turn draws into wins.
That ability to edge tight games will be at the heart of any push for a first WSL title since 2018/19. Last season, Arsenal were solid at the back, conceding just 14 goals, and boasted the league’s second-best attack. But City’s consistency was the difference.
The league itself is changing, too.
With 14 teams now in the league, the schedule stretches to 26 matches. That means more strain on squad depth, especially with European and domestic cups in the mix. Every home league game is set for the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal have responded in the transfer market.
These signings come after a season where Arsenal were tough to beat but could not quite match the champions. The challenge now is not about ripping things up and starting again. It is about finding those extra goals and a bit more control to turn draws into wins, and wins into a title.
We will not have to wait long to see if Arsenal have found that missing piece.
6: Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
13: Crystal Palace (H)
19: Manchester United (H)
27: Chelsea (A)
2/4: Manchester City (A)
16/18: Birmingham City (H)
23/25: Tottenham Hotspur (A)
30 October/1 November: Aston Villa (H)
6/8: Liverpool (A)
13/15: London City Lionesses (H)
20/22: West Ham United (H)
11/13: Everton (A)
18/20: Charlton Athletic (A)
8/10: Brighton & Hove Albion (H)
20/21: Liverpool (H)
22/24: London City Lionesses (A)
29/31: Manchester City (H)
5/7: Birmingham City (A)
12/14: Crystal Palace (A)
12/14: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
17: Aston Villa (A)
26/28: Chelsea (H)
2/4: Everton (H)
30 April/2 May: West Ham United (A)
7/9: Manchester United (A)
21/23: Charlton Athletic (H)
*Fixture date still top be finalised.