Manchester City will begin their defence of the Women’s Super League title at home to promoted Birmingham City on Sunday 6 September. Andrée Jeglertz’s side finished six points clear of Chelsea in 2025/26, combining the division’s strongest attacking output with impressive consistency to collect 55 points. Retaining the title may be more complicated now that Champions League football has returned to their calendar.
City enter the European competition directly at the league phase, creating several demanding weeks in which WSL matches against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United sit close to European fixtures.
This page contains Manchester City Women’s complete 2026/27 WSL schedule, confirmed kick-off times, stadium information, Champions League dates and an analysis of the most important periods. It will be updated throughout the season with results, rearrangements and links to match coverage.
Manchester City Women Fixtures 2026/27 Last updated: 8 August 2026. All fixtures from 18 October onward remain provisional and may change following broadcast selections. UK times are listed first, with Central European Time in brackets where confirmed.
Manchester City Women’s next WSL match
Manchester City vs Birmingham City
Date: Sunday 6 September 2026
Kick-off: 14:30 UK / 15:30 CET
Stadium: Joie Stadium
Competition: Women’s Super League
Status: Confirmed
Birmingham return to the WSL as second-tier champions. City faced them in the 2025/26 Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals, requiring a narrow 1-0 victory at St Andrew’s before eventually winning the competition.
Manchester City’s opening fixtures
City begin with four league matches during September:
On paper, that appears to offer the champions an opportunity to establish an early rhythm. The complication comes from Europe.
City’s first Women’s Champions League league-phase match will be played on 22 or 23 September, between the Liverpool and Charlton fixtures. Matchday two follows on 30 September or 1 October, only a few days before Arsenal visit the Etihad Stadium.
The opening month is therefore more demanding than the opponents alone suggest. City must quickly adjust from the uninterrupted domestic schedule they had last season to playing twice in a week.
Arsenal provide the first major test
City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 4 October at 16:30 UK time, three or four days after their second Champions League fixture. The corresponding match was one of City’s most important victories of last season. They beat Arsenal 3-2 at home after losing the away fixture 1-0.
Arsenal were one of only three clubs to defeat City in the league, alongside Brighton and Chelsea. This early meeting should provide a useful measure of how well City have absorbed their summer changes and adapted to the additional European workload.
It is also the first of two WSL matches scheduled for the Etihad. The Manchester derby in February is the other.
Manchester City Women Fixtures 2026/27: A difficult autumn sequence
The schedule becomes particularly testing between late October and the November international break.
City travel to Manchester United on 25 October before playing Champions League matchday three on 28 or 29 October. They then visit London City Lionesses on 1 November.
The next European fixture falls on 10 or 11 November, between a home match against West Ham and a trip to Chelsea. Champions League matchday five is then scheduled for 18 or 19 November, immediately before Tottenham visit the Joie Stadium.
That gives City the following sequence:
Manchester United away
Champions League matchday three
London City Lionesses away
West Ham United at home
Champions League matchday four
Chelsea away
Champions League matchday five
Tottenham Hotspur at home
City beat United 3-0 in both league meetings last season, but travelling to a major rival three days before a European fixture creates a different challenge.
The Chelsea match could be even more significant. City produced a dominant 5-1 home victory over Chelsea last season but lost the reverse fixture 2-1. Their trip to Stamford Bridge now falls directly between two Champions League matchdays.
The final matches before the winter break
City visit Crystal Palace on 13 December before playing their sixth and final Champions League league-phase fixture on 16 December.
They then welcome Everton to the Joie Stadium for their final league match of 2026. That fixture is provisionally listed for Sunday 20 December, although it could be played at any point between 18 and 20 December.
The winter break follows before Chelsea visit Manchester on the weekend of 8–10 January.
Finishing the European league phase four days before facing Everton could test City’s depth. Injuries were their most significant vulnerability last season, and their schedule offers few recovery periods during the autumn.
Chelsea begin a demanding start to 2027
City’s first league fixture after the winter break is at home to Chelsea, the team that eliminated them from the 2025/26 League Cup and inflicted one of their three league defeats.
That match begins a run containing:
The visit to Arsenal on 30 January is followed by potential Champions League knockout play-offs on 3 or 4 February and 10 or 11 February. Those European matches would surround City’s trip to West Ham and lead directly into the Manchester derby.
City will only enter those play-offs if their league-phase position requires it. Qualifying directly for the quarter-finals would remove two demanding midweek fixtures from an already important part of the title race.
Manchester derby returns to the Etihad
Manchester City are scheduled to host Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium during the weekend of 12–14 February.
City dominated the league meetings last season, winning both 3-0. Repeating those results would strengthen their title defence, but the timing could make the second derby less straightforward.
If City enter the Champions League knockout play-offs, the second leg will take place on 10 or 11 February. The derby could follow only a few days later.
That is exactly the kind of collision City did not have to manage during their title-winning campaign.
Champions League quarter-finals surround key WSL games
March brings another potentially decisive period. City host Aston Villa on 14 March, travel to Tottenham three days later and welcome Crystal Palace on 27 March. The Champions League quarter-final legs are scheduled for 23 or 24 March and 31 March or 1 April.
A City quarter-final would therefore fall between the Tottenham and Crystal Palace matches, with the second leg immediately before their league trip to Brighton.
Brighton were one of the three teams to beat City last season, making that a potentially awkward fixture after a major European night.
Does Manchester City have a favourable run-in?
City’s final five WSL matches are:
There is a sizeable gap between Brighton on 4 April and Everton on 30 April, but that space may be occupied by domestic cup matches and an international window.
The run-in becomes more complicated if City reach the Champions League semi-finals. The European legs are scheduled for 1 or 2 May and 8 or 9 May, immediately after the trip to Everton and around City’s final home match against London City Lionesses.
Their league campaign concludes away to Liverpool during the weekend of 21–23 May. City won both meetings with Liverpool last season, but a final-day away fixture offers little room to correct a mistake if the title race remains close.
The Champions League final follows on 28, 29 or 30 May in Warsaw.
Manchester City Women’s complete 2026/27 WSL fixtures
Date Fixture Venue Kick-off Status
6 Sep Birmingham City (H) Joie Stadium 14:30 UK / 15:30 CET Confirmed
13 Sep Aston Villa (A) Villa Park 18:30 UK / 19:30 CET Confirmed
18 Sep Liverpool (H) Joie Stadium 19:00 UK / 20:00 CET Confirmed
26 Sep Charlton Athletic (A) The Valley 13:30 UK / 14:30 CET Confirmed
4 Oct Arsenal (H) Etihad Stadium 16:30 UK / 17:30 CET Confirmed
18 Oct Brighton & Hove Albion (H) Joie Stadium TBC Provisional
25 Oct Manchester United (A) Progress With Unity Stadium TBC Provisional
1 Nov London City Lionesses (A) Copperjax Community Stadium TBC Provisional
7 Nov West Ham United (H) Joie Stadium TBC Provisional
14 Nov Chelsea (A) Stamford Bridge TBC Provisional
22 Nov Tottenham Hotspur (H) Joie Stadium TBC Provisional
13 Dec Crystal Palace (A) Sutton United TBC Provisional
20 Dec Everton (H) Joie Stadium TBC Provisional
10 Jan Chelsea (H) Joie Stadium TBC Provisional
20 Jan Birmingham City (A) St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park TBC Provisional
24 Jan Charlton Athletic (H) Joie Stadium TBC Provisional
30 Jan Arsenal (A) Emirates Stadium TBC Provisional
7 Feb West Ham United (A) Chigwell Construction Stadium TBC Provisional
12–14 Feb Manchester United (H) Etihad Stadium TBC Provisional
14 Mar Aston Villa (H) Joie Stadium TBC Provisional
17 Mar Tottenham Hotspur (A) Brisbane Road TBC Provisional
27 Mar Crystal Palace (H) Joie Stadium TBC Provisional
4 Apr Brighton & Hove Albion (A) Broadfield Stadium TBC Provisional
30 Apr Everton (A) Goodison Park TBC Provisional
9 May London City Lionesses (H) Joie Stadium TBC Provisional
21–23 May Liverpool (A) St Helens Stadium TBC Provisional
Table: Manchester City Women Fixtures 2026/27
Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium fixtures
Two WSL matches are scheduled to take place at the Etihad Stadium:
City’s remaining home league fixtures are scheduled for the Joie Stadium.
Manchester City’s 2026/27 Champions League dates
City enter directly into the league phase.
League phase
Draw: 4 September
Matchday one: 22/23 September
Matchday two: 30 September/1 October
Matchday three: 28/29 October
Matchday four: 10/11 November
Matchday five: 18/19 November
Matchday six: 16 December
Knockout draw: 18 December
Play-off first leg: 3/4 February
Play-off second leg: 10/11 February
Quarter-final first leg: 23/24 March
Quarter-final second leg: 31 March/1 April
Semi-final first leg: 1/2 May
Semi-final second leg: 8/9 May
Final: 28, 29 or 30 May at Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw
The draw dates remain subject to change.
Manchester City’s domestic cup dates
City enter the 2026/27 Women’s FA Cup in the fourth round proper, scheduled for Sunday 17 January.
That tie falls between Chelsea’s visit to the Joie Stadium and City’s midweek league trip to Birmingham.
As a Champions League participant, City will not compete in the League Cup during the 2026/27 season.
How Manchester City won the 2025/26 WSL title
City finished first with 55 points from 22 matches:
18 wins
One draw
Three defeats
62 goals scored
19 goals conceded
Goal difference: +43
Their attacking output and consistency separated them from the chasing pack. City scored 18 more goals than Chelsea and converted 18 of their 22 league matches into victories.
They were particularly convincing against Manchester United, winning both derbies 3-0, and completed a league double over Liverpool. Their three defeats came against Arsenal, Brighton and Chelsea.
City also won the Women’s FA Cup by beating Brighton 4-0 at Wembley. Chelsea eliminated them from the League Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 victory.
The absence of European football helped City maintain their domestic rhythm. In 2026/27, Jeglertz must reproduce that consistency while managing at least six additional high-level fixtures.
Have Manchester City become stronger?
City’s squad appears similar in overall quality to the one that won the title.
Beth Mead replenishes the attack after Kerolin’s departure, while Niamh Charles brings experience and versatility to the defence. Khadija Shaw’s contract extension ensures the focal point of City’s attack remains in place.
The departure of goalkeeper Khiara Keating is significant, while Lily Murphy will continue her development on loan at Aston Villa. City are not currently linked with another signing. Their squad still has enough quality to compete for the title, but availability could be more important than another high-profile arrival.
Sydney Lohmann underwent hip surgery in July and will miss the start of the season. After injuries emerged as City’s biggest weakness last year, her absence provides an immediate test of the squad’s depth.
The three periods that could define City’s season
1. Liverpool to Arsenal: 18 September–4 October
Two Champions League matches fall between the Liverpool fixture and Arsenal’s visit to the Etihad. City must establish their European campaign without losing momentum domestically.
2. Manchester United to Tottenham: 25 October–22 November
This run contains six matches across 29 days, including three Champions League fixtures and league meetings with United, Chelsea and Tottenham.
3. Arsenal to Manchester United: 30 January–14 February
An away game against Arsenal begins a spell that could also contain two European play-off ties, a trip to West Ham and the Etihad derby.
Manchester City Women 2026/27 fixture FAQs
When does Manchester City’s WSL season begin?
City begin against Birmingham City at the Joie Stadium on Sunday 6 September. Kick-off is at 14:30 UK time and 15:30 CET.
Who do Manchester City play on the final day?
City finish away to Liverpool during the weekend of 21–23 May 2027.
When do Manchester City play Arsenal?
City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on 4 October before travelling to the Emirates Stadium on 30 January.
When are the Manchester derbies?
City visit Manchester United on 25 October. The return fixture is scheduled for the Etihad Stadium during the weekend of 12–14 February.
When do Manchester City play Chelsea?
City travel to Stamford Bridge on 14 November and host Chelsea immediately after the winter break, provisionally on 10 January.
Where do Manchester City Women play their home matches?
The Joie Stadium is City’s regular home ground. Their matches against Arsenal and Manchester United are scheduled for the Etihad Stadium.
Are all Manchester City fixture dates confirmed?
The opening four fixtures and the Etihad match against Arsenal have confirmed dates and kick-off times. Fixtures from 18 October onward remain provisional and may change due to television selections or cup scheduling.
Are Manchester City in the Champions League?
Yes. City enter the 2026/27 Women’s Champions League directly in the league phase, which begins on 22 or 23 September.
The challenge behind City’s title defence
Manchester City proved last season that they could sustain the attacking numbers and consistency required to win the WSL. The next question is whether they can do it while competing deep into Europe.
The schedule repeatedly places important league fixtures beside Champions League nights. Arsenal arrive immediately after European matchday two, the trip to Chelsea sits between consecutive continental fixtures, and a possible knockout play-off could lead directly into the Manchester derby.
City’s title defence will be shaped as much by recovery and squad availability as their performances in the biggest matches. Last season’s champions already possess the quality. Their calendar will determine how often Jeglertz can put it on the pitch.
Source: Manchester City – Manchester City Women Fixtures 2026/27