While both sides will have their sights firmly set on bringing the trophy home to either Dorset or Devon, the momentum they gain from winning some silverware could set them up for a promotion charge.
The two sides meet just six days after they faced each other in the league, with Argyle coming out on top.
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That pulled the Pilgrims six points clear of the Cherries, but Bournemouth have two games in hand.
The pair could be fighting for second place and a playoff spot for promotion to WSL2, and gaining confidence and momentum from a cup victory could be just the thing to propel them to that.
Kate Longhurst won the cup last season with Nottingham Forest, and they then went on to earn promotion from the Northern Premier Division into the second tier.
She said the cup victory helped spur them on to achieve that.
“I think once you've won the game in the cup final, your confidence will be sky high because you know that's the team that's in and around you,” she told the Daily Echo.
“Then for the games that you've got left, if you know you've got to win every game, you know you're on a good run.
“I think it stands you in really good stead and they [Bournemouth] can't control what's going to happen with the other teams, whether Watford win all their games or Plymouth win their games.
“They can't control that. They have to focus on themselves. But certainly winning something gives you that confidence to carry on for the rest of the season.”
But Helen Bleazard said she sees the cup final as a different scenario.
Helen Bleazard. (Image: Richard Crease)
“I think it's one of those that, yes, it's great to have a bit of momentum, but a cup final is totally different,” she said.
“So the expectation, it's one game. It's literally that one game.
“If we win it, if you lose it, like I've always said in any game, no game defines our season. So obviously it's going to be a massive game and the girls are up for it and the occasion speaks for itself.
“I think in terms of what the girls bring, we lost at Oxford and we put it right at Gwalia, so I don't think it necessarily shapes the end of our season.
“Yes, it might naturally give us a bit of motivation and momentum, but I think going into it, I don't need to tell the girls what the last four games mean and also what we want to do.
“We've got the Vitality game within that, which is such a good occasion. And then Watford is at Vicarage Road as well, another great stadium.
“So yeah, we're looking forward to all of them.
“I know the girls, no matter what, I could put them against a tier one team or a tier seven team, the mentality and the attitude doesn't change. So from that point of view, it will always be business as usual.”
Plymouth boss Marie Hourihan said it can take time to recover from a defeat, after her Stoke City side lost to Nottingham Forest last term in the cup final.
Marie Hourman, Manager of Plymouth Argyle Women during the FA WPL Premier Division match between Plymouth Argyle Women and Watford Women on the 3rd January 2026 (Image: Jack Tyler/Plymouth Argyle)
“I think the fact we're so close to the end in the league with only, certainly from our perspective, two league games to go, I'd like to think we're in a place that we've got that resiliency that we're able to recover.
“So I don't have any doubts in my mind in terms of the impact that this would have.
“Obviously, you win the game, it's different. It's euphoric, but you’ve still got to manage that because when you're on that high, there's always the comedown.
“So making sure that we'd be able to manage both aspects, whether we win or don't win the game.
“So for me, I'm confident in where we are as a team that we'd be able to deal with both eventualities, that it wouldn't have a dramatic impact in terms of our next two games.”
The Cherries face Plymouth at Loftus Road today in the National League Cup final. Kick off is at 3.30pm and tickets can be purchased on the QPR website.