Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Charlton, Crystal Palace and Birmingham City were involved in an epic three-way tussle for the WSL 2 title on the final day of 2025-26
ByJonty ColmanBBC Sport journalist- Published7 minutes ago
For the first time in the Women's Super League era, three promoted sides have joined for the 2026-27 season.
Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic arrive from WSL 2 as the top flight of women's football expands from 12 to 14 teams.
All three will begin their campaign on Sunday with the season officially getting under way on Friday evening as London City Lionesses host Manchester United.
But who is best equipped to make their mark this season?
BBC Sport takes a look at the newcomers.
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Contact formContact formBirmingham City - the champions
Following a four-season absence from the WSL, Birmingham are back, having won Women's Super League 2 last season.
The Blues edged a thrilling title fight with Palace and Charlton, clinching the trophy on goal difference by winning at The Valley on final day.
They showed quality going forward and in defence, scoring the second-most goals and conceding the second-fewest.
They also finished with the league's best goal difference, while striker Lily Crosthwaite picked up her award for WSL 2 player of the year last week.
Among six new signings, head coach Amy Merricks has recruited experienced centre-back Millie Turner, who made 145 WSL appearances in eight seasons at Manchester United, has two England caps and is the new Blues captain.
She will play alongside talented 23-year-old Neve Herron, who was named in the WSL 2 Team of the Year.
"There's going to be challenges, there's going to be moments, highs and lows, but come that first game of the season, we're going to be ready," Herron told BBC Sport.
How to follow women's football with BBC Sport this season
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Crystal Palace - the returnees
To WSL supporters, Crystal Palace are the most familiar of the promoted sides, back in the top flight after just one season in the second tier.
While Palace picked up one win fewer than Birmingham, which would ultimately prove costly, they were difficult to beat. Four defeats was the joint-fewest in WSL 2, alongside Charlton.
Attackers Kirsty Howat and Abbie Larkin were two of the league's top scorers with eight league goals each and the arrival of former Lioness Bethany England in the summer adds further firepower.
She is one of the WSL's all-time leading scorers and bagged 32 goals during four seasons with Tottenham.
"We're feeling in a privileged position," Palace head coach Jo Potter told BBC Sport. "We're looking good and we've strengthened in the right areas."
Charlton Athletic - the underdogs
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Charlton Athletic beat WSL bottom side Leicester City in the inaugural promotion play-off last season
When Charlton were most recently in the top flight 18 years ago, the Women's Super League as it is known today had not been formed.
Under Karen Hills, the Addicks finished second and third in successive seasons and led WSL 2 for much of 2025-26 before dropping out of the top two on final day.
To reach the WSL, they had to navigate a play-off against Leicester City, who came bottom of the top flight, and Charlton won 2-1 on penalties following a goalless draw.
Goals were an issue last season - they were the lowest scorers in the WSL top six - but they did have the best defensive record and goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse showed her potential in saving four penalties in the shootout against Leicester.
Spanish playmaker Paula Partido is among Charlton's fresh faces for the season, arriving on loan from London City Lionesses. She has previously played for Real Madrid and Celtic, as well as representing Spain at youth level.
What chance do the promoted trio have of staying up?
ByJoe BradshawBBC Sport senior journalistHistory shows that promoted sides generally do well in the WSL.
Only three times since 2014 has a team come up and gone straight back down, helped in part by just a solitary relegation spot over the past five seasons.
The advent of a play-off against the second-placed team from WSL 2 increases the jeopardy but on the eve of the season, Opta is undecided about who will go down in May next year.
Its supercomputer calculations put Birmingham City in ninth, Crystal Palace in 11th and Charlton 12th – albeit with their projected bottom six split by fewer than one-and-a-half points.
That suggests the stats gurus foresee little difference between those sides marooned in the lower echelons of last season's WSL and the teams arriving this season.
If the projections prove accurate, it could be quite the mini-league between the promoted trio and Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham to stay above the dotted line.
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
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