Shootouts & regional fixture split for new-look League Cup

Shootouts & regional fixture split for new-look League CupImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The 2025-26 League Cup winners Chelsea will not participate in this season’s new-look competitionByJoe BradshawBBC Sport senior journalistPublished36 minutes agoThe Women’s League Cup will be renamed the Players Cup and operate in a league system with regionalised matches for the 2026-27 season.Last November, clubs in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and WSL 2 voted in favour of proposals to revamp the competition to help combat scheduling issues and to protect player welfare. They agreed the new format would exclude sides who have qualified for the Women’s Champions League, meaning League Cup holders Chelsea, WSL champions Manchester City and runners-up Arsenal will miss this year’s edition.The remaining 23 teams from the top two divisions have been split into Northern and Southern sections – but will be in one table.They will compete from September to December on nights when Champions League fixtures are taking place.Each team will play three home and three away games against sides in their region, with three points for a win.Any match that is level after normal time will be decided by a penalty shootout, with the victor gaining two points and the loser awarded one.The top eight will qualify for the quarter-finals in January, when higher-placed finishers will be granted home advantage.After a one-legged semi-final hosted by the higher seed, the final will be scheduled at a neutral venue on the weekend of 13 and 14 March.”We wanted meaningful playing minutes for young and fringe players and to address disparity on playing opportunities across the leagues, without compromising our player welfare principles,” WSL’s chief revenue officer Zarah Al-Kudcy reported.Last season, teams played three or four matches across five groups, with the winners of each being joined at the quarter-final stage by sides in European competition.Fixtures will be declared on Thursday, 6 August.Northern section: Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Burnley, Durham, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Sunderland.Southern section: Brighton & Hove Albion, Bristol City, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, London City Lionesses, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford, West Ham United, Wolves.Champions League teams set to miss Women’s League Cup