2025/26 calendar unveiled, another season with little rest | OneFootball

The FA has disclosed two months earlier than usual the key dates for the 2025/26 season. As always, it will be tough on the players who compete in the summer international tournaments.

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The WSL season will start on 6/7 September 2025 and finish on 16/17 May 2026 with the usual 22 League games. This is the bread and butter for any team in any league. Then there’s the UEFA Women Champions League, which will start just after Euro 2025 ends on 30 July for the Qualifying round 1.

Arsenal would either enter the tournament in the second qualifying round on 27 August or in the third qualifying round on 11 September. This is why finishing in second place this season is key as it is an extra 15 days of rest and preparation for the players coming out of the Euros.

Then you add the Women’s FA Cup that will start in January 2026 and end in May 2026. And of course the fourth competition, the League Cup.

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The Subway® Women’s Cup group stages will begin in late September and run until mid-November, with the quarter finals scheduled for December 20-21, semi-finals across January 21-22, and the final due to be contested on the weekend of March 14-15.

If we place all those dates in the calendar, we can have a provisional schedule as per below. All the weekends from September to end of May will be booked with games alongside midweeks too.

2025/26 calendar unveiled, another season with little rest 5

International players will be busy during the season as well, with UEFA’s Nations League play-offs and World Cup 2027 qualifiers, as well as the Asian Cup in February 2026. Any internationals will struggle to get a proper rest during the season. Players’ loading management will be key to avoid injuries and problems.

Should Arsenal win the UEFA Women Champions League 2024/25 by defeating Lyon and then Barca/Chelsea, they would also qualify for the final four of the new FIFA Women Champions Cup to be played on Wednesday 28 January and Sunday 1 February. That would be an exciting tournament to be able to be the first-ever winner.

2025/26 will be a very busy season for the Arsenal, so a big squad will be needed to deal with injuries and tiredness to be able to compete in four or five competitions.