2025–26 WSL Matchweek 22 Preview & Predictions
City crowned, the race for second comes down to a Saturday at Anfield; Shaw set for third straight Golden Boot
🌍 Weekend Landscape
The final round of the 2025–26 Women’s Super League is here, and every fixture kicks off simultaneously – all six matches at 13:00 BST on Saturday 16 May, all live on Sky Sports. The title is already settled, relegation is already settled, and the top-four picture is almost complete, but the final day still has enough to make it more than a ceremonial send-off.
This is trophy day for Manchester City. It is also Arsenal’s last test in the race for second, Chelsea’s last chance to apply pressure, a three-way Golden Glove shootout, a full-back-vs-full-back Playmaker race, and a weekend of goodbyes for some of the league’s most recognisable names.
What’s already decided
Manchester City are champions. Their first WSL title in ten years was sealed on 6 May when Arsenal failed to beat Brighton. A domestic double still possible when they face Brighton in the FA Cup final at Wembley on 31 May.
Manchester United are fourth. Seven points clear of Tottenham with one game left, the gap can’t be bridged.
Leicester City are bottom, confirmed for the relegation play-off against Charlton Athletic, who finished third in WSL2.
Top scorer: Khadija Shaw leads the Golden Boot race on 19 goals, seven clear of Aston Villa’s Kirsty Hanson. Barring something extraordinary, a third consecutive Golden Boot is hers – and that would be a WSL first.
What’s still live
Second place in the WSL – Arsenal visit Liverpool on 48 points, with Chelsea two points behind on 46. A point at Anfield should be enough for Arsenal given their huge goal-difference advantage (+37 vs +23). Chelsea need to beat Manchester United and hope Liverpool beat Arsenal to have any chance of moving above them.
Golden Glove – Hannah Hampton, Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Ayaka Yamashita all enter the final round on seven clean sheets. Stamford Bridge gives us the head-to-head subplot, but Yamashita can still influence the outcome from West Ham.
Playmaker race – Kerstin Casparij and Lynn Wilms are level at the top of the WSL assists chart on seven. Two full-backs, two very different teams, one final match to settle the league’s creative crown.
Predictions snapshot
Our model has Arsenal as strong favourites at Anfield (72% win), with Manchester City similarly strong at West Ham (72%). Chelsea are clear favourites against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge (69%), and Everton are backed at home against bottom-placed Leicester (64%). London City Lionesses come into their final match as 58% home favourites against Aston Villa. The most evenly balanced fixture of the round is Brighton 48% – 24% draw – 28% Tottenham.
Match by Match Preview
Liverpool v Arsenal
Sat 16 May, 13:00 – Anfield | Sky Sports
Win probabilities: LIV 7% – 21% draw – 72% ARS
Liverpool sign off under Gareth Taylor with a campaign that started well below expectations but has clearly improved since the turn of the year. The final table may still reflect a side that has underperformed – 11th out of 12 – but their performances in the second half of the season have offered a more encouraging picture. Last weekend’s narrow 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City – decided by Rebecca Knaak’s 91st-minute header from an Alex Greenwood corner – will sting given how close they came to one of the season’s biggest scalps.
Arsenal arrive in control of their own second-place destiny. Stina Blackstenius’ 93rd-minute winner against Everton in midweek lifted them above Chelsea, and a single point at Anfield is enough to confirm a top-two finish. But when you look at the season as a whole, it is still a frustrating situation for Slegers: a Champions League semi-final exit at Lyon, a Brighton draw that handed City the title, and a campaign in which Arsenal have lost just one WSL game and still won’t lift the trophy.
Head-to-Head Analysis (WSL)
Arsenal have dominated this fixture, winning nine of the last 10 WSL meetings. Liverpool’s only victory in that run came in October 2023.
The reverse fixture in December finished Arsenal 2–1 Liverpool, with Arsenal winning the last four meetings in a row.
🔎 Key player to watch
Beth Mead, one last time – Mead became the WSL’s youngest-ever Golden Boot winner with Sunderland in 2015 at the age of 20. She will go down as one of Arsenal’s best forwards and a club legend. Whether she starts or comes off the bench, every touch at Anfield will carry weight. Stina Blackstenius is also worth watching – her 93rd-minute Everton winner was another reminder of her decisive edge, and she has now scored four goals across her last five WSL appearances, despite playing only 146 minutes.
Chelsea v Manchester United
Sat 16 May, 13:00 – Stamford Bridge | Sky Sports
Win probabilities: CHE 69% – 19% draw – 12% MNU
Chelsea need a win and Arsenal to lose to overhaul the Gunners for second. Anything else and Sonia Bompastor’s side finish third – still a UWCL place, already confirmed after last weekend’s 3-1 win at Leicester, but a noticeable step down from the six consecutive titles era that has just ended.
Manchester United arrive with little riding on the result beyond pride. They were within minutes of losing at home to Brighton in their final home fixture before Lea Schuller’s stoppage-time equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw.
Head-to-Head Analysis (WSL)
Chelsea have dominated this fixture, winning nine of the last 10 WSL meetings, with one draw and no Manchester United wins in the run.
The reverse fixture in October finished Manchester United 1–1 Chelsea. Before that draw, Chelsea had won eight WSL meetings against United in a row.
🔎 Key stats to watch
Golden Glove pressure – Hampton and Tullis-Joyce both enter the final day on seven clean sheets, making Stamford Bridge the cleanest head-to-head subplot of the weekend. Ayaka Yamashita is also on seven for Manchester City, so the award is not solely decided here. A Chelsea or United clean sheet could still be matched from Chigwell, which gives this race a live scoreboard feel across two grounds.
West Ham United v Manchester City
Sat 16 May, 13:00 – Chigwell Construction Stadium | Sky Sports
Win probabilities: WHU 11% – 17% draw – 72% MCI
Manchester City visit Chigwell as champions for the first time since 2016. Andrée Jeglertz’s side absorbed last month’s Brighton shock and produced the response that mattered, with Rebecca Knaak’s stoppage-time header against Liverpool keeping the title firmly in their hands. Arsenal’s failure to beat Brighton four days later finished the job. The challenge now is to sign off the league season strongly, with a potential domestic double still to come.
West Ham have already secured their WSL status for next season, with Leicester facing the relegation play-off. Rita Guarino’s side are ending a turbulent campaign in much better shape, losing just once in their last five WSL games, including winning two on the bounce. If they can get a result against the champions, it would be a grand way to finish the season.
Head-to-Head Analysis (WSL)
Manchester City have utterly dominated this fixture, winning eight of the last 10 WSL meetings against West Ham (D1, L1). The Hammers’ only victory in that run was a 2-0 home win in October 2021.
The reverse fixture in November finished Manchester City 1–0 West Ham at the Joie Stadium. City have lost just once in the last nine meetings between the sides.
🔎 Key player to watch
Khadija Shaw, third Golden Boot in sight – Shaw’s 19 WSL goals this season already give her a seven-goal cushion over second-placed Kirsty Hanson. Add the FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year award she collected last week – her second in three years – and the late brace that sent City past Chelsea and into the FA Cup final, and a title-winning campaign is beginning to look like a defining individual season.
London City Lionesses v Aston Villa
Sat 16 May, 13:00 – Copperjax Community Stadium | Sky Sports
Win probabilities: LCL 58% – 25% draw – 17% AVL
London City Lionesses close out their first WSL season at home, and Eder Maestre’s side have plenty to be proud of. Gained promotion last summer, they have not only retained their top-flight status but did that convincingly with at least a 7th place guaranteed. They head into this one off the back of a 2-1 defeat at Brisbane Road, where Alanna Kennedy’s late goal was not quite enough to rescue something on the day.
Aston Villa arrive in a very different situation. They have struggled across the run-in: a 4-3 defeat at Chelsea in a chaotic seven-goal classic, a 1-1 draw at home to West Ham, and a 3-0 home defeat to Arsenal in a rearranged fixture on 9 May. A patchy season has left them ninth, with eighth the highest they can still finish – and even that depends on results going their way.
Head-to-Head Analysis (WSL)
They have only met once in the WSL. London City Lionesses won 3–1 in November, a result that signalled their intent in their debut top-flight season.
🔎 Key player to watch
Lynn Wilms, one assist from separation – Wilms enters the final day level with Casparij on seven assists. Her delivery from left-back has been one of Villa’s biggest weapons, particularly when paired with Hanson’s movement in the box. If Villa do hurt London City, that Wilms-to-Hanson channel is the obvious route.
Everton v Leicester City
Sat 16 May, 13:00 – Goodison Park | Sky Sports
Win probabilities: EVE 64% – 22% draw – 14% LEI
Everton sign off a difficult campaign at Goodison Park. Scott Phelan took over as interim head coach from Brian Sørensen in early February, won his first three matches in charge, but has struggled since: three consecutive defeats to Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, followed by Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal. Eighth is still the position they will want to protect on the final day, but even a win would only take them to 23 points – one fewer than the 24 they accumulated last season.
Leicester arrive after an even more difficult campaign. They are bottom of the table and already confirmed for the relegation play-off against Charlton later this month. Whatever happens at Goodison, the larger fixture is what comes next – a play-off against a Charlton side who finished third in WSL2 and will fancy their chances against a Leicester team carrying very little forward momentum.
Head-to-Head Analysis (WSL)
These sides have met nine times in the WSL, with Everton winning four, Leicester three, and two draws. The reverse fixture in October finished 1-1.
Both sides have had spells of dominance: Leicester won three meetings in a row across 2023 and 2024, before Everton hit back with a 4-1 win in February 2025.
Brighton v Tottenham Hotspur
Sat 16 May, 13:00 – American Express Stadium | Sky Sports
Win probabilities: BRI 48% – 24% draw – 28% TOT
Brighton sign off at the Amex in fine style. Dario Vidosic’s side have produced one of the most striking end-of-season runs in the league: a 3-2 home win over Manchester City that delayed the title party, an FA Cup quarter-final victory away at Arsenal, a 1-1 draw at Manchester United and an FA Cup semi-final comeback against Liverpool that has set up a Wembley final against City on 31 May. It is hard to imagine a stronger finish to the campaign.
Tottenham arrive at the Amex with their own reasons to reflect positively. Fifth place is already guaranteed – six places higher than last season’s 11th-place finish – and Martin Ho’s side have already recorded their highest WSL points tally in a single campaign. From here, anything they take on the final day would feel like a bonus.
Head-to-Head Analysis (WSL)
Tottenham have the better of this fixture historically, winning four of the last 10 WSL meetings against Brighton, with Brighton winning three and three drawn.
The reverse fixture in October finished Tottenham 1-0 Brighton at the BetWright Stadium, but Brighton won the previous meeting 1-0 in March 2025.
🔎 Key player to watch
Bethany England, one final Spurs chapter – England’s final Tottenham appearance adds emotional weight to what would otherwise be a pure mid-table closer. Every goal from here strengthens her place as one of the WSL’s enduring elite finishers.
Data sources – Predictions: WSLAnalytics model | Squad values: Soccerdonna | Match stats: FotMob