The SWPL has confirmed key dates for next season across the SPWPL, SPWPL 2 and Sky Sports Cup.
The 2026/27 season will be the first season of the new format of the Sky Sports Cup, which involves a first-round league phase. This league phase is scheduled to start in late July and will run up to the commencement of the league competitions, which are both scheduled to start on Sunday 16 August 2026.
Round 14 of the SPWPL and Round 13 of the SPWPL 2 will be played on Sunday 20 December immediately prior to the winter break before matches return on Sunday 10 January.
The final round of fixtures before the SPWPL and SPWPL 2 split (Round 18) will be played on Sunday 21 February.
Clubs in SPWPL 2 and the bottom four of the SPWPL will conclude their fixtures on Sunday 16 May before the SWPL Play-off competition commences. The SWPL Play-off quarter-final will be played on Wednesday 19 and the semi-final on Sunday 23 May. Clubs in the top six of the SPWPL will then conclude their fixtures on Sunday 23 May. The SWPL and SWPL 2 Play-off final matches are scheduled for Friday 28 and Saturday 29 May.
The Sky Sports Cup league phase fixtures will begin on Sunday 26 July and will conclude on Sunday 9 August. The knockout play-off round, competed by teams finishing in places seven to 10 in the league phase table, will take place on Wednesday 26 August. Round 2, consisting of the teams ranked from one to six in the league phase, the two winning clubs in the knockout play-off round, and the teams ranked three to six in the SPWPL in season 2025/26, will be played on Sunday 13 September. The teams ranked one and two in the SPWPL in season 2025/26 under the new format will enter at the quarter-final stage and these matches are scheduled to take place on Sunday 1 November. The semi-final matches are scheduled for Sunday 31 January and will decide the teams who will compete in the 2026/27 Sky Sports Cup Final, which will be played on the weekend of 27/28 March.
Season 2026/27 – Key Dates
SPWPL & SPWPL 2
Fixture round 1 – Sunday, 16 August 2026
Winter break – Monday, 21 December 2026 – Saturday, 9 January 2027
Fixture round 18 – Sunday, 21 February 2027
Fixture Round 28 (SPWPL 2 top six) and 24 (SPWPL & SPWPL 2 bottom four) – Sunday, 16 May 2027
Fixture Round 28 (SPWPL top six) – Sunday, 23 May 2027
SWPL Play-Off Competitions
SWPL Play-Off Quarter-final – Wednesday, 19 May 2027
SWPL Play-Off Semi-final – Sunday, 23 May 2027 –
SWPL and SWPL 2 Play-Off Finals – Friday, 28 and Saturday, 29 May 2027
Sky Sports Cup
1st Round – League Phase
Matchday 1 – Sunday, 26 July 2026
Matchday 2 – Sunday, 2 August 2026
Matchday 3 – Wednesday, 5 August 2026
Matchday 4 – Sunday, 9 August 2026
Knockout Play-Off Round – Wednesday, 26 August 2026
2nd Round – Sunday, 13 September 2026
Quarter-Final – Sunday, 1 November 2026
Semi-Final – Sunday, 31 January 2027
Final – Saturday, 27 or Sunday, 28 March 2027
