Charlton v Leicester: Why there’s a WSL play-off, form guide and how to watch live on Sky Sports | football news

Charlton and Leicester meet on Saturday in the first play-off for a place in next season’s WSL, LIVE Sky Sports.

The Foxes finished bottom of the WSL table with just nine points, eight behind 11th-placed Liverpool, and will now travel to The Valley this weekend looking to retain their place in England’s top flight.

Charlton, meanwhile, finished third in WSL2 behind Crystal Palace and Birmingham and can now clinch promotion in one leg.

Why have a playoff?

The WSL is expanding to 14 teams from next season, an increase from the current 12 teams. This is just the first step in a 10-year plan to improve and grow the women’s game in England.

The expansion improved competition in the top league, where it was felt that there were too many games that were not in any danger or affected the league standings. It also offers an additional opportunity for teams in WSL2 – many who have been fighting for just one promotion spot for years – to play in the WSL.

It also gives teams in WSL2 an incentive to invest in their women’s teams The WSL introduced stricter licensing rules to raise football minimum standards as they aim to have two fully professional leagues.

However, it will add four more games to an already-crowded fixture list – increasing from 22 to 26 – especially for teams that compete in Europe.

Crystal Palace And Birmingham Two of these spots are taken, and the other will be determined by the playoff winner.

From the 2026/27 season, WSL2 will have an automatic promotion place, while the bottom side of the WSL will be relegated.

Thereafter, the second-placed WSL2 team and the 13th-placed WSL team – second from bottom – will compete in a playoff for a spot in the top league.

How has their form been?

Neither team is on a winning streak. Charlton will rightly feel they let automatic promotion slip through their fingers, having led the table for large parts of the season and had a points lead at the top heading into the final match.

However, they have won just two of their last eight league games and were beaten by promotion rivals Crystal Palace and Birmingham on the final day. They are two points behind the eventual promoted teams.

But they reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where Liverpool needed extra time to beat Charlton at The Valley.

Meanwhile, Leicester have lost their last 11 WSL matches and are yet to pick up a point in 2026. Their last win was against London City Lionesses on 14 December, beating them 1–0 at the King Power before the winter break.

However, despite some bruising defeats, there have been good performances, including in their final WSL game against Chelsea.

The Foxes have six days to prepare for Saturday’s game, with Charlton’s last match on May 2 – nearly two weeks of extra rest and preparation. Only time will tell if this will be a help or a hindrance.

The rise of Leicester’s teenage goalkeeper

If you want to talk baptism by fire, have a talk with Leicester goalkeeper Katie Keane. The 19-year-old made his first-team debut just three weeks ago when he came on at half-time against Arsenal.

Substitute Olivia Clarke, the Foxes were already 5-0 down to the Gunners after a riotous first half. Keane conceded two more losses in the second half.

The following week, his first start and full debut – against Chelsea. Despite losing 3-1, the teenager put in an assured performance, and a 96th-minute goal against Everton on Sunday kept him away from a clean sheet.

Such has been his rise, he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page, but it looks like Keane has cemented himself as Leicester’s No.1.

He now faces the biggest game of his short career as he looks to keep Charlton out. Among the top six teams, the Addicks were the lowest scorers in WSL2 this season.

Watch all three of Keane’s performances for Leicester below…

Charlton: The former powerhouse is aiming for a return to the top league

Before Chelsea dominated English domestic football, Charlton were the country’s most successful women’s team.

Bromley Borough, then starting out as Croydon Women’s FC, came under their current name Charlton after being taken over by the men’s club in 2000. As of 2007, the Addicks have competed in many cup finals, winning the League Cup twice and the FA Cup once in 2005.

However, they never won the then league – known as the FA Women’s Premier League National Division – before the men’s team controversially collapsed after being relegated from the Premier League.

Despite gaining sponsorship in August 2007 and being managed by the Charlton Community Trust, many players left and the club struggled to stabilize.

But over the past 16 years, Charlton have worked their way through the leagues, and were promoted to the then Women’s Championship in 2018 after beating Blackburn in the FA Women’s Premier League play-off final.

2021 also proved to be a breakthrough year. Charlton bought back control of the club from the Community Trust and appointed Karen Hills as manager.

That summer, the women’s team turned fully professional and has been vying for a spot in the WSL ever since. In the last three seasons, Charlton have finished third, second and fourth and a win this weekend would make their first appearance in England’s top flight since 2008.

Battle of experienced directors

While the playoffs may be new ground for many, managers in the dugout bring plenty of experience.

Rick Passmore Has coached the women’s game for nearly two decades, including spells with Leeds, Notts County and Lincoln. Before joining Leicester, he was assistant coach to Rehan Skinner at West Ham.

He joined the Foxes on an interim basis on 4 September – three days before the opening game of the season against Manchester United – following the dismissal of Amandine Mikel.

Passmoor was eventually appointed as permanent head coach and spent most of the first half of the season in charge of Liverpool. But while the Reds’ form improved, Leicester could not, ending up bottom of the table.

Karen Hills Charlton was part of the team that won the FA Cup in 2005 and returned to the club with the aim of gaining promotion to the WSL in 2021.

He has done this before, guiding them to the top flight with Tottenham in the 2018/19 season with co-head coach Juan Carlos Amaros. He spent 11 years at the club, guiding them from amateur to professional and eventually, a WSL club.

He is a manager who has been there and done that and will need the same approach as he faces one of the biggest games of his career this weekend.