The WSL is back.

The WSL2 is back.

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And honestly, I think the second tier could be one of the most interesting women's football leagues to follow this season.

The 2026/27 WSL2 season starts on Friday, but this isn't just another season.

Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic are all gone.

Three clubs who have basically been part of the furniture at the top of this division for the last few years have all moved up to the BWSL following its expansion.

So we're suddenly left asking a pretty simple question:

Who takes their place?

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Because there is a massive opportunity here.

Since 2021/22, Birmingham, Palace and Charlton have consistently been around the promotion picture. Birmingham had the experience of being a former top-flight club, Palace developed into one of the division's most dangerous attacking teams and Charlton became ridiculously difficult to beat.

Now all three are in the top flight.

Palace in particular have had an incredible rise, securing promotion twice in three seasons, while Charlton's defensive record under Karen Hills included that ridiculous 27-match unbeaten league run.

But the old guard has moved on.

And that means WSL2 is basically up for grabs.

Well... almost.

There's still only one automatic promotion place, with second having to go through the promotion play-off.

So who actually has the best chance?

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Bristol City

If you're looking for a team who could finally turn a strong WSL2 campaign into promotion, Bristol City are probably one of the first names to look at.

The Robins have been knocking around the promotion picture without quite getting there.

They finished fourth last season, just five points behind Charlton in third, but their attacking numbers were arguably better than their final position suggests.

Bristol scored 47 goals, the most in the division.

Lexi Lloyd-Smith won the Golden Boot.

They also ranked second for shots on target with 117 and big chances with 50.

So this wasn't a team struggling to create.

The problem is that Lloyd-Smith has now left for Crystal Palace.

That's a pretty significant loss when your top scorer has just walked out the door.

Rio Hardy remains a major attacking threat after scoring 10 last season, while Emma Bissell has arrived from Charlton after scoring four goals last campaign.

Brooke Aspin has also returned, and there's plenty of potential there following her difficult ACL injury.

But Bristol's season could come down to one question:

Where do the goals come from now?

If they can replace enough of Lloyd-Smith's production, I think they're a serious promotion contender.

If they can't, fourth could turn into another frustrating season just outside the top three.

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Leicester City

Then there's Leicester.

And Leicester are probably the most difficult team to predict.

They've got something almost nobody else in this division has: five consecutive seasons of BWSL experience.

That should make them one of the favourites.

But then you look at what happened last season.

They lost their final 11 league matches and scored just 11 goals across the entire campaign while conceding 52.

Their relegation was eventually confirmed by defeat to Charlton in the play-off.

So this is a club that has gone from five years of top-flight football to suddenly having to fight its way back from the second tier.

Can they bounce straight back?

Absolutely.

But it won't happen simply because they have BWSL experience.

They have to rediscover confidence and, more importantly, learn how to consistently win games again.

Crystal Palace showed what a relegated club can do by bouncing back, but Leicester's situation is different because of how their season ended.

There have been some interesting changes to the squad too.

Shannon O'Brien's departure removes another attacking option, but Sarah Mayling has joined permanently and brings plenty of BWSL experience.

Jessie Stapleton also knows WSL2 from her time with Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.

If Leicester can get their attack functioning again, they could be extremely difficult to stop.

If they don't, they could find themselves nowhere near the promotion race despite having arguably the strongest top-flight pedigree in the division.

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Newcastle United

Newcastle might be the team I'm most curious about.

They've only been in WSL2 for two seasons, finishing fifth and then sixth, but there's a feeling that they're getting closer.

Since becoming fully professional in 2023, Newcastle have accelerated through the women's football pyramid and they're clearly building something.

Under Tanya Oxtoby, their football is based around controlling games.

They want possession.

They want to dictate the tempo.

They want to use the ball to create chances rather than simply sitting back and playing on the counter.

And defensively, they've already got a pretty strong foundation.

Newcastle conceded just 25 goals last season, which was the third-best defensive record in WSL2.

The issue?

They only scored 32.

That's the obvious next step.

They can control games and they can defend, but can they actually turn that control into enough goals to challenge for promotion?

Their summer recruitment suggests they're trying to solve exactly that.

Gemma Evans brings BWSL experience into the defence, while Lenne Kiernan gives them another attacking option.

Newcastle feel like one of those teams where everything could suddenly click.

And if it does, they could be right at the top.

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But this is where WSL2 gets really interesting

There isn't an obvious "Birmingham are going to win this" type of favourite anymore.

The three clubs that have dominated the promotion conversation have moved on.

That leaves a really interesting mix.

Bristol have the goals.

Leicester have the top-flight experience.

Newcastle have been building steadily and could be ready to take the next step.

And then there are the clubs we haven't even talked about yet who could completely blow this prediction apart.

That's the fun part.

The second tier has effectively had its hierarchy wiped clean.

And with only one automatic promotion place, every dropped point could matter.

You could finish second after an excellent season and still have to win a play-off to reach the BWSL.

You could finish third and look back at one or two frustrating draws in September and think, "that's where we lost it."

That's what makes the opening few weeks so important.

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And there's another reason I'm looking forward to it

WSL2 is ridiculously accessible this season.

All of the league's matches are available live and on-demand through the Barclays Women's Super League 2 YouTube channel.

No VPN.

No having to find out which obscure broadcaster has picked up the rights in your country.

No subscription needed just to watch a random Tuesday or Sunday afternoon WSL2 match.

With 132 league matches across the season, that's a huge opportunity for the league to build an audience.

And it means we can actually follow this promotion race properly.

Not just watch the occasional televised match and rely on highlights.

If you want to see how Bristol are developing, you can watch them.

If you want to see whether Leicester can bounce back, you can watch them.

If you want to see whether Newcastle finally turn possession into goals, you can watch them.

And because so many matches can be watched, we might get a much better idea of who the genuine contenders are rather than relying entirely on reputation.

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So, who replaces Birmingham, Palace and Charlton?

That's the big question.

My early three to watch are:

Bristol City — potentially the strongest attack, but can they replace Lloyd-Smith?

Leicester City — by far the most top-flight experience, but can they recover from a disastrous relegation campaign?

Newcastle United — arguably the biggest "could this finally be their year?" candidate after two seasons of building.

But I'm not convinced those three will necessarily occupy the top three.

That's what makes this season so interesting.

The old WSL2 hierarchy is gone.

A new one has to be created.

And it starts on Friday.

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What do you think?

Who is your favourite for the WSL2 title?

Which club is most likely to win the one automatic promotion place?

Can Leicester bounce straight back?

Can Bristol replace Lloyd-Smith's goals?

Are Newcastle ready to make the jump from mid-table to genuine promotion contenders?

And, perhaps most importantly:

Which WSL2 team do you think everyone is sleeping on right now?