The Women's League Cup has undergone a major revamp ahead of the 2026/27 season, with the competition now renamed the WSL Players Cup, or Subway Players Cup.
The tournament has also been given a new format, with a Swiss-style league phase replacing the previous group stage.
But the biggest change is that the three clubs who qualified for the Champions League will not compete, meaning there will be a new winner of the competition for the first time since its inception.
What are the main changes?
The Subway Players Cup has been redesigned following a review of the competition involving clubs, players and fans, aiming to prioritise player welfare.
The previous group-stage format has been replaced by a single league table, with 23 teams from the Women's Super League and WSL 2 taking part.
Each club will play a minimum of six matches in the league phase, compared to a minimum of three under last season's format.
This is in order to provide more meaningful playing opportunities for players who are not involved in European competition.
The three clubs competing in the Champions League - Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City - will not enter the Players Cup due to the increased fixture load.
It means none of the three previous winners will be involved this season. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are the only clubs to have won the competition since it was introduced in 2011.
Earlier this year, Lucy Bronze said she was 'sad' at the idea of not being able to compete for this piece of domestic silverware.
The competition has also been renamed from the Women's League Cup to the Players Cup.
What is the format of the competition?
A total of 23 clubs from England's top two tiers will compete in the Players Cup this season - 11 from the 14 WSL teams, and all 12 WSL 2 teams.
They will be split into regional sections for the purposes of drawing fixtures, but all 23 teams will compete in one unified league table.
Each side will play three home matches and three away matches during the league phase.
The format is designed to give clubs outside European competition more opportunities to play, while encouraging minutes for younger talent.
The top eight teams in the league table will progress to the knockout phase.
Matches will follow a slightly different points system if they cannot be decided in 90 minutes. A win in normal time is worth three points, while a match that is level after 90 minutes will go straight to penalties. The shootout winner receives two points and the loser one.
What are the key dates?
The league phase will run from September through December 2026, with fixtures primarily scheduled during Champions League match weeks.
The quarter-finals will take place across 13 and 14 January 2027, with the league-phase table determining the ties.
The first-placed team will face eighth, second will play seventh, third will meet sixth and fourth will take on fifth.
The semi-finals are scheduled for 10 and 11 February, with the higher-ranked team from the league phase receiving home advantage.
The final will then take place at a neutral venue across the weekend of 13-14 March 2027, with the location still to be confimred.
