Subway backs player-first reset for women’s League Cup

Subway has renewed its partnership with WSL Football under a multi-year agreement that will see the women’s League Cup rebranded as the Players Cup from the 2026-27 season.The competition has been redesigned around player welfare, development and more meaningful playing opportunities for squads outside the UEFA Women’s Champions League.WSL Football chief revenue officer Zarah Al-Kudcy said: “We wanted to create something that provided a platform to provide meaningful playing minutes for young and fringe players and to address disparity on playing opportunities across the leagues without compromising our player welfare principles in an increasingly busy women’s calendar.“We’ve spoken to a lot of people in the game about the direction we want to take, and we are confident that we have found a positive solution and that the Players Cup can become an exciting new domestic competition in England.”The three clubs competing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League will not take part, reducing their fixture burden while opening the competition to a wider group of potential winners.The remaining 23 clubs from the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Super League 2 will compete in a single league table.Each team will play six regionally drawn fixtures, split evenly between home and away matches, guaranteeing more minutes for players who might otherwise be underused.The top eight clubs will advance to the knockout phase, with quarter-finals and semi-finals leading to a neutral-venue final in March 2027.Subway senior marketing director for EMEA Kirstey Elston said: “The Players Cup represents a brilliant opportunity to support a sport that’s growing fast and inspiring communities across the country.“We’re proud to stand alongside WSL Football in championing the women’s game.”The renewal extends a partnership that has included nutrition guidance developed with The Well HQ and activations promoting active lifestyles and access to sport.The most recent final attracted more than 21,000 supporters to Ashton Gate, setting a record attendance for the competition as Chelsea beat Manchester United.The new identity is intended to give the cup a clearer commercial and sporting purpose at a time when women’s football is balancing audience growth with concerns around fixture congestion and player workload.Fixtures for the opening league phase will be announced on August 6, with 69 matches scheduled between September and December.