Birmingham City and Crystal Palace Earn Promotion to Women's Super League
Birmingham City and Crystal Palace have secured promotion to the Women's Super League (WSL) following a dramatic conclusion to the second-tier season, which saw Charlton Athletic slip into the relegation-promotion play-off spot.
The WSL is set to expand from 12 to 14 teams starting with the 2026-27 season, allowing for increased competition at the top level of women's football in England.
At the start of the final day, Charlton led the league table by a single point over Birmingham, who were in second place, with Crystal Palace in third.
However, the standings shifted significantly by the end of the afternoon. Wilma Leidhammar scored twice to secure a victory for Birmingham over Charlton in a decisive match at The Valley. Simultaneously, Crystal Palace overcame an early deficit to dominate already-relegated Portsmouth with a 6-1 win.
As a result, Birmingham clinched the WSL 2 championship, returning to the top flight after a four-year absence. Crystal Palace also achieved immediate promotion back to the WSL following their relegation the previous season.
"How does it feel? Amazing! I am speechless," Birmingham manager Amy Merricks said.
"I just had a feeling, I know my team has bounced back every time. I'm so proud of them today.
"It's a tough place to come, I have to credit Charlton I think they've had a fantastic season. I'm so grateful for the team, this group is incredible and we're going to enjoy every moment of this.
"This is exactly what we deserved last year, we didn't get it and they came back stronger."
Meanwhile, Charlton, having relinquished a nine-point lead earlier in the season, will have one final opportunity to achieve promotion by hosting Leicester City in the relegation-promotion play-off at The Valley on 23 May.
Matchday Developments and Key Moments
Wilma Leidhammar scored a goal in each half as Birmingham won at Charlton
Despite starting the day outside the automatic promotion places, Crystal Palace arguably held the strongest position, playing against the bottom-placed Portsmouth knowing that a victory would guarantee a top-two finish.
Portsmouth's Megan Hornby shocked Palace early by scoring directly from a corner in the third minute.
This goal appeared to galvanize Palace, with Molly-Mae Sharpe equalizing from close range eight minutes later.
At The Valley, Charlton began brightly but gradually lost momentum as Birmingham gained control of the match.
Charlton's goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse was called into action to save a well-struck effort from Oceane Hurtre.
The pressure culminated in the 27th minute when Leidhammar headed in Hurtre's left-wing cross at the far post.
Birmingham continued to press, with Leidhammar's free-kick hitting the bar after being tipped by Whitehouse, and Batcheba Louis narrowly missing the rebound.
With Palace unable to capitalize on further chances in their match, the scoreline remained unchanged at halftime, leaving Birmingham top of the table and Palace ahead of Charlton on goal difference.
Shortly after the second half began, Ashleigh Weerden scored to put Palace in front less than two minutes in.
The Eagles then dominated, with Weerden scoring a second and Kirsty Howat adding a fourth goal in quick succession.
While Palace celebrated their promotion at the VBS Community Stadium, Birmingham was also making decisive moves to secure their own success.
Charlton failed to clear a corner from the right, allowing Leidhammar to intercept and score with a shot on the turn into the top corner.
Palace extended their lead against Portsmouth with goals from Annabel Blanchard and Elise Hughes, reaching six goals in total.
Charlton struggled to respond offensively, and the only remaining question was whether Palace could score enough to surpass Birmingham on goal difference, which would have required an 11-1 victory.
Ultimately, Palace settled for six goals, and despite a late surge from Charlton during 13 minutes of added time, Birmingham maintained their lead to secure the championship.
The final whistle triggered jubilant celebrations for Birmingham City.
Additional Coverage and Resources
Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie return for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes are released every Tuesday on , featuring interviews and additional content covering the Women's Super League and beyond.
For the latest updates on the Women's Super League, visit our dedicated WSL news page.
