Women's Super League title race heats up as Manchester City stumble against Brighton

Manchester City's stumble at Brighton on Saturday afternoon has left the door slightly ajar in the Women's Super League title race. After leading for so long, are they really about to be thwarted at the finish line again? Elsewhere, the battles to qualify for the Champions League, avoid relegation and win promotion could all go down to the final kick of the 2025-26 season. BBC Sport explores how it looks with just a handful of games left.

Despite their slip at Brighton, Manchester City remain heavy favourites to win the title. They sit on 49 points with two matches left. If they win both they are guaranteed to finish top, but four points would probably be enough given their goal difference is 13 better than Arsenal's for now. City fans will be sweating at the thought of being pipped to the trophy as they yearn for an end to their decade-long wait. Losing out to Chelsea by two points in 2020-21 and on goal difference in 2023-24 are recent reminders of close calls with glory.

For the chasing Gunners, with three games in hand, the task is simple: win all of their remaining games to exert maximum pressure. If they manage that, they will reach 53 points, which would still only be enough to sneak the title if City were to falter.

The race to secure qualification for next season's Champions League is going right down to the wire. Manchester City are already in and only need a single point to seal a top-two spot and automatic qualification. The other two places will be fought over by Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. The Gunners (38 points) still have five games to play, but Chelsea (40 points) will go five points clear of them in second with two to go should they beat Everton on Sunday. Manchester United (38 points) may need to win their remaining three games, including at Chelsea on the final day.

For this season only, the team that finish bottom will have the redemption of a relegation play-off. They will face the third-best team from WSL 2 in a winner-takes-all game for a place in next season's top flight. Leicester City (nine points) appear the most likely, sitting four adrift of nearest rivals West Ham (13 points), albeit with a game in hand. The Foxes still face a tricky trip to London City, followed by games with Arsenal and Chelsea before finishing up against Everton. For the Hammers, it is trips to Liverpool and Aston Villa, before hosting title-chasing Manchester City on the final day.