A crowded international calendar is undermining domestic leagues and WSL Football has been left to figure it out
When the League Cup quarter-finals are played on Sunday it will probably be the last time they look this way. . West Ham v Manchester City, Liverpool v Chelsea, Manchester United v Tottenham and Crystal Palace v Arsenal means the top four in the Women’s Super League are involved. With clubs having voted to remove teams competing in the Champions League from next season, major changes are afoot.
The future format of the League Cup is still to be finalised and is subject to Football Association signoff but this forms part of plans for a revamp of an underloved competition that has an identity crisis. The changes include ditching the confusing group stage with its uneven number of teams, weird point scoring and odd geographical groupings. It is understood proposals have been put together in consultation with a competition working group that included clubs and was reviewed by representatives from fan associations through the Football Supporters’ Association.
Instead, a Swiss-style league format will be used, with the top eight going into the knockout stage. At present, the two or three teams in the Champions League group stage enter at the quarter-finals, potentially winning the tournament having played three games.
