Fans of Women's Super League (WSL) and Women's Super League 2 (WSL 2) clubs may have noticed a new competition appearing on their team's fixture list this season: the Players Cup.
Except it isn't actually a new competition, and not every club is taking part. The competition formerly known as the League Cup has been rebranded following years of debate over its format and competitive integrity. Previously, WSL and WSL 2 clubs were split into northern and southern groups, with the group stage followed by a knockout phase and a final in March.
There was, however, a significant caveat. Clubs competing in the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) were given a bye into the quarterfinals, meaning only five teams -- or six, if England only had two clubs in the competition -- could progress from the group stage.
That structure has produced a familiar pattern: smaller clubs battled it out, then the biggest players entered at the quarterfinal stages and blew everyone else away. More often than not, the final has been between clubs who only played two games to get there and only three clubs have ever lifted the League Cup: Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City.
A new winner will certainly be crowned this year, though, as the trio above are all ineligible this year due to their entry into the UWCL (a new rule has been brought in to remove teams who are playing in Europe.)
That decision is likely to have both positive and negative consequences. On one hand, there will be a more open field of potential winners and a true path to silverware for WSL teams; on the other, the chance for a team to lift the coveted Quadruple is gone.
How does the new Players Cup format work?
Last month, organizers held the competition's draw, although the confusing new format meant it raised almost as many questions as it answered.
It has taken elements of the Swiss-style format used in the Women's Champions League -- in this case, a single league table in which the top eight then advance to a knockout phase -- but the twist is that fixtures are decided upon a north-south regional split.
The intention is to limit the amount of strenuous midweek travel for clubs while retaining the simplicity of having a single league table. It is a slightly unusual compromise: regionalization determines who teams face, but everyone ultimately competes for the same qualification places.
Each team will play six matches between September and December, with three at home and three away. There is another twist if those matches can't be separated after 90 minutes. Rather than going straight to extra time, games that finish level will be decided by a penalty shootout. The winning team will receive two points, while the losing side will still take one.
After each team has played their six league games, the top eight teams in the table will then advance to the quarterfinals in January. First place will play eighth, second will play seventh, and so forth, with the higher-ranked team earning home advantage. From there, the competition moves into a more traditional knockout format.
But there is still more to explain: Even the fixture allocation is not completely uniform. Not every club has an equal split of opponents from the WSL and WSL 2, meaning some teams will face more sides from one tier than the other. Everton, for example, will play two WSL teams and four WSL 2 teams, while London City Lionesses have been drawn against three clubs from each division.
It makes for a competition that is considerably more complicated than the straightforward league-and-knockout format fans may be accustomed to. But the intention is to avoid excess travel, create more competitive fixtures and ensure every club has a realistic route to the knockout stages.
So any Quadruple hopes are over?
Unfortunately for clubs dreaming of a quadruple, that possibility has now been taken off the table. UWCL sides will not compete in the Players Cup, meaning clubs on the European stage must sacrifice one of the four major trophies on offer each season.
It is not necessarily a hugely detrimental change -- particularly given the demands of a Champions League campaign -- but it does mean that, at least for the time being, Arsenal will remain the only club to have completed the Quadruple. They achieved the feat in 2006-07, winning the Champions League (then the UEFA Women's Cup) alongside every domestic trophy available to them that season.
A domestic Treble is still possible, although it will now have to be achieved by a club outside the three teams that have historically dominated the League Cup: Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Alternatively, one of those clubs could still complete a treble of WSL, FA Cup and Champions League. But, ultimately, it does not quite have the same ring to it.
There is a certain appeal to being able to call a season a "Quadruple-winning" campaign, and that particular achievement is now off the table for the teams competing in Europe.
Whether that makes the Players Cup more meaningful for the clubs left in it remains to be seen, but it certainly gives the competition an added incentive: for the first time, a new team will lift the trophy.
Do lower-table teams have a better shot at silverware?
Removing the three clubs that have dominated the League Cup in recent years should, in theory, give the rest of the field a genuine opportunity to compete for silverware.
It comes at a time when the gap between the established elite and the chasing pack has already begun to narrow. Brighton reached the FA Cup final last season, while Tottenham Hotspur made their first final appearance in 2024; Manchester United, meanwhile, have reached two FA Cup finals, winning one, and reached the League Cup final for the first time last season.
United's run came during their debut Champions League campaign, although they did not enter the league phase. Neither did eventual League Cup winners Chelsea, who were also competing in Europe.
Manchester City, meanwhile, were not involved in European competition last season, but still won the FA Cup as well as reaching the League Cup semifinals.
That history does raise one potential concern: Could the Players Cup simply become a trophy for whichever established top-four club is not competing in the Champions League? Based on last season's table, that would be Manchester United this campaign.
It is a possibility, but the WSL top four has become increasingly difficult to predict from one season to the next. Clubs can make significant progress through a strong run of form, an impressive transfer window or simply by picking up a big result against one of the established sides. The balance of power is not necessarily fixed, and what looks like a clear hierarchy one season can shift quickly the next.
That will be something to judge over time, but the new format undoubtedly gives clubs lower down the pecking order an incentive. Teams that might previously have struggled to progress beyond the group stage may have used the cup run as a way to boost morale and minutes in legs now have a much clearer route to chance of a trophy.
Spurs manager Martin Ho and United boss Eva Olid both highlighted the increased chance for silverware and the desire to add trophies to bare cabinets earlier than either manager may have thought possible. It is a key area that several clubs are targeting.
There is reason for optimism, too, if the success of the revamped Champions League format is anything to go by. The league-phase structure has created opportunities for sides outside the traditional elite to make deeper runs, with clubs such as Manchester United and OH Leuven demonstrating that progression is possible.
It could be a much more open race for silverware and even attract new neutral fans that may follow the competition even after their team has been knocked out.
What happens to player rotation?
Traditionally, the League Cup has served a useful purpose beyond simply adding another piece of silverware to the calendar. For most clubs, it has provided an opportunity to rotate their squads, give minutes to younger or developing players, reintegrate those returning from injury and, at times, build confidence during difficult spells in the league campaign.
That balance is becoming increasingly difficult to manage. For clubs lower down the pyramid, the problem is often that players simply do not play enough. Unless they are established internationals, regular starters or part of a squad that progresses deep into the Players Cup or FA Cup, there can be a significant shortage of competitive minutes.
At the other end of the spectrum, the issue is almost the complete opposite. Players at the biggest clubs can find themselves playing virtually every league fixture, representing their countries during international windows and going deep into domestic and European competitions. The introduction of additional FIFA competitions, including the Champions Cup and Club World Cup, only adds to an already crowded calendar.
There is an important caveat when looking at the three clubs now excluded from the competition. Because Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City previously entered the League Cup at the knockout stage, they did not benefit from the competition in quite the same way as the other clubs. Their desire to win another trophy often meant there was little incentive to rotate heavily, with their starting XIs and wider squads looking much closer to those used in the league and European competitions.
The new format could therefore help address both ends of the spectrum. It should provide additional opportunities for players who have been underloaded and need meaningful competitive minutes, while also potentially giving coaches more opportunities to manage the workloads of those carrying heavy minutes across multiple competitions.
A WSL statement said players consulted about the changes were positive about the new format: "Players spoken to about the changes are excited by the format, the prospect of more matches and a viable chance to win silverware. They see the competition as valuable and believe the structure will increase competitiveness and appreciate that welfare and development are the primary drivers."
Ultimately, it is a balancing act for both clubs and the league. There are competing demands between player welfare, development, competitiveness, fixture congestion and the desire to maintain meaningful competitions. That helps explain why, despite the flaws of the previous format, the answer was not simply to scrap the competition altogether.
Instead, the Players Cup represents an attempt to make the competition serve a wider purpose of giving more players meaningful minutes, creating another pathway to silverware and, hopefully, doing so without adding unnecessarily to the workload of those already playing the most.