Sunderland handed ‘huge WSL incentive’ as Newcastle ready to invest heavily
Sunderland will be hoping to achieve another promotion next season.
Everyone in football is aware of the lucrative nature of promotion to the Premier League, particularly through the play-offs.
Regis Le Bris bringing top-flight football back to the Stadium of Light after eight years away is a remarkable achievement on the pitch.
Off the pitch, it is just as significant, providing at least £170million for Sunderland across three seasons.
Sunderland Women will be hoping to replicate this success
Sunderland’s men’s team are beginning preparations for life back in the Premier League, with Finn Azaz being linked with a move to the Black Cats.
Sunderland Women will be hoping to achieve similar success themselves next season and gain promotion to the WSL.
| Women’s Championship | Position | Points |
| Newcastle | 5th | 34 |
| Sunderland | 7th | 30 |
The recently voted-for format changes to the WSL have given Sunderland’s promotion hopes a major boost.
Clubs across the top two tiers have opted in favour of expanding the WSL from 12 to 14 teams, starting in the 2026/27 season.
This means that next season, three teams could potentially win promotion from the Women’s Championship, with two automatic promotion spots up for grabs.
A promotion play-off will also be given to the team that finishes third; they will take on the side that finished second bottom in the Super League.
According to reports from the Sunderland Echo (16 June), Newcastle United are likely to invest heavily following the confirmed restructuring of the divisions, meaning Sunderland will have to hold off some stiff competition from their rivals.
Sunderland Women must win promotion next season
The Black Cats must achieve promotion to the WSL next campaign, where there are potentially three teams that could go up, as it will only get harder in the future.
After the restructuring of the WSL in the 2026/27 season, there will only be one automatic promotion place for the winners of the Women’s Championship, with second place playing in the promotion play-off.
The WSL is growing year upon year, and with the league recently securing a £65million broadcast deal, it is becoming even more lucrative for Sunderland to go up.
With the men playing in the Premier League, this could potentially help the women’s team achieve this goal by being able to attract more lucrative sponsors.
Having both teams in the top-flight simultaneously would be a fantastic achievement for Sunderland and would further cement their place as one of the biggest football clubs in England.