With only five matches left in the Women’s Super League season, Leicester City Women find themselves in a precarious position. The Foxes sit rooted to the bottom of the table, three points behind the team above them. Time is running out, and pressure is mounting on every player and the coaching staff.
A season of struggles at the foot of the WSL
The 2025-26 WSL campaign has been a painful journey for Leicester City Women. Sunday’s home defeat against Aston Villa was their twelfth league loss of the season. It was also their sixth consecutive defeat, a run that perfectly illustrates their inability to string results together.
The match at King Power Stadium had initially offered a glimmer of hope. Swiss international Alisha Lehmann netted to give the Foxes a 1-0 lead at half-time. For forty-five minutes, things looked genuinely different. The team appeared positive, direct and composed. Former England striker Ellen White, speaking on BBC Two, noted just that : “They were so positive, so direct and they got 1-0 up in the first half. Then, they just needed to shut up shop.”
But the second half told a different story. Aston Villa came from behind to claim the three points, leaving Leicester fans devastated. White described the result as “gut-wrenching”, a word that resonates with every supporter who watched the collapse unfold.
Here is a quick look at Leicester’s recent league form to understand the scale of the challenge :
| Match | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Last 6 games | Various WSL clubs | 6 consecutive defeats |
| Total this season | — | 12 defeats in the league |
| Current position | — | Bottom of the WSL table |
| Points gap | West Ham (above) | 3 points behind on goal difference |
What makes Sunday’s loss even more frustrating is that a win would have lifted Leicester above West Ham on goal difference. The margin between survival and a relegation play-off is razor-thin. Every dropped point feels enormous at this stage of the campaign.
Can manager Rick Passmoor turn the tide for the Foxes ?
Despite the gloomy picture, Leicester manager Rick Passmoor refuses to concede defeat. Speaking to BBC Sport after the Villa game, he made his feelings clear. “The will is there, the togetherness is there, the culture is there,” he said. He insisted that his side would not walk away from the fight : “Our destiny is still in our hands.”
These are strong words from a manager who clearly believes in his squad. But belief alone will not be enough. With five matches remaining, the Foxes need results, not just spirit. The challenge now is converting that determination into points on the pitch.
Several factors will determine whether Leicester can escape the relegation play-off :
- Maintaining the attacking intensity seen in the first half against Villa
- Improving defensive organisation in the second half of matches
- Capitalising on any drop in form from West Ham
- Finding consistency across five remaining fixtures
- Building on the team spirit Passmoor regularly highlights
The Foxes supporters have endured a difficult season, but there is still reason to believe. Passmoor insists “the tide will turn”, and the first-half performance against Villa suggests the quality is there. The issue lies in sustaining that level for a full ninety minutes.
What the WSL expansion means for Leicester’s fate
Here is where things get interesting from a structural standpoint. Even if Leicester finish bottom of the WSL at the end of the season, relegation is not automatic. The Women’s Super League is expanding to fourteen teams next season. This expansion changes everything about the survival battle.
Under the new format, no club will face automatic relegation this season. Instead, the team finishing twelfth, last in the current twelve-team division, will enter a relegation play-off. That play-off will take place at the ground of whichever club finishes third in the second division, WSL 2.
This rule provides a crucial safety net for the Foxes. Even in the worst-case scenario, Leicester would still have a chance to retain their top-flight status through that play-off fixture. It does not remove the pressure entirely, but it changes the nature of the fight.
The distinction matters. Finishing twelfth is no longer an automatic death sentence for the club in the Women’s Super League. It means one more game, one more opportunity to prove they belong at the highest level of women’s football in England.
Nevertheless, avoiding the play-off altogether remains the priority. Entering that situation against a hungry Championship side would carry enormous risk. Leicester will want to make the expansion rule irrelevant by climbing off the bottom before the season ends.
With games against fellow WSL sides still to come, every fixture is now a cup final for Passmoor’s squad. The Foxes must rediscover the urgency and directness that briefly shone against Villa. The season is not over, and Leicester City Women are not done fighting yet.
