Soccer-Chelsea to begin WSL title defence at Man United

Women's Super League (WSL) champions Chelsea will begin their title defence with a trip to Manchester United on Sept. Newly promoted Aston Villa face a trial by fire as they host Manchester City, who narrowly missed out on last season's title, in their opening game. Arsenal, who finished third last season and are still in the Women's Champions League, will kick off their campaign at home to Reading while Tottenham Hotspur will host West Ham United.

Women's Super League (WSL) champions Chelsea will begin their title defence with a trip to Manchester United on Sept. 6, as the league released its fixture list for the first two weeks of the new season on Friday. Newly promoted Aston Villa face a trial by fire as they host Manchester City, who narrowly missed out on last season's title, in their opening game.

Arsenal, who finished third last season and are still in the Women's Champions League, will kick off their campaign at home to Reading while Tottenham Hotspur will host West Ham United. The second-tier Championship will begin on Sept. 5, with Liverpool, who were relegated from last season's WSL, set to face Durham in their opener.

The 2019-20 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Emma Hayes' Chelsea awarded the title and Aston Villa declared the winners of the Championship on a point-per-game basis. Fixtures beyond the first two rounds will be announced in due course.