'The arena they deserve' - Chelsea to play all Women's Super League games at Stamford Bridge from 2026-27 season onwards as Blues move away from long-time Kingsmeadow home

Chelsea announced the news on Wednesday, following consultation with the players, the fan advisory board and other supporters' groups. In a statement, the club said the move "reflects an unwavering belief in the long-term opportunity in women's football as well as the responsibility the club has to help push the game forward". The Blues added: "Playing at Stamford Bridge will elevate visibility, provide consistency for fans, unlock potential, and inspire the next generation as the sport continues to grow."

The news comes in a season that has seen Chelsea's women's team play seven games at Stamford Bridge so far, in the WSL and the Champions League. A first-ever Women's FA Cup fixture will come at the venue next month, when the Blues host league leaders Manchester City in the semi-finals, and Chelsea's final WSL game of the season will also take place at the ground, taking that total up to nine for the campaign.

Moving forward, though, that number will rise to a minimum of 13, as the WSL expands into a 14-team league as of next season. As for games in other competitions that are not held at Stamford Bridge, details will follow in due course with regards to what will be an alternative venue for Chelsea.

Speaking about the move, Aki Mandhar, CEO of Chelsea's women's team, which has won all of the last six WSL titles, said: "Our commitment to play all Women’s Super League matches at Stamford Bridge from next season reaffirms our ambition and intent to make CFCW the leading women’s sports club in the world. Playing the team’s WSL matches at such an iconic ground ensures our players and supporters have the arena they deserve as we look to propel the game into its next phase of growth. At CFCW we are never done growing and pushing progress to take the game and women’s sports to new heights."

Head coach Sonia Bompastor added: "We are privileged to be involved in women’s football, to see thousands of our incredible supporters following us and being a part of our lives. We will always feel a special connection to Kingsmeadow and everything our fans, staff and local community have helped create for us to stand here now, committing our future to Stamford Bridge. The squad, and every player to have pulled on a Chelsea shirt before them, has worked so hard for this as has every member of staff to stand on the sidelines. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to keep growing, to perform at the highest level and to create a special atmosphere in a stadium we all love."

Meanwhile, an open letter penned by the Chelsea women's squad read: "This moment is not just for us. It’s for every player to have worn the Chelsea badge. It’s for every person who has pushed the women’s game forward. It’s for every supporter who has been with us on our incredible journey. This is a new chapter, but our ambition remains the same. We want to win. We want to lift more trophies. We want to create further history. That is what Chelsea has always done and we’re going to continue that legacy with our supporters beside us at the Bridge."

It's a move that reflects a growing shift in the WSL. This season, Arsenal have played all of their WSL games at the Emirates Stadium for the first time, with attendances consistently above 24,000. Their highest to date came against Chelsea in November, as 56,537 turned out to watch the two London rivals play out a 1-1 draw.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have played all their WSL games at Villa Park since the 2024-25 season and Leicester City have called the King Power Stadium their permanent home in the division since 2021, only using Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium as an alternative when there are fixture clashes with the men's side. Everton, on the other hand, have moved into Goodison Park this season, after the men's team relocated to the newly-built Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Attendances for Villa and Leicester have been much lower than that of Arsenal, though Leicester did enjoy a new record crowd just this season in a sign of steady growth, despite the Foxes being stuck to the foot of the WSL table. Villa, too, have seen improvements. Everton, meanwhile, have seen crowds fluctuate in their first season in such a large venue but there have been some real positives, not least the 18,154 who attended the clash with Manchester United in October.

Chelsea will now face that challenge of moving into such a bigger ground on a more permanent basis. The club has regularly sold out games at Kingsmeadow, their 4850-capacity ground that has hosted the majority of their home matches over the last nine years, making it clear that the Blues were starting to outgrow the venue. Moving to Stamford Bridge, though, sees the capacity jump quite dramatically, up to 41,312, and filling out the stands there will require a lot of hard work among the marketing and commercial teams, as well as patience.

So far this season, Chelsea's highest attendance from their seven games at the Bridge came when an impressive 30,545 turned out to watch the Blues lose 2-0 to Arsenal in January. Indeed, five of their seven games at the venue this term have attracted attendances of over 10,000, but games against Paris FC and Roma in the Champions League only drew in 2752 and 3914 fans, respectively.

Arsenal have shown the value of that hard work and patience, though, with their lowest attendance at the Emirates Stadium for the women's team this season being 18,087. In comparison, the Gunners' lowest turn-out last season was 5539. Though rivals on the pitch, Chelsea will hope to follow in the footsteps of their fellow London club in witnessing similar growth and success as they make the big move to Stamford Bridge.

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