Women’s Premier League to have larger prize purse and promotion-relegation system in 2026

SINGAPORE – The 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) will kick off on Jan 24 with a slew of changes, including a larger prize purse, the introduction of WPL’s B teams in the second-tier Women’s National League (WNL), and the return of a promotion-relegation system.

While the champions of the nine-team league will still get $25,000, the runners-up will now receive $20,000 – up from $10,000 – with the third-placed side earning $17,000, more than double last season’s $7,500, said the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) in a media statement on Jan 13.

To strengthen the pipeline of players coming through, WPL clubs will also be allowed to field a developmental B team in the second division.

While these sister sides are not eligible for promotion, WPL clubs can include up to five B-team players in their match-day squads.

The 2026 WNL season, which kicks off on Jan 31, will feature 11 teams, including the B squads of WPL outfits Still Aerion and Lion City Sailors.

These structural and regulatory changes to both leagues were “designed to strengthen competition and provide clearer pathways for player development, while also supporting national teams’ preparations for key tournaments across the year”, added the FAS statement.

Promotion and relegation between the two leagues last took place during the 2019 season. The competitions were not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 2026 WNL champion will gain automatic promotion to the WPL, swopping places with the last-placed WPL team. The second-last WPL side will also square off against the WNL runners-up in a play-off, with the winners securing WPL status for the following season.

Sailors defender Tyan Foong said the changes serve to “create a healthier environment for long-term growth, improving overall competition and helping to raise the standard of women’s football across Singapore”.

The 16-year-old believes that the inclusion of B teams will give developing players more game time and match exposure, providing more opportunities to showcase their talents.

The Sailors, who won the title from 2022 to 2024, will be looking to wrest back the crown from

defending champions

and newly renamed Albirex Jurong.

While the WPL season kicked off in March in the last three years, the new campaign has been moved forward.

This is to avoid clashing with the July 17-26 Asean Football Federation Women’s Cup for the national team and the Under-17 Asian Cup qualifiers from Oct 3 to 11 for the national U-16s.

This season’s matches will be held at both Bukit Gombak Stadium and Choa Chu Kang Stadium. The latter was a “centralised venue” which hosted most of last season’s games.

While heartened by steps in the right direction, Geylang International midfielder Nasriah Ibrahim believes there is still ground to make up to improve women’s football in Singapore.

She called for better infrastructure and backing for the league, starting with better pitch conditions and an improved support system.

“Some clubs do not have any physiotherapists or sports trainers around,” she said. “Other than that, more media coverage would go a long way in trying to expose the next generation and ensuring the league can be consistent with younger girls coming through.”

Still Aerion owner Simon Tan welcomed the increased prize purse, saying that it would motivate the teams.

He added: “Of course, I do know not everybody plays for money, but it’s at least helpful to offload some of the costs associated with running a team.”

But he noted that player transfers pose a problem. With the WPL being an amateur league, players are not bound by contracts.

“If I were to invest in certain players, only for them to join another club halfway through the season, it’s quite destructive and unfair to my club,” he lamented.

“There is no monetary exchange (between clubs). If there was some form of compensation, I think that would be fair.”