Stamford Bridge to become Chelsea Women's WSL home from next season

Chelsea Women have announced that they will be making Stamford Bridge their permanent home from next season.

The Blues will host all 13 of their Women's Super League (WSL) games at the 40,000-capacity ground starting from next season.

It is hoped Chelsea will also be able to play Women's League Cup, FA Cup and -- pending qualification -- Champions League fixtures at Stamford Bridge, though scheduling around matches for the men's side could lead to an alternative ground being sought for some cup games.

Stamford Bridge plays host to a handful of WSL games each year -- four this season, three in the last -- and has been where Chelsea have played all their Women's Champions League games since 2023.

The move was made after consultation with players, the Chelsea Fan Advisory Board (FAB) as well as fan groups. It signals the end of their nearly-decade long stint at Kingsmeadow, which has hosted the vast majority of Chelsea games since 2017.

The nearly 5,000-seater in the outskirts of southwest London is closely associated with Chelsea's era of success over the past decade. Seven of their eight WSL titles were won in the period they called Kingsmeadow home.

"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," Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor said in a statement.

"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. We can't wait to welcome you in September, and to provide a stadium that helps us as we write the next chapter for this amazing club.

"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."

The club generated almost £12 million in revenue by selling the Kingsmeadow stadium to their women's team during the year ending June 2025. They sold the women's team itself to a subsidiary company in 2024 for almost £200m, significantly contributing to a profit of £128.4m in that year's accounts.

Chelsea are the latest WSL side along with Arsenal, Aston Villa and Leicester City to host all their league games at the men's stadium. The first-ever WSL game at the ground came in 2019 against Tottenham and of their 14 matches at the venue, they've won 13. The sole loss came against Arsenal in January this year.

The 2024 Champions League semfinal second leg saw the women's side sell out the Stamford Bridge for the first and to-date only time in their history. The Blues ultimately lost the game 2-0 in what proved to be Emma Hayes' final game at the ground.

Sonia Bompastor's side's remaining two home games this season will be played at Stamford Bridge -- against Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinal and Manchester United on the last day of the WSL. The latter could prove key in ensuring European football is played at the Bridge next season.

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"You inspire us and we hope that we can continue to inspire you -- and further grow the most passionate fanbase in women's football," the Chelsea players said in an open letter to the fans.

"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."

Information from PA contributed to this report.

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