BBC 'fully committed' to women's football after axing Women's Football Show
The BBC has discontinued its BBC One highlights programme The Women's Football Show for the new Women's Super League season, the Guardian reported on 1 September 2026, while BBC Sport said it remains "fully committed to women’s football and the WSL." The decision sees the broadcaster shifting its approach to how it presents women’s domestic football coverage.
The BBC plans to prioritise digital platforms for highlights, including its newly launched YouTube women’s football channel, rather than the weekly studio-based television show that previously aired on BBC One at 11.30pm on Sundays after first going live on BBC iPlayer at 9pm. The Guardian understands the corporation is planning a new YouTube chat show about women’s football presented by Alex Scott, which multiple sources said is expected to be in "the style of the Overlap". BBC Sport did not wish to comment when contacted about that plan specifically, and further England internationals, past and present, are expected to form part of a regular panel.
The move to digital appears to mirror the BBC’s approach during the men’s World Cup, when it largely forewent a nightly highlights show and instead released match-by-match highlights packages online and on iPlayer that, the Guardian reported, drew in millions of viewers. Sources described the change as an evolution in delivery rather than a reduction in coverage.
A BBC spokesperson told the Guardian: "BBC Sport remains fully committed to women’s football and the WSL. As we build towards the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup, audiences will be able to watch highlights from every WSL match across BBC platforms, including iPlayer, YouTube and the BBC Sport website and app. "In addition, BBC Sport will broadcast 25 live WSL matches, alongside live Uefa Women’s Champions League coverage, ensuring fans can follow the biggest stories and moments from the women’s game on free-to-air platforms."
Broadcast rights context remains complex: the BBC and Sky Sports are entering the second season of a five-year domestic broadcast rights deal that runs until 2030, with every match shown live and the vast majority by Sky Sports. Last year the BBC lost the broadcast rights for the Women’s FA Cup to Channel 4 and TNT Sports, who will show the competition live in the UK and Republic of Ireland until 2028, and earlier this year the BBC stopped airing Football Focus, the long-running magazine-style show presented by Scott that frequently showcased women’s football.
BBC sources told the Guardian they were adamant the broadcaster was not cutting back on women’s football coverage or investment but changing how highlights are delivered to reflect audience habits. The Guardian understands the decision to axe the Women’s Football Show disappointed several BBC Sport insiders and came as a surprise to some; multiple sources who worked on last season’s show — which was produced by the independent production company Aurora Media and not by BBC Sport staff — said they first learned of the cancellation when it was reported by the Cutback in August. WSL Football is understood to be comfortable with assurances from the BBC that coverage across its platforms will be enhanced.
The Women’s Football Show was co-funded between the BBC and the league, with production understood to have been funded by WSL Football and previously by the Football Association when it oversaw the division prior to 2024, while the BBC covered the cost of the on-screen talent. The new league season gets under way on Friday when the big-spending London City Lionesses host Manchester United.