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Are Chelsea in danger of leaving the rest of the WSL behind? (2:04)
Emily Keogh explains how Chelsea have become so dominant in the WSL this season, and what needs to change for the rest to catch up. (2:04)
Mar 14, 2025, 05:35 AM ET
The Subway Cup is the first piece of silverware up for grabs in the English women’s football season, with Chelsea and Manchester City contesting the final of the tournament on Saturday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the showpiece match.
What is the Subway Cup?
The Subway Cup — erstwhile known as the Continental Cup — features all the teams in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship. The tournament, which is in its 14th year, saw 23 teams compete in this season’s edition.
It is broken into a group and knockout stage.Teams participating in the Champions League group stage — Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City — were given direct passage to the quarterfinals, while the remaining 20 teams were broken into five groups of four. The five group winners made up the rest of the quarterfinalists.
Road to the final
Chelsea swatted aside Durham 5-0 in the last eight to setup a semifinal clash against West Ham. January signing Keira Walsh made her first Chelsea start against the east London side, and put on a midfield masterclass at Kingsmeadow to lead Chelsea to their fifth successive League Cup final.
Man City’s path to the final was more arduous. They ousted local rivals Manchester United in the quarterfinal before drawing holders Arsenal in the semifinal. A Mary Fowler brace that included an stoppage time winner saw City win 2-1 at Meadow Park to seal their spot in the final.
Key Details:
Date: Saturday, March 15 at 12:15 p.m. UK (8:15 a.m. ET)
Venue: Pride Park, Derby
Referee: Emily Heaslip
VAR: Matt Donohue
It’s worth noting that VAR hasn’t been available in the previous rounds of the Subway Cup. Last year’s final was the first time in tournament history that VAR and Goal Line technology was used.
Manchester City’s last meeting with Chelsea in the league ended in a 2-0 loss. Getty
How to watch:
The match will be broadcast on BBC One, BBC Sport Web and BBC iPlayer in the UK. ESPN will also carry live updates.
Key storylines
First hurdle for Chelsea on road to quadruple
To say Chelsea go into Saturday’s final as favourites would be an understatement. Sonia Bompastor’s side are yet to taste defeat this season, with league draws against Leicester City and Brighton the only times they’ve dropped points in any competiton. They are eight points clear at the top of the WSL, are in the Champions League quarterfinals and semifinal of the FA Cup.
Quadruple chat has been a dominant theme of their season and Chelsea could get trophy No.1 of a possible four wrapped up at Pride Park.
New (but also old) face in the dugout for Man City:
Five days prior to the final, City sacked manager Gareth Taylor following a disappointing league campaign that has put them at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification for next season. Taylor spent nearly five years at City, winning the FA Cup in 2020 and the League Cup in 2022. Ironically, the latter of which saw City beat Chelsea in the final.
Former New York City FC boss Nick Cushing has been named interim boss until the end of the season. While Cushing has been jettisoned into the business end of the season, City will hope his familiarity with the setup will help him hit the ground running. The 40-year-old had a seven-year spell as City boss between 2013 and 2020, during which he led them to their sole league title in 2016 and the FA Cup in 2017.
Nick Cushing will make his second managerial debut at Manchester City in the Subway Cup final. Getty
Marathon clashes
A significant chunk of Cushing’s headspace will be taken up by figuring out how to beat Chelsea. Starting with Saturday’s final, City face Bompastor’s side a staggering four times in the space of 12 days. The two have been drawn together in the Champions League quarterfinal, with the first leg taking place on March 19 at the Joie Stadium. Three days on they play each other at the same venue in the WSL before meeting in the 2nd leg of the quarterfinal on March 27!
What happened in last year’s final:
Stina Blackstenius netted the winner in last year’s final. Getty
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal at Wolves’ Molineux Stadium. From Frida Maanum‘s on-field collapse to Stina Blackstenius‘ winner deep in extra-time to Emma Hayes’ fiery clash with Jonas Eidevall, the final wasn’t short on incident.
