Last June the Women’s Super League voted to expand the league from 12 to 14 teams from the 2026-27 season.
It means three teams could potentially go up from the second tier rather than the usual one, which had happened in every season since the 2019-20 campaign.
Going into the penultimate round of fixtures on Sunday, Birmingham were hoping to effectively seal a spot in the top two thanks to their superior goal difference, but were stunned in a 3-0 home loss by mid-table Ipswich Town.
Instead of going three points clear of Crystal Palace, Blues are now level on 41 points with Jo Potter’s side who beat Sunderland 2-1 and are trying to return to the top flight at the first attempt.
However, both trail Charlton Athletic, who played later on Sunday and moved top on 42 points after a dramatic 2-2 draw with fourth-placed Southampton.
Charlton had gone 2-1 up in the 92nd minute, only for Saints to equalise in the 94th.
