The Nationwide Womens Soccer League (NWSL) on Wednesday launched an overview of its 2026 season schedule, with an emphasis on prioritizing the lodging of an expanded 16-team league that can coincide with the mens World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada subsequent summer season.
Boston, Houston, Kansas Metropolis, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Space are World Cup host cities and likewise houses to NWSL groups. Boston Legacy FC, the fifteenth group to affix the league, will start play subsequent 12 months.
With seven of the leagues 16 markets internet hosting World Cup programming, the NWSL is proactively adjusting its scheduling framework to accommodate anticipated stadium calls for, the NWSL mentioned in a press release. The league stays centered on preserving aggressive integrity and delivering a profitable season whereas persevering with to discover progressive scheduling and operational options to navigate the distinctive challenges of this landmark world occasion.
The announcement didn’t present additional element in regards to the logistics of scheduling and taking part in NWSL matches whereas the World Cup takes place, however maintained that it has taken proactive, early motion to finalize its 2026 schedule footprint, enabling the league, its member golf equipment, broadcasters and companions to plan successfully for what guarantees to be a landmark 12 months in world soccer.
The World Cup will kick off on June 11, 2026, and conclude on July 19, 2026. In response to the NWSL, which launched its 2026 schedule footprint shortly after kickoff of the primary match of the womens Euros, there will probably be no official league competitions from June 1-28.
For the NWSL season as a complete, the footprint included key dates for its begin and finish, the Problem Cup and playoff dates.
In its first 12 months as a 16-team league, the 2026 NWSL season will characteristic a 248-match schedule, which incorporates an eight-team playoff system.
Simply because it did this 12 months, the Problem Cup will function the introduction to the season on Feb. 20, 2026, between the reigning NWSL champions and the league protect winners from final season.
The common season will start on March 13, 2026. The 30-match schedule will probably be carried out over 27 weeks, and has been formatted to keep away from staging contests throughout FIFA home windows and can embody a league-wide pause in play for a CBA-mandated break, in response to the NWSL.
And whereas Choice Day will as soon as once more be a side of subsequent years marketing campaign, it’ll final the entire weekend (Oct. 30-Nov. 1), not a single day.
Playoffs will begin the weekend of Nov. 6, 2026, with semifinals held the weekend of Nov. 13-15. The 2026 NWSL Championship will happen on Nov. 21.
For the third 12 months, greater than 120 matches will air or stream throughout the leagues 4 media companions: CBS Sports activities, ESPN, ION (owned by Scripps) and Prime Video.
Two quarterfinal matches will probably be broadcast on ESPN/ABC/ESPN+, whereas CBS/Paramount+ and Prime Video will distribute the opposite two. The semifinal matches will probably be shared by CBS/Paramount+ and ESPN/ABC/ESPN+, and the ultimate will air in primetime on CBS Tv Community and stream on Paramount+ for the fifth consecutive 12 months.
This text initially appeared in The Athletic.
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