National Women's Soccer League Announces 2026 NWSL Footprint

NEW YORK (July 2, 2025) - The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced Wednesday the competition framework for the 2026 season. The upcoming campaign marks the first with 16 clubs, following the addition of expansion sides Boston Legacy FC and Denver NWSL. The season will feature a 248-match schedule, including an eight-team playoff and the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup, presented by e.l.f.

The 2026 season will kick off on Friday, Feb. 20, with the NWSL Challenge Cup, presented by e.l.f. In its third year under the current format, the single-match event will feature the reigning NWSL Champion and the previous season’s Shield winner. The match will stream live on Prime Video.

The regular season will begin Friday, March 13, and will include a balanced 30-match schedule played over 27 weeks. The league has formatted the schedule to avoid staging matches during FIFA windows and will implement a league-wide pause in play to accommodate the CBA-mandated break. No matches will be held from June 1 to 28.

The 2026 NWSL season will coincide with the FIFA Men’s World Cup, taking place across the United States, Mexico and Canada. With seven of the league’s 16 markets hosting World Cup programming, the NWSL is proactively adjusting its scheduling framework to accommodate expected stadium demands.

The regular season will conclude with Decision Day matches held the weekend of Oct. 30–Nov. 1, determining the final postseason field.

The 2026 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, will open with quarterfinal matches from Nov. 6–8, followed by semifinal matches from Nov. 13–15. The season will conclude with the 2026 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, on Saturday, Nov. 21.

Now in its third year under the NWSL’s landmark four-year domestic media rights agreements, more than 120 matches will air nationally in 2026 across CBS Sports, ESPN, Scripps-owned ION, and Prime Video. All remaining regular season matches will be available on NWSL+, the league’s domestic direct-to-consumer streaming platform.

ESPN/ABC will air two quarterfinal playoff matches, while CBS/Paramount+ and Prime Video will each carry one of the remaining two quarterfinal contests. The semifinal matches will be split between CBS/Paramount+ and ESPN/ABC.

The 2026 NWSL Championship will air in primetime for the fifth consecutive year on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+.

Additional details regarding the 2026 schedule will be shared at a later date.