The 2024 competition schedule for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has been unveiled yesterday.
It includes a 190-match schedule, an expanded playoff, and an updated NWSL Challenge Cup format.
The league’s historic four-year domestic media rights deal, which will see 118 games aired on national platforms during the season, begins with the 2024 campaign.
NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman stated, “The 2024 season marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the NWSL and one that will set the tone for the future of our sport in the U.S. and globally”.
“Women’s soccer made waves on a global scale in 2023, and with the sport seeing unprecedented growth in participation, attention, and investment, our league is in a prime position to take advantage of this momentum”.
“The 2024 campaign marks a new era for the NWSL as we continue to deliver the best product in professional soccer, highlighted by the addition of our 13th and 14th franchises, an improved schedule of games, and, most importantly, ground-breaking media rights agreements that will guarantee our games are easily accessible to more fans than ever before”.
Clubs may hold preseason camps starting as early as January 22 and ending no later than January 29 before the start of league play, in accordance with CBA and NWSL regulations.
The NWSL Challenge Cup, which debuted in 2024, has been restructured to begin each season as a single match pitting the defending NWSL Champion against the winner of the previous year’s NWSL Shield, presented by CarMax.
The Challenge Cup will act as a rematch of the Championship match from the previous season if the Shield winner and the NWSL Champion are the same team.
The 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup will take place on Friday, March 15, in advance of the regular season’s opening on Saturday, March 16, between San Diego Wave FC, the winner of the 2023 NWSL Shield, presented by CarMax, and NJ/NY Gotham FC, the reigning NWSL Champions.
The game will be broadcast live on Prime Video, kicking off the 2024 NWSL lineup on the platform, which will also feature coverage of Friday night games and a league playoff quarterfinal.
The 182-match regular season, which consists of a balanced 26-match schedule, will take place over 25 weeks. The NWSL schedule has been structured to prevent holding games during FIFA windows and to provide the best players in the league with flexibility while they compete for both their clubs and their countries.
Apart from the CBA-mandated league break that takes place from July 8 to 14, the NWSL will also take a break from league play from July 15 to August 18, 2024, to coincide with the Paris Olympics. The weekend of July 19–21 will see the league host a tournament that will include all 14 NWSL clubs and international competitors. We will soon have more information about the competition and its format.
Each team will participate in 26 regular season games, 13 of which will be played at home and 13 away.
Eight clubs will advance to the 2024 NWSL Playoffs as a result of the league’s modified playoff structure, which will see four quarterfinal games instead of semifinal byes.
The semifinal round is scheduled for the weekend of November 16–17, with the quarterfinal round taking place the following weekend, on November 9–10. The NWSL Championship on November 23 will mark the end of the 2024 campaign.
At a later time, the complete league schedule and related broadcast information will be made available.
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