64-537: The NWSL Shield is an annual award given to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team with the best regular season record as determined by the NWSL points system. The NWSL Shield has been awarded annually since 2013 and is recognized as a major trophy by the league. The North Carolina Courage and Seattle Reign FC , each with three NWSL Shields since the league's inception in 2013, are tied as of 2023 for
128-632: A new team run by the Dynamo organization for expansion in 2014, despite their earlier statement that there would be no expansion for the league's second season. During the second offseason, expansion talk grew rapidly, with three established men's teams ( Real Salt Lake of MLS, the Indy Eleven of NASL, and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of USL Pro) expressing interest in joining NWSL, as well as an unattached group from Atlanta. There
192-550: A salary cap that limits their total spending on players. Before the 2022 season, salaries of federation players were paid for completely or mostly by their respective national federations, and they counted against the salary cap at a pre-determined amount—$ 33,000 for U.S. players, and $ 27,500 or the actual salary for Canadian players, whichever is lower. Non-federation players are subject to minimum and maximum salary limits. Each team provides fully paid healthcare for its players, and also provides housing, either directly or through
256-565: A 1–1 draw in front of a crowd of 6,784 fans at Shawnee Mission District Stadium . Renae Cuellar scored the first goal in league history. The 2013 season saw regular-season attendance average of 4,270, with a high of 17,619 on August 4 for Kansas City at Portland. The NWSL became the first U.S. professional women's soccer league to reach nine teams with the addition of Houston Dash , backed by Major League Soccer (MLS) team Houston Dynamo , in 2014 ; expansion interest, particularly from MLS and USL teams, has continued. The third season saw
320-400: A draw, and no points for a loss. Since the 2022 season , in the event of an end-of-season tie in total accumulated points, the following tie-breakers are used among all teams with the same number of points: All tiebreakers involving goal counts (goal differential, goals for) include all regular-season games, not just games against tied teams. Prior to the 2022 season, the first tie-breaker
384-617: A month. Commissioner Jeff Plush said that over a dozen interested groups had contacted the league in the post-World-Cup weeks; MLS team Orlando City SC was one of the first newly interested groups made public. On October 20, 2015, it was announced that Orlando would be hosting the 10th NWSL team, the Orlando Pride , due to start the 2016 season. At that announcement, the Pride announced that they had hired former U.S. National Women's Team coach Tom Sermanni . On November 16, 2017, it
448-575: A shortened schedule and some early-season roster instability due to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, but the World Cup also provided exposure to the NWSL, which was credited with boosting attendance numbers across the league. The league also became the first professional women's league in the US to play more than three seasons when the league kicked off its fourth season in 2016. The 2020 season
512-406: A stipend of no more than $ 3,000 per month. In addition, teams are allowed to provide their players with the use of a car valued at no more than $ 50,000. These expenses are specifically excluded from cap calculations. In 2019, the maximum senior roster size was expanded to 22 and the minimum to 20, with an additional four supplemental spots for players earning minimum salary that do not count against
576-529: A union. The NWSL recognized the NWSLPA as the players' union on November 15, 2018. As of February 2022, the NWSLPA is led by civil rights attorney and former WPS players' union organizer Meghann Burke . Prior to the 2022 season, the NWSLPA membership did not include United States federation players because those players were contracted to the US Soccer Federation for their NWSL play. With
640-484: A win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings: CONCACAF allocated spots to seven of their member associations, based on eligibility criteria. Each association has one spot in the tournament, with the exception of Mexico and the United States, which have three. The following
704-444: Is the access list for the 2024–25 season. Teams will qualify through their domestic leagues based on sporting merit. The qualification criteria, confirmed on 24 April 2024, were proposed by each member association and ratified by CONCACAF. The pots were confirmed on 7 May 2024, with the qualifying teams being split into six pots of two teams. The draw for the group stage was held on 6 June 2024 at 20:00 EDT ( UTC−4 ). A team
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#1732772358592768-520: The 2008 Summer Olympics . During her tenure with the women's national team, she was in charge of all areas of administration including interfacing with clubs, team travel, payroll, and working with FIFA, CONCACAF, and other federations. Nike, Inc. was selected as league sponsor, providing apparel to all teams as well as the game ball. The first NWSL game was held on April 13, 2013, as the Portland Thorns visited FC Kansas City , playing to
832-735: The LA Strikers and Pali Blues ) and from Hartford, Connecticut , were confirmed failed bids, as was one from the Seattle Sounders Women . There was speculation that the Vancouver Whitecaps Women could be logical candidates especially given the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada; however, the Whitecaps shuttered their women's program (except for one U-18 academy team) in December 2012. During
896-481: The NWSL Player Allocation and subsequent trades. In addition, each team had four spots each season available for international players; these spots could be traded to other teams. The remaining roster spots were required to be filled by domestic players from the United States. Teams filled their rosters via a number of drafts and 4–6 discovery player signings. Mexico stopped allocating players to
960-547: The United Soccer League , one is part of a global portfolio of women's soccer clubs owned by Michele Kang , and seven are independent. Current team Defunct team Former team Future team Soon after launch, the league reportedly planned to expand to ten teams for 2014. Potential candidates included groups not accepted as part of the original eight; groups from the Los Angeles area (joint effort from
1024-799: The United States Soccer Federation (US Soccer) announced a roundtable for discussion of the future of women's professional soccer in the United States. The meeting, which included representatives from US Soccer, WPS teams, the W-League (ceased operation in 2015), and the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), was held in June. By November, after much discussion, owners from the Chicago Red Stars, Boston Breakers and US Soccer recruited an additional six teams. Compared to WPS,
1088-468: The 16th franchise, which is set to join the league in 2026 alongside Boston. A final decision is likely by the end of 2024. In the 2024 season , every NWSL team will use one stadium as its primary home venue. The highest single-game attendance in the league's history was on June 8, 2024, for a game between the Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC at Wrigley Field which drew 35,038. This broke
1152-437: The 2020 season to allow players to refuse federation status, but this change did not become public knowledge until after the end of the abbreviated season. In the 2021 season, clubs were explicitly allowed to use allocation money to sign federation players. In 2021, salary for unallocated players and the team salary cap both increased between 5 and 10 percent. On December 13, 2021, as part of negotiations between U.S. Soccer and
1216-499: The 2020 season, the league terminated its management contract with US Soccer. On November 29, 2012, it was announced that Cheryl Bailey had been named executive director in the new league. Bailey had previously served as general manager of the United States women's national soccer team from 2007 to 2011, which included leading the support staff for the U.S. team during the 2007 and 2011 FIFA Women's World Cups , as well as
1280-505: The 2021 season, announcing its permanent identity of Kansas City Current immediately before its final home game of that season on October 30. On January 12, 2021, then-NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird shared in a press conference that an expansion team in Sacramento would join the league in 2022, but that the team ownership would make the official announcement in due course. A team announcement never materialized, however. In May 2021, it
1344-475: The 2024 season, seven teams (one now defunct) have been crowned NWSL Champions, awarded to the playoff winner, and six teams (one defunct) have claimed the NWSL Shield , awarded to the team in first place at the end of the regular season. The current (2024) NWSL champions and shield winners are the Orlando Pride . As of 2024, the NWSL season runs from March to November and a playoff tournament occurs after
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#17327723585921408-601: The Challenge Cup was a preseason tournament, while in 2023 it ran concurrently with the season. For the 2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup three clubs qualified based on performance in the 2023 season. These clubs were NJ/NY Gotham FC , the playoff champions, San Diego Wave FC , the Shield winners, and Portland Thorns FC , the Shield runners-up. After Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) officially folded in April 2012,
1472-483: The Los Angeles NWSL team became the first American professional sports team founded by a majority-woman ownership group to begin play, and co-founders Portman, Nortman, and Uhrman have publicly discussed their ownership stakes extensively as one way to address gender inequity in sports and to encourage additional investment by women into women's sports. On October 21, 2020, the ownership group announced that
1536-624: The NWSL Shield: North Carolina Courage (3), Seattle Reign FC (3), Portland Thorns FC (2), Orlando Pride (1), San Diego Wave FC (1), and Western New York Flash (1). The Reign was the first team to repeat as Shield winners in 2014 and 2015, and FC Kansas City was the first team to win consecutive championships in the same years, both times defeating the Reign. In 2018, the North Carolina Courage became
1600-527: The NWSL announced that an expansion team in Kansas City would join the league in 2021 and take over player-related assets from Utah Royals FC . The Royals ceased operations at the same time, but the new owners of Utah Soccer LLC (after Dell Loy Hansen completes the sale) would have the option of re-establishing the Royals franchise in 2023. The team played under the placeholder name of Kansas City NWSL in
1664-405: The NWSL, having established its own women's league in 2017, and the numbers of allocated players and international players on each team varied each year due to trades. Effective with the 2022 season, the player allocation system has been fully abolished. Of the 14 teams contesting the 2024 season , four are affiliated with men's Major League Soccer teams, two are affiliated with men's teams of
1728-579: The NWSL, jointly announced on January 31, 2022, that they had entered into the league's first official collective bargaining agreement, which will run through the 2026 season. Under this agreement, the minimum player salary increased to $ 35,000 in the 2022 season. Free agency will formally be added; players with six seasons of NWSL service will become unrestricted free agents in 2023, with the required service time reduced to five seasons from 2024. Additionally, starting in 2024, players with three seasons of NWSL service will receive restricted free agency. Also, should
1792-517: The abolition of the federation player system for 2022 and beyond, the NWSLPA now represents all players in the NWSL. The league and the NWSLPA entered into their first collective bargaining agreement in advance of that season. The winner of the NWSL Championship, the final match of the NWSL playoffs , determines that season's NWSL champion. In addition to receiving the championship trophy,
1856-403: The champion gets to add a star to the crest on its jersey. The playoffs, a single-elimination knockout tournament, are organized by the league in a format similar to other North American professional sports leagues. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams in the standings earn a berth to the tournament; prior to 2024 six teams qualified for the playoffs and prior to 2021, only
1920-683: The competition was able to begin. Later that year the league also played the NWSL Fall Series , a set of 18 games between teams within geographically restricted regions. The NWSL teams are spread across the United States. Each club is allowed a minimum of 20 players on their roster, with a maximum of 22 players (26 when including supplemental players) allowed at any time during the season. Originally, each team's roster included up to three allocated American national team players, up to two allocated Mexico women's national team players, and up to two allocated Canadian national team players via
1984-412: The contracts of the 22 omitted players included one or more option years that each player's club must first decline to exercise by the deadline of November 15 before the player would be eligible for free agency. The players association contended that the contracts expired on their expiration date, and not the option exercise deadline. The players association expected the league to deny the grievance, and for
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2048-493: The dispute to enter arbitration. In 2024 Sophia Smith was signed by the Portland Thorns to a two-year contract extension that made her the highest paid player in the NWSL, but her salary was not disclosed. Active non-United States federation players , including unpaid amateur players, announced their formation of the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) on May 15, 2017, as the first step toward forming
2112-470: The eight teams with the most points from the regular season qualify for the playoffs , introducing a quarterfinal round for all qualified teams. The current playoff format began in 2024 . From 2021 to 2023, the playoffs included six teams, with the top two teams receiving byes to the semi-finals. Prior to 2021, the playoffs included only four teams. The number of regular-season matches had also fluctuated between 20 and 24 in past seasons. In 2021 and 2022
2176-431: The expansion club would be called Angel City FC and announced more group members, among them tennis great Billie Jean King , WNBA star Candace Parker , alpine skiing great Lindsey Vonn and her fiancé at the time, NHL star P. K. Subban , actress and activist Sophia Bush , Latin music pop star Becky G , actor and TV host James Corden , and former US men's soccer international Cobi Jones . On December 7, 2020,
2240-503: The first professional team sport in the U.S. to restart during the pandemic. The Houston Dash won the inaugural Challenge Cup, topping the Chicago Red Stars in the final. 2024%E2%80%9325 CONCACAF W Champions Cup The 2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup is the first season of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup , the annual continental women's football club competition organized by CONCACAF . On 12 March 2024, CONCACAF announced
2304-589: The first team to win both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship in the same season, a feat they repeated in 2019. The trophies won by FC Kansas City and Western New York officially remain with those teams and were not transferred to the expansion or successor teams in Utah and North Carolina that were assigned their player-related assets. This was a non-issue for Utah Royals FC, which won no trophies before folding and having its player-related assets transferred to
2368-595: The franchise now known as the Kansas City Current. Italics indicates a defunct team. Italics indicates a defunct team. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the regular season from starting. Instead the league played the newly announced Challenge Cup , a tournament-style competition, starting in late June, with all teams in a protective bubble in Salt Lake City . This made the NWSL
2432-668: The inaugural edition of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup. The tournament will feature eleven teams from seven CONCACAF member associations. The winner of a preliminary round match between a club from Canada and El Salvador will join the remaining nine teams in the group stage. In the group stage, teams will be split into two groups of five teams. Teams will face each other in a single round-robin format, with each team playing two matches at home and two matches away in August, September and October 2024. The top two clubs from each group will advance to
2496-528: The inaugural season, there were rumors of expansion interest from MLS teams Toronto FC , Vancouver Whitecaps FC , and the New York Red Bulls , as well as confirmed interest from WPSL side the Houston Aces . NWSL team owners hinted that expansion for 2014 was not a question of "if" but "how many". Despite this, it was announced during the playoffs that there would be no expansion for
2560-463: The knockout stage, played at a centralized location in May 2025. The knockout stage will feature semi-finals, a third place play-off and a final to determine the champions of the competition. The tournament is intended to provide a pathway for a future FIFA Women's Club World Cup which FIFA has committed to launching in the future. Teams in the group stage are ranked according to points (3 points for
2624-407: The league become profitable in any season from 2024 to 2026, the players will receive 10 percent of the league's broadcast revenues in the applicable season. On August 25, 2022, the NWSLPA filed a grievance against the NWSL after the league announced the omission of 22 players from a list of 26 who would become eligible to negotiate free-agent contracts for the 2023 season. The league contended that
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2688-541: The league in 2021. The team was originally to be named Proof Louisville FC, but after significant disapproval from fans it was announced that the Proof Louisville FC branding would not necessarily be the final selection, and that the process to determine the team's identity would be restarted. On July 8, 2020, the Louisville team was rebranded as Racing Louisville FC , and its associated visual identity
2752-595: The league previous single-game attendance record of 34,130 from an October 6, 2023 game between Seattle Reign FC and the Washington Spirit , which was Megan Rapinoe 's final regular season appearance. On June 3, 2023, a double-header featuring Seattle Reign FC and Portland Thorns FC alongside a Major League Soccer matchup between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers drew an announced attendance of 42,054. In each season, teams receive
2816-645: The league's second season, though the Red Bulls and Sky Blue FC confirmed that they were in discussions for cooperation. During the first offseason, the Houston Dynamo added their name to the list of MLS teams interested in fielding a women's side, stating that they were "exploring the opportunity" of starting an NWSL side in 2014 or '15, and in 2013 they announced the Houston Dash with 2014 as their inaugural season. By early December, NWSL approved
2880-431: The most shields won by any NWSL team. The Orlando Pride are the current ( 2024 ) winners. In 2024, CONCACAF announced that the NWSL Shield winner and runner-up qualified by virtue of those accomplishments for the 2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup , the inaugural edition of that competition. When the NWSL was launched in 2013 , the league's format was set up similarly to other contemporary North American leagues. After
2944-615: The new Real Salt Lake ownership had the rights to an approximately $ 2 million expansion franchise fee to bring back the Utah Royals to the Salt Lake City area. In addition the three finalists for the 14th expansion club were a group from the San Francisco Bay Area, Tampa, and Boston. It is thought these teams would join for the 2024 season. The highest bid was reported to be $ 40 million. On January 27, 2023, it
3008-460: The regular season, the NWSL playoffs were held, with the top four teams vying for a spot in the postseason championship match. The club with the most regular-season points was awarded the NWSL Shield and earned the top seed in the playoffs. Since the 2013 inaugural season , the system of awarding points in the NWSL is the same as the international standard : three points for a win, one for
3072-399: The remaining team from Pot 2 and placing them into Group B. The Group Stage draw continued with the same procedure done for the remaining pots. The schedule of the competition is as follows. The qualified teams from Canada and El Salvador will participate in the preliminary round, with the winner joining the remaining nine teams in the group stage. In the knockout stage, if a match
3136-399: The salaries of their national team players (24 from the US, 16 from Canada, and 12 to 16 from Mexico) to aid the teams in creating world-class rosters while staying under the salary cap. The players would be distributed evenly (as possible) among the eight teams in an allocation process . The teams would own the league, and the league would contract US Soccer to manage league operations. After
3200-536: The salary cap to invest in qualified current or future players; allocation money can be traded. Multi-year contracts (up to three years plus one option year) are now permitted, year-round housing becomes mandatory, and the cap for permitted team assistance has been removed. When originally announced, allocation money could not be used to supplement the salaries of U.S. or Canadian federation players, and players could not refuse federation status to access allocation money. The allocation rules were quietly changed in advance of
3264-434: The salary cap. As of 2021, the minimum senior roster size is 22 and the maximum 24, so each team could carry a maximum total of 28 players on its active roster. The NWSL introduced significant changes to its compensation guidelines before the 2020 season. In addition to a sizable increase in the salary cap and the salary limits for unallocated players, teams now can purchase up to $ 300,000 in "allocation money" in excess of
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#17327723585923328-484: The season culminating in the NWSL championship game in late November. The NWSL has transitioned the NWSL Challenge Cup to a super cup between the current NWSL Shield holder and current NWSL Champions. Each team is scheduled for 26 regular-season games, with 13 homes games and 13 away games. At the end of the regular season, the team with the highest point total is awarded the NWSL Shield . Beginning in 2024
3392-611: The teams would intentionally operate at a lower cost structure and manage growth in a sustainable way. In November 2012, it was announced that there would be eight teams in a new women's professional soccer league that was yet to be named at the time of the announcement, with national team players subsidized by US Soccer , the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF). The three federations would pay for
3456-555: The top four teams qualified for the playoffs. The league also awards the NWSL Shield to the team with the best record (most points) at the end of the regular season. Like the playoff championship, it is recognized as a major trophy by the league. The first NWSL Championship was played on September 1, 2013. As of November 2024 , six teams have been crowned NWSL Champions: Portland Thorns FC (3), FC Kansas City (2), North Carolina Courage (2), NJ/NY Gotham FC (1), Washington Spirit (1), and Western New York Flash (1). Six teams have claimed
3520-409: The union representing USWNT players, both agreed to end the allocation system for USWNT members, effective with the 2022 season. Starting in that season, the club salaries of all USWNT players will be paid directly by their NWSL clubs, and these players will be represented in their club employment by the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA). The NWSL and the NWSLPA, the union representing all players in
3584-621: Was also rumored or suggested interest from three men's teams in California, though none of those groups made official statements. Despite this interest, it was announced in late April 2015 that there would be no expansion for the 2016 season. However, after the well-publicized success of the US Women's National soccer team, renewed interest in NWSL expansion caused reports from the owners' meeting that "a new team in 2016 has not been ruled out", with potential expansion news to be revealed within
3648-896: Was announced on the same day. Racing plays in Lynn Family Stadium , which opened in 2020 as the new home of Louisville City. On July 21, 2020, the NWSL announced that a Los Angeles -based team will begin play in 2022. The team's ownership group, who call themselves "Angel City", is led by president and founder Julie Uhrman, a media and gaming entrepreneur; co-founders Natalie Portman , an Oscar -winning actress, and venture capitalist Kara Nortman ; venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian as lead founding investor; and additional investors including fourteen former USWNT members, most with ties to Southern California; actresses Uzo Aduba , Jessica Chastain , America Ferrera , Jennifer Garner , and Eva Longoria ; talk show host Lilly Singh ; and Ohanian's wife, tennis great Serena Williams . In 2022,
3712-460: Was announced that Real Salt Lake would expand into the NWSL beginning in the 2018 season. The Salt Lake City team, shortly thereafter unveiled as Utah Royals FC , is officially considered a new franchise that replaced FC Kansas City. The NWSL announced on October 22, 2019, that a team in Louisville, Kentucky , affiliated with the city's USL Championship side Louisville City FC , would join
3776-415: Was established in 2012 as the successor to Women's Professional Soccer (WPS; 2007–2012), which was itself the successor to Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003). The league began play in 2013 with eight teams, four of which were former members of WPS (Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC, and Western New York Flash). As of 2024, there are 14 teams across the United States. Through
3840-573: Was head-to-head record. Italics indicates a defunct team. National Women%27s Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League ( NWSL ) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system (alongside the USL Super League ). Headquartered in New York City , it is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federation . The NWSL
3904-528: Was initially postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later canceled. Instead the league played the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup , a special competition hosted in the Salt Lake City region with no spectators. The cup began in late June, making the NWSL the first major U.S. team sports league to return to play. The league was the recipient of a federal loan through the Paycheck Protection Program , which it used to compensate players before
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#17327723585923968-617: Was randomly drawn from Pot 1, consisting of the two Preliminary Round teams, to determine the host of the Preliminary Round match. Then, the ten Group Stage teams (the nine direct qualifiers for the Group Stage plus the as-then-unknown winner of the Preliminary Round) were drawn into two groups of five. The Group Stage draw began by randomly selecting a team from Pot 2 and placing them into Group A and then selecting
4032-651: Was reported that the NWSL would expand to Utah, San Francisco and Boston. The owners in Utah would pay $ 2–5 million, while the groups in San Francisco and Boston would pay $ 50 million. Utah and San Francisco would join the NWSL in 2024 and Boston would join the NWSL later. On March 11, 2023, it was confirmed that the Utah team would join in 2024, inheriting the Utah Royals FC name and history. League Commissioner Jessica Berman announced on Nov. 22, 2024, that Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Denver were finalists for
4096-446: Was reported that the ownership group behind the Sacramento expansion would be seeking NWSL approval to move its expansion rights to San Diego instead. On June 8, 2021, the NWSL officially announced a San Diego expansion team, ultimately named San Diego Wave FC , with former United States women's national soccer team head coach Jill Ellis as president. In late 2022, it was reported the likely 13th expansion club would be in Utah, as
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