NWSL Unveils ’26 Schedule, Built Around U.S.-Hosted FIFA Men’s World Cup
Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 02:58PM By Barry Janoff
July 3, 2025: The NWSL has unveiled the footprint for its 2026 season, which will see the league expand to 16 clubs with the planned expansion of Boston Legacy FC and Denver NWSL and also coincide with the FIFA Men’s World Cup, hosted by the U.S. Mexico and Canada.
The 2026 campaign will feature a 248-match schedule, inclusive of an eight-team playoff and the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup, presented by e.l.f., with a break during the season to accommodate the Men’s World Cup.
With seven of the league’s 16 markets also hosting 2026 World Cup matches, the NWSL said it is “proactively adjusting its scheduling framework to accommodate expected stadium demands.
“The league remains focused on preserving competitive integrity and delivering a successful season while continuing to explore innovative scheduling and operational solutions to navigate the unique challenges of this landmark global event.”
The NWSL is accustomed to taking extended mid-season breaks.
The NWSL took a month-long hiatus for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and is currently on a five-week summer break — which began June 23, with the next games Aug. 1 — to coincide with several continental competitions.
The FIFA 2026 Men’s World Cup is scheduled for June 11-19.
Father down the road, the FIFA 2027 Women’s World Cup will hosted by Brazil June 24-July 26.
The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are scheduled for July-14-30.
The FIFA 2031 Women’s World Cup host will be named this coming April, with the U.S. as the only bid national
The 2026 NWSL season is planned to begin Feb. 20, with the NWSL Challenge Cup, presented by e.l.f. For the third consecutive year, the Cup will open the campaign with a marquee matchup between the reigning NWSL champion and the previous season’s Shield winner. The match will stream live on Prime Video.
The regular season is scheduled to launch March 13. A balanced 30-match schedule will be played over 27 weeks, formatted to avoid staging contests during FIFA windows and will include a league-wide pause in play for a CBA-mandated break. No official NWSL matches will be staged from June 1-28.
The opening round of the 2026 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, is scheduled to begin Nov. 6-8 ahead of the semifinal round on Nov. 13-15.
The league will conclude its 2026 campaign with the 2026 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, on Nov. 21 in a location TBD.
The 2025 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel is scheduled to be played in PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., Nov. 22.
In 2026, the third year of the league’s four-year domestic media rights agreements, more than 120 matches will be distributed across nationally available platforms in 2026, including CBS Sports, ESPN, Scripps-owned ION and Prime Video.
The remaining regular season matches will be available on NWSL+, the league’s domestic direct-to-consumer streaming platform.
ESPN/ABC will air two quarterfinal matches, while CBS/Paramount+ and Prime Video will each distribute one of the remaining two quarterfinal contests. The semifinals will air across CBS/Paramount+ and ESPN/ABC, with each partner carrying one contest.
The 2026 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, will air in primetime for the fifth-consecutive season on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+.
Additional details regarding the 2026 schedule are TK.
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