# National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)

> The National Women's Soccer League operates the top-flight U.S. club competition that connects elite players, independently owned clubs, fans, broadcasters and sponsors. Its product is not only the match: it is a year-round system for scheduling and governing competition, distributing media, developing commercial partnerships, selling tickets and merchandise, and creating a safer, more globally competitive labor market for women players.

- **Founded:** 2012
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Founders:** U.S. Soccer Federation (Co-founding federation), Canada Soccer (Co-founding federation), Mexican Football Federation (Co-founding federation)
- **Team size:** Approximately 310 employees (provided company record; not independently verified).
- **Products:** NWSL regular season and playoffs, NWSL Challenge Cup, NWSL+, League media and content, Licensing and merchandise
- **Notable:** Launched in 2013 with eight clubs and reached 16 active clubs for the 2026 season., Secured four-year domestic media agreements with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports, widely reported at $240 million in total value., Surpassed two million regular-season attendees for the first time in 2024.

## Products & services

- **NWSL regular season and playoffs** — A national top-flight club competition, including a regular season, eight-team playoff and championship.
- **NWSL Challenge Cup** — A marquee competition between the reigning league champion and Shield winner in its current format.
- **NWSL+** — The league's direct streaming service for selected live matches, replays and programming, with availability varying by territory and rights package.
- **League media and content** — National match production, highlights, editorial coverage, statistics, schedules and social programming distributed directly and through media partners.
- **Licensing and merchandise** — League and club apparel, kits, collectibles and licensed products sold through official retail channels.
- **Adult and youth combines** — Player-identification showcases designed to widen professional scouting pathways after elimination of the college draft.

## Achievements

- Launched in 2013 with eight clubs and reached 16 active clubs for the 2026 season.
- Secured four-year domestic media agreements with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports, widely reported at $240 million in total value.
- Surpassed two million regular-season attendees for the first time in 2024.
- Recorded 2.62 billion minutes watched across platforms in 2025.
- Drew 1.184 million average viewers for the 2025 championship on CBS, then a league record.
- Eliminated the draft, created unrestricted free agency and added revenue sharing in the 2024-30 CBA.
- Awarded its 18th franchise to Columbus for a 2028 debut alongside Atlanta.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Launched the Summer of Soccer campaign around the 2026 men's World Cup, combining creators, fan activations and broadcast integrations.
- **2026-04** — Awarded Columbus the league's 18th franchise for a 2028 launch; Atlanta is also scheduled to begin in 2028.
- **2026-03** — Opened the first 16-club season with Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC; the 2026 base salary cap was set at $3.5 million, rising to $3.7 million with revenue sharing.
- **2026-02** — Added CVS Pharmacy as a multi-year health and wellness partner tied to NWSL Youth Clinics and club programs.
- **2025-11** — Gotham FC won the championship; its CBS audience averaged a record 1.184 million viewers.

## Links

- Website: https://www.nwslsoccer.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-women's-soccer-league
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NWSL
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NWSLsoccer
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nwsl/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/NWSL/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nwsl

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Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-14