National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)American Women’s Professional Football (soccer) League that started playing in 2013. The first professional female league in UNITED STATESThe Women’s United Soccer Association made its debut in 2001; This iteration Folded after three seasons and was replaced by professional female football from 2007 to 12. The NWSL made its debut in 2012. The League, which played its first match on April 13, 2013, consisted of eight teams. There have been several extensions during the next decade, and since the 2024 season, there were 14 teams, with plans to add 2 other teams by 2026.
NWSL compound 14 teams of the 2024 season. They are:
The League should add the Bos Nation FC as its 15th team in 2026. The NWSL previously included three teams – the Boston Breakers, FC Kansas City and Western new York Flash – These are now deceased. The latest Western New York flash was bought by North Carolina FC and reclaimed North Carolina Courage in January 2017.
The NWSL awards the shield every year to the team that collects the best record for the regular season. Shield winners are listed below (note that the 2020 regular season has been canceled due to the COVVI-19 pandemic).
| year | winner | points | save |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Western New York Flash | 38 | 10–4–8 |
| 2014 | Seattle Reign FC | 54 | 16–2–6 |
| 2015 | Seattle Reign FC | 43 | 13–3–4 |
| 2016 | Portland Thorns FC | 41 | 12–3–5 |
| 2017 | Northern Caroline Courage | 49 | 16–7–1 |
| 2018 | Northern Caroline Courage | 54 | 17–1–6 |
| 2019 | Northern Caroline Courage | 49 | 15–5–4 |
| 2021 | Portland Thorns FC | 44 | 13–6–5 |
| 2022 | Seattle reigns | 40 | 11–4–7 |
| 2023 | San Diego Wave FC | 37 | 11–7–4 |
| 2024 | Orlando Pride | 60 | 18–2–6 |
In the history of the League, only the courage of Caroline du Nord won the shield and the championship of the same season, first in 2018 and again in 2019. The winners of the NWSL championship are given below.
| year | winner | finalist | score |
|---|---|---|---|
| * Won on penalty kicks. | |||
| 2013 | Portland Thorns FC | Western New York Flash | 2–0 |
| 2014 | FC Kansas City | Seattle reigns | 2–1 |
| 2015 | FC Kansas City | Seattle reigns | 1–0 |
| 2016 | Western New York Flash | Washington Spirit | 2–2 * |
| 2017 | Portland Thorns FC | Northern Caroline Courage | 1–0 |
| 2018 | Northern Caroline Courage | Portland Thorns FC | 3-0 |
| 2019 | Northern Caroline Courage | Chicago Stars FC | 4-0 |
| 2021 | Washington Spirit | Chicago Stars FC | 2–1 |
| 2022 | Portland Thorns FC | Kansas City Current | 2–0 |
| 2023 | NJ / NY GOTHAM FC | Seattle reigns | 2–1 |
| 2024 | |||
The 2020 season was affected by the COVVI-19 epidemic and saw a new competition, the CUP challenge. It was played as a tournament until the 2024 season, when it was played as a single match between the championship and the winners of the 2023 championship. The winners of the Défi Cup are listed below.
| year | winner | finalist | score |
|---|---|---|---|
| * Won on penalty kicks. | |||
| 2020 | Houston Dash | Chicago Stars FC | 2–0 |
| 2021 | Portland Thorns FC | NJ / NY GOTHAM FC | 1–1 * |
| 2022 | Northern Caroline Courage | Washington Spirit | 2–1 |
| 2023 | Northern Caroline Courage | Racing Louisville FC | 2–0 |
| 2024 | San Diego Wave FC | NJ / NY GOTHAM FC | 1–0 |
The popularity of the league has increased regularly. Presence In 2023, the season broke records. This fueled the desire for expansion, as, in the words of the league commissioner, Jessica Berman, “attendance is rocket fuel which leads to all the growth of all that (the league is) built and creates excitement around (the) game.” In 2023, the NWSL announced its intention to add two teams during its 2026 season. It also announced its participation in the newly formed female league forum, a conglomeration of 16 professional female football leagues (football) around the world which supports the interest of female leagues in the world. Perhaps the most important, the League has finalized a broadcasting agreement over four years worth 240 million dollars. Split on four networks, the coverage of the League competitions was to generate the annual income which had had some 40 times that had accumulated previous years. According to the NWSL, it was the biggest broadcasting agreement for a female sports league in television history.
More developments occurred in 2024. The League made its NWSL +debut, a streaming service devoted to the League games in March of the same year. The 2024 NWSL season also saw the opening of the CPKC stadium in Missouri. Housing the Kansas City Current, CPKC is the first stadium in the world built specifically for a female sports team.
