National Women's Soccer League
Season2024
DatesMarch 15 – November 23, 2024
Matches played182
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2025 →

The 2024 National Women's Soccer League season will be the twelfth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it will be the 18th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. 14 teams will compete in the league, including expansion teams Bay FC and Utah Royals (the latter being the revival of a team that had played in the league from 2018 to 2020).

The season is scheduled to begin with the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup, a supercup match between the reigning playoff champion (NJ/NY Gotham FC) and NWSL Shield winner San Diego Wave FC, on March 15, 2024. The regular season will begin the following day and run until November 3; it will pause for a month between July 8 and August 18 for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Each team will play 26 matches, an increase of four from the 2023 season. The playoffs will comprise the top eight teams and run from November 9 to November 23.[1][2] The 2024 season is the first under a new broadcast agreement with CBS Sports, ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video; a total of 118 matches will be televised or streamed.[1]

Teams, stadiums, and personnel

Stadiums and locations

Team Stadium Capacity
Angel City FC BMO Stadium 22,000
Bay FC PayPal Park 18,000
Chicago Red Stars SeatGeek Stadium 20,000
Houston Dash Shell Energy Stadium 7,000[lower-alpha 1]
Kansas City Current CPKC Stadium 11,500
NJ/NY Gotham FC Red Bull Arena 25,000
North Carolina Courage Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park 10,000
Orlando Pride Exploria Stadium 25,500
Portland Thorns FC Providence Park 25,218
Racing Louisville FC Lynn Family Stadium 11,700[lower-alpha 2]
San Diego Wave FC Snapdragon Stadium 32,000
Seattle Reign FC Lumen Field 10,000[lower-alpha 3]
Utah Royals America First Field 20,213
Washington Spirit Audi Field 20,000
  1. ↑ Shell Energy Stadium has a capacity of 22,039, but the maximum capacity for Dash games is restricted to 7,000.
  2. ↑ Seated capacity; full capacity with standing room is 15,304.[3]
  3. ↑ Lumen Field has a capacity of 68,740; standard configuration for Reign games seats 10,000 but can expand based on demand for individual games.[4]
Locations of the National Women's Soccer League teams in 2024.

Personnel and sponsorship

Note: All teams use Nike as their kit manufacturer as part of a league-wide sponsorship agreement renewed in November 2021.[5]

Team Head coach Captain Shirt sponsor
Angel City FC England Becki Tweed New Zealand Ali Riley DoorDash
Bay FC United States Albertin Montoya Sutter Health[6]
Chicago Red Stars Jamaica Lorne Donaldson United States Alyssa Naeher CIBC
Houston Dash Spain Fran Alonso Canada Sophie Schmidt MD Anderson Cancer Center
Kansas City Current North Macedonia Vlatko Andonovski United States Lo'eau LaBonta United Way of Greater Kansas City[7]
NJ/NY Gotham FC Spain Juan Carlos Amorós Algorand
North Carolina Courage United States Sean Nahas Republic of Ireland Denise O'Sullivan Merz Aesthetics
Orlando Pride England Seb Hines Brazil Marta Orlando Health
Portland Thorns FC England Mike Norris Canada Christine Sinclair Providence Health & Services
Racing Louisville FC United States Bev Yanez United States Jaelin Howell GE Appliances
San Diego Wave FC England Casey Stoney United States Alex Morgan Kaiser Permanente
Seattle Reign FC England Laura Harvey United States Lauren Barnes Black Future Co-op Fund
Utah Royals United States Amy Rodriguez
Washington Spirit United States Aubrey Kingsbury CVS Health

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming coach Date of appointment Ref.
Utah Royals Preseason United States Amy Rodriguez April 19, 2023 [8]
Bay FC Preseason United States Albertin Montoya September 27, 2023 [9]
Chicago Red Stars United States Ella Masar (interim) End of interim period October 16, 2023 Preseason Jamaica Lorne Donaldson December 20, 2023 [10]
Houston Dash England Sarah Lowdon (interim) End of interim period October 16, 2023 Preseason Spain Fran Alonso December 22, 2023 [11]
Kansas City Current Finland Caroline Sjöblom (interim) End of interim period October 16, 2023 Preseason North Macedonia Vlatko Andonovski October 23, 2023 [12]
Washington Spirit England Mark Parsons Fired October 17, 2023 Preseason [13]
Angel City FC England Becki Tweed (interim) End of interim period October 21, 2023 Preseason England Becki Tweed November 2, 2023 [14]
Racing Louisville FC Sweden Kim Björkegren Mutual separation October 27, 2023 Preseason United States Bev Yanez November 30, 2023 [15][16]
Washington Spirit (interim) End of interim period TBD[lower-alpha 1] TBD Spain Jonatan Giráldez January 9, 2024 [17]
  1. ↑ Although Giráldez was appointed on January 9, 2024, he will not join the Spirit until after the conclusion of the 2023–24 FC Barcelona Femení season.

Regular season

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Angel City FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NWSL Shield, playoffs
2 Bay FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Playoffs
3 Chicago Red Stars 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Houston Dash 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Kansas City Current 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 NJ/NY Gotham FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 North Carolina Courage 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Orlando Pride 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 Portland Thorns FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Racing Louisville FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 San Diego Wave FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 Seattle Reign FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 Utah Royals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Washington Spirit 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: March 16, 2024. Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Tiebreakers

The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings is most points earned, with three points earned for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams tie in total points total when determining rank, playoff qualification, and seeding, the NWSL uses the following tiebreaker criteria, going down the list until all teams are ranked.[18]

  1. Greater goal difference across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
  2. Most total wins across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
  3. Most goals scored across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
  4. Head-to-head results (total points) between the tied teams.
  5. Head-to-head most goals scored between the tied teams.
  6. Fewest disciplinary points accumulated across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
  7. Coin flip (if two teams are tied) or drawing of lots (if three or more teams are tied).

Attendance

Average home attendances

Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.

Highest attendances

Statistical leaders

As of October 14, 2023.[19]

Playoffs

Challenge Cup

Individual awards

As of July 10, 2023

Monthly awards

Player of the Month

Rookie of the Month

Team of the Month

Weekly awards

References

  1. 1 2 Hernandez, Victoria (December 7, 2023). "2024 NWSL schedule includes expanded playoffs, break for Paris Olympics". USA Today. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ "2024 Competition Calendar" (PDF). National Women's Soccer League. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ Gardner, Hayes (October 14, 2021). "'A world-class city': Next month's NWSL Championship game moves to Louisville". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  4. ↑ Rantz, Susie (December 15, 2021). "OL Reign's move to Lumen Field, explained". Sounder At Heart.
  5. ↑ Carp, Sam (November 22, 2021). "NWSL's Nike extension is league's 'most substantial' sponsorship deal to date". SportsPro. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Bay FC Announces Historic Sponsorship with Sutter Healthas First Founding Partner, Front-of-Kit Partner and Official Medical Provider". Bay FC. December 13, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Kansas City Current Announces Multi-Year Front-of-Kit Partnership with United Way of Greater Kansas City" (Press release). Kansas City Current. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Utah appoint ex-USWNT star Rodriguez as coach". ESPN.com. April 19, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Bay FC Names Albertin Montoya the Club's First Head Coach". Bay FC. September 27, 2023.
  10. ↑ Salazar, Emmanuel (December 20, 2023). "Chicago Red Stars Appoint Lorne Donaldson as Head Coach".
  11. ↑ FC, Houston Dynamo. "Fran Alonso to lead Houston Dash as next head coach | Houston Dynamo". Houston Dynamo FC.
  12. ↑ "KC Current Announce Vlatko Andonovski as Head Coach and Sporting Director - Kansas City Current". www.kansascitycurrent.com. October 23, 2023.
  13. ↑ Spirit, Washington (October 17, 2023). "Head Coach Mark Parsons Will Not Return to Washington Spirit for 2024 Season". Washington Spirit.
  14. ↑ "Angel City Names Becki Tweed Head Coach". Angel City.
  15. ↑ "Björkegren departs Racing; club opens search for next head coach".
  16. ↑ "Racing Louisville appoints Bev Yanez as new head coach".
  17. ↑ Spirit, Washington (January 9, 2024). "Washington Spirit Names FC Barcelona Femení's Jonatan Giráldez Costas New Head Coach". Washington Spirit.
  18. ↑ "2023 Competition Rules & Regulations" (PDF). National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  19. ↑ "NWSL Stats". National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
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