So, the draft was held in January, what's happening now in the league?
According to the NWSL 2024 Competition Calendar, each team's 40-person roster was completed by January 29. Teams have begun preseason practices, and a cut to a 32-person roster deadline is imminent (Monday, February 26).
Final roster compliance—when teams must sign a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 26 players—is then due on Wednesday, March 13.
The new-format 2024 Challenge Cup, Friday, March 15, is a one-off match not part of the regular season, featuring the 2023 NWSL Supporters Shield winner (awarded to the club with the best record at the end of the regular season), San Diego Wave FC and the 2023 NWSL Championship winner, NJ/NY Gotham FC. The match will be held at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
The regular season officially begins the following day on Saturday, March 16, when the Kansas City Current hosts the Portland Thorns FC at 1 p.m. (ET). The match will air on ABC and is the inaugural one at CPKC Stadium, the first purpose-built (NWSL soccer) stadium for a women’s professional sports team. That opening matchup also features two of the game’s biggest global stars as Kansas City Current midfielder Debinha and Portland Thorns FC’s reigning NWSL Golden Boot winner Sophia Smith, both 2023 Ballon d'Or Féminin nominees, lead their teams.
On Tuesday, April 16, the primary transfer and trade windows close.
This seems like a good place for us to supply a link to the standard player agreement and the collective bargaining agreement which was negotiated (NWSL/NWSLPA) in 2022 and runs through 2026 for those who want to dive into the legal details and business side of the league.
In 2024 the NWSL features a mandatory week off from July 8 through 14, and the NWSL Tournament runs from July 20 through August 18. (The tournament is separate from regular-season play.)
The secondary transfer and trade windows open on Thursday, August 1 and closes on August 30.
Monday, October 7, 2024, is the final day to waive players prior to what is called the "Roster Freeze" which is followed the next day with the commencement of a Waiver Wire process which concludes the following day, October 9, and is the last day to take "options" on upcoming free agents.
Thursday, October 10, is the roster freeze date, whereby 2024 semi-guaranteed contracts become guaranteed and free agents can begin contract negotiations. (Are you ready to become an agent yet?)
The regular season ends on Sunday, November 3, and the NWSL Quarterfinals are set for the following weekend, November 9-10.
The NWSL Semifinals follow on Saturday and Sunday, November 16 and 17, with the Championship match set for Saturday, November 23, 2024.
See the schedule page for a complete list of outlets airing matches.
A new trade window opens on Monday, November 27 and closes two weeks later on December 9, 2024.