The National Women’s Soccer League is adjusting its season start date for the first time in league history to accommodate the Women’s FIFA World Cup in 2027. Rather than kicking off in mid-March as is typical, the NWSL will start play on Feb. 6.
Hot on the heels of the Men’s FIFA World Cup mania that overtook soccer fans worldwide, the women’s teams must now prepare for their time in the spotlight, and for North American soccer teams, that means adjusting their 2027 season schedule.
According to The IX Sports, the 2027 NWSL season will begin with the annual Challenge Cup on Feb. 6 and the first regular season game will be on Feb. 11 in Los Angeles, just days after the Super Bowl is contested in the same city.
The Women’s FIFA World Cup will halt the NWSL season from June 24 to July 25, 2027.
“We’re really proud that Week 13, which was again our first week back, was the number one linear week of 2026. Our thesis was that the halo of the World Cup would ignite the appetite of people to want to watch more soccer, and that turned out to be true,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. “We know that major tournaments inspire millions of people to follow the sport, and our schedule allows us to be part of the lead-in and the lead-out of that big moment.”
Positioning the start of the NWSL season around the Super Bowl was no accident. Berman told The IX Sports that the league believes the sports action and shared broadcast partners, as well as opportunities to share women’s soccer stories alongside the Super Bowl, will all elevate the women’s game, and build excitement for the Women’s FIFA World Cup.
“We [are] intentionally, again seeing the success we’ve had about leaning into the halo of the Men’s World Cup, using that same thesis for next year,” Berman said. “And so next year, for those who don’t know, it is an ABC Super Bowl, and because we share a broadcast partner, we will be working closely with ESPN to make sure that the NWSL is woven into the weekend stories, and we’re very excited about that.”
