Back الدوري الوطني لكرة القدم للسيدات Arabic Lligues professionals femenines de futbol als Estats Units Catalan National Women's Soccer League Danish National Women’s Soccer League German National Women's Soccer League Spanish National Women's Soccer League Basque لیگ ملی فوتبال زنان Persian National Women’s Soccer League Finnish National Women's Soccer League French הליגה הלאומית לכדורגל נשים בארצות הברית HE
 | |
| Founded | November 21, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) |
| Number of clubs | 14 (16 in 2026) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| League cup(s) | |
| International cup(s) | CONCACAF W Champions Cup |
| Current champions | Orlando Pride (1st title) (2024) |
| Current NWSL Shield | Orlando Pride (1st shield) (2024) |
| Most championships | Portland Thorns FC (3 titles) |
| Most NWSL Shields | North Carolina Courage Seattle Reign FC (3 shields each) |
| Most appearances | Lauren Barnes (200) (as of March 16, 2024) |
| Top goalscorer | Lynn Williams (79) (as of May 19, 2024) |
| TV partners | CBS Sports ESPN/ABC Prime Video Scripps Sports |
| Website | nwslsoccer |
| Current: 2025 NWSL season | |
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional soccer league at the top of the United States league system (alongside the USL Super League).[1] The league comprises 14 teams (16 in 2026).[2] It is owned by the teams and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation.[3] The NWSL is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.[4]
The NWSL was established in 2012 as the successor to Women's Professional Soccer (WPS; 2007–2012), which was itself the successor to the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA; 2000–2003). The league began play in 2013 with eight teams, four of which were former members of WPS (Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC, and Western New York Flash).[5][6][7]
Through the 2024 season, seven teams (one now defunct) have been crowned NWSL Champions, awarded to the playoff winner, and six teams (one defunct) have claimed the NWSL Shield, awarded to the team in first place at the end of the regular season. The current (2024) NWSL champions and shield winners are the Orlando Pride.[8]
- ^ "New women's top tier league given green light by US Soccer". February 9, 2024.
- ^ "New NWSL franchise gets name: BOS Nation FC". ESPN.com. October 15, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ussf_outwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Silverman, Alex (July 13, 2022). "NWSL moving HQ to N.Y. from Chicago". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Will NWSL be a success? Well ..." espnW. April 11, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ Whiteside, Kelly (November 21, 2012). "Women's pro soccer league to debut in U.S. next year". USA Today. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ Mayers, Joshua. "Seattle will have team in new women's professional league owned by Bill Predmore". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ NWSL (October 7, 2024). "Orlando Pride Claims 2024 NWSL Shield, Presented by CarMax | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved October 7, 2024.