NWSL Teams Allowed to Go $1 Million Over Salary Cap for Key Players

The NWSL announced a new “High Impact Player Rule” on Tuesday, allowing teams to exceed the salary cap by up to $1 million to attract and keep top players.

This rule will take effect on July 1, 2026.

“It is essential for our teams to compete for the best players in the world as we continue to grow our league,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. “The High Impact Player Rule enables teams to strategically invest in top talent, helps retain star players, and shows our commitment to building strong rosters for everyone involved.”

This rule is set to increase league-wide spending by up to $16 million in 2026 and up to $115 million over the life of the current collective bargaining agreement.

“These investments are meant to actively address a competitive global market for top players and enhance clubs’ overall investment capabilities,” the NWSL stated in a news release.

To qualify as a “high-impact player,” athletes must meet at least one of the following criteria:

— Be on SportsPro Media’s Top 150 most marketable athletes within one year before the current league season.

— Be among the Top 30 in Ballon d’Or voting in the two years before the current league season.

— Be in the Top 40 of the Guardian’s Top 100 football players in the world over the last two years.

— Be in the Top 40 of ESPN FC’s Top 50 football players globally in the last two years.

— Rank in the Top 11 for minutes played with the U.S. Women’s National Team in the last two years for field players across all competitions.

— Be the top goalkeeper for minutes played with the USWNT in the last two years across all competitions.

— Be selected as an NWSL MVP finalist in the previous two league seasons.

— Be selected to the end-of-year NWSL Best XI first team in the previous two seasons.

The $1 million cap will increase annually at the same rate as the league’s salary cap. This additional amount can be assigned to one player or shared among several. The charge for high-impact players must be at least 12% of the base salary cap.

The salary cap for the NWSL in 2025 was $3.5 million, following revenue-sharing adjustments.

One of the first players who might benefit from this new rule is Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, who has reportedly received attractive offers from European teams.