NWSL Reveals Complete Schedule for 2026 Regular Season

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) released its schedule for the 2026 regular season on Thursday. This season will be the longest yet, featuring 30 matches over 27 weeks, including three midweek games for each team. The season starts on March 13 and concludes with Decision Day on November 1, with the NWSL Championship set for November 21 on CBS.

The opening match on March 13 will see the Spirit face the Thorns on Amazon Prime, a rematch of their semifinal from last November, which the Spirit won. The following day, Boston Legacy FC, an expansion team, will host NWSL Champion Gotham in their inaugural match, broadcast live on ABC.

The other expansion team, Denver Summit FC, will play its first match on March 14 against Bay FC. The Summit’s home opener is set for March 29 against the Spirit.

Week 1 matches are the first competitive games between NWSL teams after the Challenge Cup was rescheduled for June. The Challenge Cup match between Gotham and Kansas City Current will occur on June 26 in Columbus. June will mainly be a break for the league, with the Men’s World Cup affecting the schedule.

The World Cup will also impact NWSL venues. Seattle Reign FC will host its first three home games at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Washington, as Lumen Field undergoes preparations for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. The matches in Spokane will be close together, with Kansas City visiting on March 25, Louisville on March 28, and Denver on April 4. Lumen Field will host its first game on April 26 when the Utah Royals visit.

Gotham FC will play most of its home games at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ. Its televised match against the Reign will take place at Icahn Stadium, a venue in Manhattan on July 18. The home match against the Spirit on July 15 will be held at a yet-to-be-determined location.

The Legacy will split its home games between two stadiums, as its main venue, White Stadium, is not expected to be ready until 2027. Eight games will be at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and seven at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

The Summit will host matches at three venues. Most of the Summit’s 15 home games will be at Centennial Stadium in Centennial, CO. However, since this stadium will not be ready for the season, two matches will be held at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO, and the season opener against the Spirit will be at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. Centennial Stadium is expected to host its first match on July 3 against Kansas City.

The other 12 teams will play all 15 home games at their designated venues, including the Stars at Northwestern Medicine Field, which previously hosted a match in 2025 with a large crowd.

The league also revealed its television partners for all 240 matches, including the Challenge Cup and playoffs. Victory+ will debut with a doubleheader on March 15, featuring matches between the Reign and Pride and the Stars at Angel City. Victory+ will have a regular schedule every Sunday, barring one week, but will not cover the playoffs. ION will also return for a third season, airing Saturday night double and triple-headers. ESPN and CBS are among the other broadcast partners.

Home openers:

Washington Spirit v. Portland Thorns – March 13 – 8 pm ET – Audi Field – Prime Video
Boston Legacy v. Gotham FC – March 14 – 12:30 pm ET – Gillette Stadium – ABC
Kansas City Current v. Utah Royals – March 14 – 4 pm ET – CPKC Stadium – ION
Bay FC v. Denver Summit – March 14 – 6:30 pm ET – PayPal Park – ION
North Carolina Courage v. Racing Louisville – March 14 – 7 pm ET – First Horizon Stadium – NWSL+
San Diego Wave v. Houston Dash – March 14 – 8:45 pm ET – Snapdragon Stadium – ION
Orlando Pride v. Seattle Reign – March 15 – 4 pm ET – Inter&Co Stadium – Victory+
Angel City v. Chicago Stars – March 15 – 7 pm ET – BMO Stadium – Victory+
Racing Louisville v. Washington Spirit – March 20 – 8 pm ET – Lynn Family Stadium – Victory+
Portland Thorns v. Seattle Reign – March 20 – 10 pm ET – Providence Park – Prime Video
Houston Dash v. Boston Legacy – March 21 – 4 pm ET – Shell Energy Stadium – ION
Gotham FC v. North Carolina Courage – March 21 – 6:30 pm ET – Sports Illustrated Stadium – ION
Chicago Stars v. Kansas City Current – March 22 – 2:30 pm ET – Northwestern Medicine Field – ESPN2
Utah Royals v. San Diego Wave – March 22 – 7 pm ET – America First Field – Victory+
Seattle Reign v. Kansas City Current – March 25 – 9 pm ET – ONE Spokane Stadium – NWSL+
Denver Summit v. Washington Spirit – March 28 – 2 pm ET – Empower Field at Mile High – CBS

The NWSL will conclude the season with Decision Day, where all 16 teams will play at 5 pm ET on November 1. Matches include Bay FC hosting San Diego Wave, Gotham FC welcoming Utah Royals, and the Spirit against the Stars, all broadcast on ESPN platforms.

Out of the 240 regular-season games, 14 will be nationally broadcast on major networks—three on ABC and 11 on CBS. Under the new agreement with Victory+, 58 games will be shown on this streaming service. The complete schedule includes 28 games on NWSL+, 25 on Prime Video, 25 on CBS Sports, and 31 across various ESPN channels, with 60 games on ION.

Nationally-televised games

Boston Legacy v. Gotham FC – March 14 – 12:30 pm ET – Gillette Stadium – ABC
Denver Summit v. Washington Spirit – March 28 – 2 pm ET – Empower Field at Mile High – CBS
Portland Thorns v. Kansas City Current – March 28 – 4 pm ET – Providence Park – CBS
Kansas City Current v. Gotham FC – April 4 – 4 pm ET – CPKC Stadium – CBS
Gotham FC v. Bay FC – April 25 – 1 pm ET – Sports Illustrated Stadium – CBS
Kansas City Current v. Portland Thorns – May 24 – 1 pm ET – CPKC Stadium – CBS
Gotham FC v. Seattle Reign – July 18 – 12 pm ET – Ichan Stadium – ABC
Denver Summit v. Portland Thorns – July 18 – 2 pm ET – Centennial Stadium – CBS
Bay FC v. North Carolina Courage – July 18 – 4 pm ET – PayPal Park – CBS
Denver Summit v. Gotham FC – September 6 – 12 pm ET – Centennial Stadium – CBS
Portland Thorns v. Washington Spirit – September 6 – 4 pm ET – Providence Park – CBS
Kansas City Current v. Denver Summit – September 26 – 12:30 pm ET – CPKC Stadium – CBS
Gotham FC v. Angel City – October 4 – 12 pm ET – Sports Illustrated Stadium – ABC
Washington Spirit v. Gotham FC – October 17 – 12:30 pm ET – Audi Field – CBS

Rivalry matches

Portland Thorns v. Seattle Reign – March 20 – 10 pm ET – Providence Park – Prime Video
Boston Legacy v. Denver Summit – May 3 – 3 pm ET – Gillette Stadium – CBS Sports
Angel City FC v. San Diego Wave – May 9 – 8:45 pm ET – BMO Stadium – ION
San Diego Wave v. Angel City FC – July 11 – 8:45 pm ET – Snapdragon Stadium – ION
Seattle Reign v. Portland Thorns – July 12 – 4 pm ET – Lumen Field – ESPN
Gotham FC v. Washington Spirit – July 15 – 7 pm ET – TBD – NWSL+
Washington Spirit v. Gotham FC – October 17 – 12:30 pm ET – Audi Field – CBS

Playoffs

Quarterfinal #1 – November 6 – 8 pm ET – Prime Video
Quarterfinal #2 – November 7 – 12 pm ET – CBS
Quarterfinal #3 – November 8 – 12:30 pm ET – ABC
Quarterfinal #4 – November 8 – 3 pm ET – ABC
Semifinal #1 – November 14 – 12 pm ET – CBS
Semifinal #2 – November 15 – 3 pm ET – ABC
Championship – November 21 – 8 pm ET – CBS