NWSL Considers Changing Schedule After MLS Decision
NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has put “our ecosystem on notice” about the possibility of the league modifying its schedule to begin in late summer and end in late spring. The MLS, which currently runs its season from the beginning of the year to December, recently announced its intention to change its calendar starting in 2027 to align with the rest of the world. The NWSL Board of Governors has extensively debated a calendar change for years. Sources confirmed that a calendar modification was rejected in the fall of 2024.The MLS’s decision to change its season structure could force the NWSL to take action. The NWSL already faces difficulties with stadium availability due to teams being secondary or tertiary tenants in the stadiums they share.Certainly, opportunities can be created by not coinciding with Major League Soccer, as the calendar congestion for our summer schedule will be mitigated. On the other hand, of course, it will create other challenges in terms of understanding and knowing the availability of the stadiums.
Jessica Berman, NWSL Commissioner
A change in the MLS calendar, in theory, would allow the NWSL to schedule matches more easily during the summer, but the opposite could occur. The MLS reserves dates for stadiums during its playoffs, which will now move to May, at the beginning of the traditional NWSL season. This would make it difficult to plan the first part of the NWSL schedule.
In addition, MLS will not begin scheduling its matches for its next season, which will begin at the end of July, until close to summer. This could leave the NWSL in a holding pattern throughout the year in several stadiums. Twelve of the 16 NWSL teams will play in a stadium shared with an MLS team next year. The proponents of the NWSL calendar change believe that aligning with other global leagues will make it easier for the league to complete more significant transfers. These sources frequently refer to the difficulty of trying to sign European players who are in the middle of their season. In an anonymous survey of NWSL general managers, one general manager said the schedule was “actually the most important question facing the league.” However, general managers were divided on the best solution, reflecting the division in the league’s boardroom, where any such change would need approval. In this year’s anonymous survey of NWSL general managers, one general manager named the schedule change as the only rule they would change.Washington Spirit defender Esme Morgan, an English international who began her career at Manchester City, said that the current NWSL schedule appeals to her.If I only see my job, I think that if we change the calendar, most teams are not in [warm weather], so it would be complicated. If we want to maintain the quality of the game, if I’m only talking about my role, we work all over the world. Football is global. But it’s always complicated to be one of the only countries working with this calendar. I don’t think that helps the league to be one of the best. We need to change the calendar to become one of the best. I don’t think it’s a priority, but I think that in the long term, if we want to be the best league in the world, it’s something we have to think about.
NWSL General Manager
Morgan was part of the England team that finished runner-up in the 2023 World Cup and the team that won the 2025 European Championship this summer. Winters in many northern US markets are much harsher than in England, Morgan said.To be honest, it was something I saw as positive when coming here. I feel that by going to international tournaments in the summer, you’re at your best in the middle of the season, and that’s something really positive. I also appreciated the idea of having good weather throughout the spring to autumn league. So, yes, it was something that, coming from Europe, I saw as something really positive. I think it’s interesting that MLS has changed.
Esme Morgan, Defender for Washington Spirit
Many league sources in the debate over the schedule have described the problem as a catch-22, because extreme heat is also a problem in the United States in the summer. In August, an NWSL match in Kansas City was delayed more than three hours due to extreme heat for a match that was scheduled to start in the afternoon. The MLS announcement gives that league only a year and a half to make the change to its calendar. Berman did not commit on Thursday to how long the NWSL would need to make such a change.It’s not fun; it’s not enjoyable to play in the cold. I think the cold is much more extreme here than at home. I think even just for the audience, nobody wants to bring their kids to catch hypothermia watching the game, right? I feel like it suits this league, to be honest, the way it is now, but we’ll see.
Esme Morgan, Defender for Washington Spirit
I think it will depend. Certainly, our ecosystem is aware that this has been a conversation and will continue to be a conversation, so we will make sure we have the right landing strip to be able to transition effectively, and that will be really important. We will analyze it in the context of the overall decision.
Jessica Berman, NWSL Commissioner
