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The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) will bring back the Challenge Cup before moving forward with a 24-game regular season beginning in May next year, the league said on Wednesday.
Players will report to camp on Feb. 1 for the month-long Challenge Cup, which was introduced in June as the NWSL became the first major North American league to return to action amid the coronavirus outbreak, held in a quarantined setting in suburban Salt Lake City, Utah.
Looking forward to 2021
— NWSL (@NWSL) November 18, 2020
NWSL 2021 Schedule (Exact Dates TBD)
- Challenge Cup: Start mid-April
- Regular Season: Start May
- Championship Game: November
The league said next year's Challenge Cup, which will kick off in mid-April, will play out in "multiple bubble environments, team markets or some combination of the two."
“Bringing back the Challenge Cup is an opportunity for our league to continue growing our fan base and showcase our world class players with an exciting and competitive tournament ahead of the most important international tournament on the 2021 calendar, the Olympic Games,” said NWSL Chief Revenue Officer Mitch Poll. “We’re focused on continuing to build opportunities to expand our reach, expose a global audience to the best women’s club soccer in the world, and provide meaningful opportunities for our teams and players to perform.”
The regular season will culminate in an expanded, six-team playoff and championship game in November, as the league looks to build on the positive momentum in 2020.
"Building on what we were able to safely accomplish in 2020, we’re expanding the opportunities for our athletes and teams to thrive," Director of Operations and Player Affairs Liz Dalton said in a statement.
Sports leagues across North America are working to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with the National Basketball Association (NBA) announcing plans this month for the 2020-21 season to begin in December.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery, editing by Ed Osmond)
