NWSL says it will remain on spring-to-fall schedule through 2030

The National Women’s Soccer League will continue to operate under its current spring-to-fall format through the 2030 season, the league confirmed Wednesday morning.

The announcement comes after several weeks of speculation that a vote to “flip” the NWSL calendar to a fall-to-spring season was imminent. As The Athletic previously reported, the league pivoted early this week when it tabled a vote on the matter that had been on the board of governors’ agenda. The board, which met on Tuesday, reconvenes Wednesday in Portland, Ore., for the final session of its April meeting.

“Following extensive evaluation and close collaboration with key stakeholders, we have made the deliberate decision to maintain our existing competition calendar for this period,” a spokesperson said in a statement to The Athletic. “This decision reflects our confidence in the strong momentum and growth the league has achieved under its current structure, and our commitment to providing stability for everyone invested in the NWSL’s success.

“We remain thoughtful about the long-term evaluation of our calendar — and will continue to assess future opportunities with the same rigor and broad stakeholder alignment that guided this decision. Any change of that magnitude would be communicated with ample notice. For now, our focus is on continuing to deliver a world-class season as we build toward the future.”

Flipping the calendar has been a years-long debate in the NWSL. The issue regained steam last month, when ESPN first reported news of a potential vote in mid-April. The NWSLPA then said that a majority of players surveyed opposed switching the calendar “right now,” citing concerns that the league, with its current infrastructure and several cold-weather markets, would be unable to proceed “responsibly” with such a seismic change.

“NWSL has made the right decision to provide stability and certainty over the calendar footprint for the next several years,” NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke said in a statement to The Athletic. “Throughout this process, Players made clear that any discussion about the calendar must prioritize Player health and safety, infrastructure (including training and match facilities), and professional standards necessary to compete at the highest level. The NWSLPA remains committed to working with NWSL to foster the conditions necessary for its continued growth.”

Over the weekend, players weighed in on the debate. Washington Spirit and U.S. women’s national team forward Trinity Rodman questioned whether the league had the necessary “back-up plans” to move forward.

“I think there’s way too many locations that are way too cold,” Rodman said Friday. “I don’t think we’ve fully thought through what that looks like.”

A move to a fall-to-spring format would align the NWSL calendar with its European competitors, like the Women’s Super League in England. Some view this alignment as inevitable, as international club competitions such as the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and Club World Cup begin to take shape. Under a fall-to-spring format, the NWSL playoffs would shift to what some view as a more broadcast-friendly spring window.

The player’s union, meanwhile, has centered its concerns on the league’s infrastructure needs and player health, safety and performance. Moving to a fall-to-spring format would mean more cold-weather games, and players questioned whether the league was ready to address how that would affect players and fans in impacted markets. It’s notable, too, that the league’s collective bargaining agreement with players runs through 2030, and the schedule will likely be a focal point of future negotiations.

The current CBA requires the league to provide at least one year’s notice before initiating a potential calendar change. It also calls for the formation of a scheduling committee, additional bargaining if a new format conflicts with the contract’s terms and the establishment of an “extreme cold policy.” The NWSL, however, retains sole discretion.

Postponing the calendar flip until after the 2030 season affords the NWSL and its stakeholders an adequate runway to address several outstanding questions. It also gives the NWSL time to monitor how a calendar flip works for Major League Soccer, especially in markets that also have NWSL teams. MLS moves to a late-summer-to-spring format in 2027, after a sprint season from February to May to help the league transition to the new structure.

The NWSL could also capitalize on what is likely to be a 2031 women’s World Cup at home. The U.S.-led bid with Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica is the sole bidder for the competition, though FIFA has yet to formally award the tournament. Shifting to a new calendar format following a World Cup could allow the NWSL to ride the momentum of the massive event.

The details of a fall-to-spring schedule change remain unclear, but the NWSL now has significantly more time to figure them out.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

NWSL, Sports Business, Women's Soccer, FIFA Women's World Cup

2026 The Athletic Media Company