{"id":6256,"date":"2026-08-30T10:52:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T10:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=6256"},"modified":"2026-08-30T10:52:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T10:52:59","slug":"womens-professional-soccer-has-a-champagne-problem-a-packed-calendar-around-the-world-cup-that-will-test-the-sustainability-of-its-mega-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=6256","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s professional soccer has a champagne problem: A packed calendar around the World Cup that will test the sustainability of its mega growth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Earlier this month, the league announced its 2027 calendar, which will start one month earlier than usual to account for a two-month mid-season break when many of its athletes will swap club jerseys for country ones at the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup. It will be the NWSL\u2019s longest season in its 14-year history.<\/p>\n

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The global tournament comes at a critical time for the NWSL, which has doubled in size over the last decade. As of its 2026 season mid-point, the league saw an average of more than 11,000 fans at each match, a 10% year-over-year increase, and its social media following grew 24% year-over-year to 3.1 million followers across major platforms, according to NWSL data. With 138 NWSL players expected to join national rosters for the Women\u2019s World Cup, the league is preparing to capitalize on an influx of fans.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat schedule was intentionally designed to position the NWSL at the center of one of the biggest years in the history of women\u2019s soccer,\u201d NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman told reporters this month. \u201cBy maintaining our spring to fall calendar, which we decided earlier this year, we\u2019ve created the best possible environment for our players, clubs, partners, and fans to maximize the extraordinary opportunity presented by the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that major tournaments inspire millions of people to follow the sport,\u201d she added. \u201cAnd our schedule allows us to be part of the lead-in and the lead-out of that big moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in order for the NWSL to make the most of a jam-packed calendar, it will have to overcome a number of logistical obstacles, from cold climates to maintaining the health of players. Its executives believe the league is ready to meet the moment.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt means that we can then come back to our regular season on the heels of the Women\u2019s World Cup and ride that momentum,\u201d Sarah Jones Simmer, chief operating officer of the NWSL, told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cAnd we will have so many players coming back to our league that will have had success in the Women\u2019s World Cup, and that\u2019s going to be a massive fan acquisition opportunity for us. It\u2019s going to really contribute to the growth of the league.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the league, preparing to take advantage of the 2027 World Cup has meant pushing up its regular season start by more than a month to Feb. 11, meaning its preseason will begin in the first week of January, just six weeks after the 2026 championship, the shortest offseason in the league\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

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The regular season will end on Decision Day on Oct. 31, and the 2027 championship will be on Nov. 20. The league will pause play for the World Cup, which falls from June 24 to July 25.<\/p>\n

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The early start will necessitate navigating the weather, particularly for teams in colder markets, such as Chicago, Denver, and Boston. NWSL players have previously expressed concern about playing in cold weather. The league\u2019s player\u2019s association tabled a vote on a fall-to-spring calendar, with many opposing the measure, citing the climate.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think there\u2019s way too many locations that are way too cold. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve fully thought through what that looks like,\u201d Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman said in April. \u201cIf we have snowed-out games\u2014or just the conditions in general\u2014what are the backup plans? Where are the fields we can play at?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just fans in general (and) getting to games, I think that would decrease the attendance for games in cold climates. So, for me, I just think we have to be fully prepared and have backup plans if we do potentially decide to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Simmer said there\u2019s enough geographic diversity in the league to hold games in February because warm weather markets are able to accommodate them. The MLS season typically starts in late February, and front-loads away matches for teams in colder climates, as well as schedules later kickoffs when temperatures peak for the day. For 2027, it will flip its schedule to a summer-to-spring model to better align with the international calendar and sign and retail top talent.<\/p>\n

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Then there\u2019s the health of the athletes, who will not only have to play in their 30-game schedule, but also compete in the World Cups matches in the middle of their regular season. A study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics in 2025 found that when the 2022 FIFA World Cup was held in the winter instead of its usual summer time, injuries in the Premier League and Bundesliga significantly increased.<\/p>\n

\u201cA midseason slot may not be the best time to schedule a World Cup,\u201d the study authors wrote.<\/p>\n

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The NWSL\u2019s collective bargaining agreement mandates an offseason, and league officials said the league works hard to add policies to accommodate playing conditions, such as adding hydration breaks during hot-weather games.<\/p>\n

The league, as it continues to grow, is used to adapting and making game-time decisions. Eleven of the NWSL\u2019s 16 teams share venues with MLS clubs and coordinate schedules to use the facilities that can accommodate more fans. Only the Kansas City Current have their own stadium, financed by co-owners Angie and Chris Long, as well as Patrick and Brittany Mahomes. As more teams look to build out their own infrastructure, the league facilitates how to give its clubs the best possible venues under the constraints.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working even closer, with not just our clubs and the venues, but also with MLS directly to continue to understand their plans heading into a newer year for them,\u201d Carlin Hudson, NWSL\u2019s vice President of strategy, told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cWe work very hand in hand with our venues that have responsibilities to both MLS and NWSL clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Historically, professional soccer in the U.S. has benefitted from the World Cup. Major League Soccer (MLS) is itself a byproduct of the 1994 FIFA tournament, which required the U.S. to establish a professional league in order to host the competition. But the FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup this summer also catalyzed greater interest in the sport, with multiple MLS teams telling Front Office Sports<\/em>they\u2019ve seen an increase in ticket sales of more than 150% since the start of the global tournament in June. Ratings, however, have stayed mostly flat as the U.S. slowly warms to soccer more broadly.<\/p>\n

The NWSL has effectively shaped its business model around the hope that future international events will bring more money back to the league. Those events don\u2019t just include the 2027 Women\u2019s World Cup, but the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, as well as the 2031 FIFA World Cup hosted in the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica. Berman told CNBC<\/em> in March that teams are able to turn a profit today, but have instead shifted priorities to growing the league instead.<\/p>\n

The average NWSL team is now worth $184 million, according to Sportico, an increase of 77% compared to the estimated valuations in September 2024, and up 179% from 2023. Last year, the 14 teams in the league were worth $2.6 billion combined.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a choice,\u201d Berman said. \u201cWe could be profitable. We could choose to stop investing with a growth mindset. It is a choice on our board and by our owners to continue investing because they believe, from a business perspective, that their dollar invested today will be worth more in the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat schedule was intentionally designed to position the NWSL at the center of one of the biggest years in the history of women’s soccer.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nWomen\u2019s professional soccer has a champagne problem: A packed calendar around the World Cup that will test the sustainability of its mega growth - Cross Country Moving Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=6256\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Women\u2019s professional soccer has a champagne problem: A packed calendar around the World Cup that will test the sustainability of its mega growth - 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