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NWSL Regular Season and New Challenge Cup Announced

photo by AP Photo/Gregory Bull

by Anthony J. Merced

NWSL Champions Gotham FC will begin their defense in the 2024 campaign with a new challenge as the revamped NWSL Challenge Cup will see them playing last season's regular season record holders San Diego Wave. The new one-game format will kick off an expanded regular season that will feature 26 games, a four-game increase from 2023.

"The 2024 season will mark the start of an exciting new chapter for the NWSL and one that will set the tone for the future of our sport in the U.S. and globally," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. "Underscored by the addition of our 13th and 14th franchises, an enhanced match calendar and critically groundbreaking media-rights agreement that will ensure our games a readily accessible to more fans than ever before, the 2024 campaign represents a new era for the NWSL as we continue our efforts to deliver the best product in professional soccer."

Gotham will play San Diego on Friday March 15th, with the game being televised on Amazon Prime Video. Where the game will take place remains to be seen. The following day will be the first game in the new season, a season where more teams will be eligible for playoff spots, expanding from six to eight teams gaining entry. Teams at the top of each conference will no longer receive a bye into the semi-finals and instead there will be eight games played, four in each conference. 

The league will also take a break between July 15th to August 18th to coincide with the Summer Olympics in Paris France. Teams will also have a CBA-mandated break between July 8th and 14th. 

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