2023 NWSL schedule: Biggest matches, Challenge Cup dates; broadcast details still TBA

Just 44 days before the first game of the season, the NWSL released its 2023 schedule. Here’s what you need to know:

• The season kicks off on March 25. The North Carolina Courage will host the Kansas City Current and the San Diego Wave will host the Chicago Red Stars on opening day.
• The Kansas City Current will face the defending champion Portland Thorns in a rematch of the 2022 NWSL title game on April 1.

• The NWSL will have a decision day, Oct. 15, where every team will play on the final day of the regular season at 5 p.m. ET.

• Broadcast details for the season are yet to be announced.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What was the holdup?

There are a lot of moving parts to making a schedule, and NWSL has its own complicating factors built in, primary among them that most of the teams do not control their venue. These teams are secondary tenants, often partnering with MLS teams. That means that MLS has to make their schedule first (MLS’ 2023 regular-season schedule came out Dec. 20, 2022) and then the NWSL teams have to work around those dates. A source with knowledge of the scheduling process also said that most MLS teams prefer to black out anywhere from 24 to 72 hours before their games in order to manage wear and tear on the playing surface.

There are also other factors like competitive balance, ensuring teams don’t get hit with too many travel dates in a row, and broadcast requirements.

That didn’t stop the players from publicly expressing their frustration with the delay. Bethany Balcer and Megan Rapinoe both criticized the late schedule release on social media.

No broadcast details yet

We don’t yet know which games are going to get the “big CBS” treatment, which will be on CBS Sports Network and which will just stream on Paramount+. We also don’t have a broadcast crew yet; odds are good we’ll see some new names being brought on, especially as other broadcasters have been snapping up talent, such as Apple TV hiring Lori Lindsey and others for MLS Season Pass. That doesn’t necessarily preclude these hires from working NWSL games, but it’s a push for CBS to expand its talent roster.

How does the Challenge Cup fit in?

One positive takeaway from the schedule is that regular-season games have been kept to weekends and midweek games are largely Challenge Cup games, with the Challenge Cup running from April 19 to Aug. 6. Weekend Challenge Cup games are scheduled for the World Cup window in July and August. Hopefully that cadence will allow teams to plan for roster rotations, depending on how much importance they place on the Challenge Cup and various bench depths. It could be a good opportunity for teams to work on player development and to give more edge-case players meaningful playing time. 

Biggest games to watch

Whether it’s because of the expected great atmosphere, intriguing tactical matchups or just pure grudge matches, here are just a handful of the marquee games that jump out right away:

• April 1: Kansas City Current vs. Portland Thorns
• April 19: San Diego Wave vs. Portland Thorns (Challenge Cup)
• May 28: Washington Spirit vs. Gotham FC
• June 10: OL Reign vs. Kansas City Current
• June 28: Angel City vs. San Diego Wave (Challenge Cup)
• Aug. 27: Washington Spirit vs. Portland Thorns