NWSL to start 2027 season in February ahead of Women’s World Cup next summer

The National Women’s Soccer League is expected to start its 2027 season in February, nearly a month earlier than previous years, sources within the league who have reviewed a tentative calendar told The Athletic. In the draft schedule footprint, preseason begins in early January, with playoffs running through the weekend before Thanksgiving.The shift comes as the league works around one of women’s soccer’s most congested international calendars in recent years.The 2027 Women’s World Cup is scheduled to take place in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, while multiple FIFA international windows for World Cup qualifying are set between November this year and April.Based on the draft outline, the next NWSL regular season will begin on Feb. 11, the earliest start in league history, and conclude at