The National Women’s Soccer League has announced that every game of the NWSL 2020 fall series will be streamed globally thanks to an expanded partnership with Twitch.
The NWSL fall series – essentially a series of exhibition matches – begins on September 5 and will include 18 matches over the course of seven weeks. It features three regionalized three-team pods, which will enable the league to minimize travel in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Those pods are: OL Reign, Portland Thorns FC and Utah Royals FC (West); Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC and Washington Spirit (Northeast); and North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride and Houston Dash (South).
All 18 fall series games will be streamed internationally on Twitch, of which seven will also be streamed domestically in the United States.
In addition, CBS Sports will air matches across CBS, CBS All Access, and CBS Sports Network, highlighted by the NWSL Game of the Week on Saturdays in September and October. This includes three matches on the main CBS network, three on CBS Sports Network, and four matches on CBS All Access.
The NWSL fall series follows the highly-successful NWSL Challenge Cup, which was staged in Utah this summer.
A number of leading players will not take part in the series of friendlies, with OL Reign superstar Megan Rapinoe opting out – as she did in the NWSL Challenge Cup – and various players having recently signed for European clubs to gain meaningful playing time in the coming months.
These include United States women’s national team players Rose Lavelle, Sam Mewis and Emily Sonnett.
A schedule has yet to be announced.
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