Report: NWSL shifts 2027 season calendar

Chicago’s DiJonai Carrington made her 2026 debut last night, helping lift the Sky over the Sun after missing 27 games with injury.

Report: NWSL shifts 2027 kickoff to February

The NWSL is making changes, as The Athletic reported the US league plans to open next season in February — shifting up a full month to make room for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

• The proposed schedule kicks off preseason play in January, with the regular season underway on February 11th and playoffs running through late November.

• If confirmed, 2027 would mark the earliest season start in league history, giving way to an especially lengthy midseason break. (See full report)

Big picture: The NWSL has made increasingly significant calendar concessions in recent years, pausing the regular-season for the 2023 World Cup, 2025 Women’s Euros, and 2026 Men’s World Cup.

• The 2027 World Cup runs from June 24th to July 25th, with the NWSL — one of the only pro leagues on a spring-to-fall schedule — forced to accommodate the interruption.

• The league declined to vote on adopting a fall-to-spring model until 2030 — shortly before the US, Mexico, Jamaica, and Costa Rica are expected to host the 2031 World Cup. (See full report)

Kansas City & Angel City battle for playoff contention

The NWSL playoff race is taking shape, with postseason hopefuls No. 6 Kansas City and No. 8 Angel City jockeying for positioning as the 2026 regular season cruises past its halfway mark.

• The Current leads ACFC by six points in the NWSL standings heading into Saturday’s clash — though LA has two games in hand.

• KC arrives in blazing form despite losing back-to-back MVP Temwa Chawinga to WAFCON, riding high after routing No. 16 Louisville 5-1 on Wednesday. (Watch full highlights)

Scouting report: ACFC is looking to regain its footing, after seeing its three-game post-break winning streak snapped in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Louisville.

• Angel City is struggling with absences of its own, announcing star striker Jun Endo suffered another season-ending knee injury in July 11th’s upset win over No. 4 San Diego.

• “This is not the news you ever want to receive about an athlete,” said Director of Medical Hollie Walusz. “Especially someone who has worked so incredibly hard to get back on the field doing what she loves.” (See full statement)

Tune in: Kansas City hosts Angel City tomorrow at 6:30 PM ET, live on ION.

Rolling Minnesota faces tough test in Indiana

No. 1 Minnesota is on a roll, carrying a nine-game winning streak into Sunday’s clash with a No. 5 Indiana side intent on proving its worth against the league-leader.

• After sweeping No. 12 Toronto this week, the Lynx have risen three games above No. 2 Las Vegas behind a balanced, full-court effort.

• “As we hit the second half of the season going to the playoffs, we want to be making sure we’re playing our best basketball,” said forward Napheesa Collier. “And that is on defense too.” (See full standings)

Scouting report: The Fever enters the weekend on its own winning streak, racking up four straight even after star center Aliyah Boston exited Tuesday’s game against No. 15 Seattle with an apparent knee injury.

• Good news seems to be in store, however, as Boston is listed as “probable” ahead of tonight’s matchup with No. 9 Portland, with guard Caitlin Clark and forward Monique Billings also expected to play.

• “It wasn’t really worth the risk for us in the second half,” head coach Stephanie White said of keeping Boston off the court. “Just want to be very conservative and make sure she’s good to go.” (See full report)

Tune in: Minnesota takes on Indiana on Sunday at 1 PM ET, live on ABC.

Coach made an All-Star splash last week, as the sixth installment of Coach Story Sessions brought WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, rookie phenom Azzi Fudd, and gymnastics superstar Jordan Chiles to Chicago.

• The conversation honored the WNBA’s 30-year history, paying tribute to the trailblazers who laid the foundation while shining a spotlight on the new generation redefining the sport.

• “I am forever grateful to you and everyone that came before me,” Fudd told Leslie. “You guys were doing all that hard work, doing everything you could to gain everyone’s respect, try to get people to buy in, to watch, because once you buy in, you fall in love.”

Tune in: Catch Coach Story Sessions on YouTube.

Pro women’s baseball takes the field

The WPBL throws out its first pitch tomorrow, as the country’s first professional women’s baseball league since 1954 kicks off its inaugural season.

• Superstars Kelsie Whitmore, Mo’ne Davis, and Ayami Sato headline the four-team upstart, with all games set inside a neutral Springfield, Illinois stadium.

• “Playing in a male-dominated environment, [we] kind of shrink ourselves,” Savannah Bananas and Call State Fullerton alum Whitmore told The Huddle. “Once we all step on the field and we’re all with each other, it’s like the walls let down.” (See full interview)

How it works: Each team (New York, San Francisco, LA, Boston) plays a 15-game regular season leading to a championship series — all with live national coverage.

• ESPN and Scripps have signed on as broadcast partners, with ESPN streaming all 37 games, including 11 simulcast on Scripps Sports Network. (See full report)

Tune in: LA takes on New York tomorrow at 6 PM ET, live on ESPN Select.

UEFA & Concacaf push back on FIFA privatization

FIFA caused an uproar this week, as President Gianni Infantino proposed creating a $20 billion subsidiary designed sell off tournament stakes to private investors.

• UEFA released a statement rejecting the plan, after its 55 member nations voted to boycott all FIFA competitions — including the 2027 Women’s World Cup — until the proposal is revoked.

• Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation backed UEFA, after each regional federation called its own emergency meeting. (See full report)

Taking a stand: “This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty,” UEFA said. “The moment external investors ‌acquire ownership ⁠interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever.” (See full statement)

Quote of the day

Sky center Kamilla Cardoso
on her season-high 11 free-throw attempts in last night’s 94-88 win over the Sun.