Section 1: Introduction
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is the top division of women's professional soccer in the United States, founded in 2012 and entering its fourteenth season in 2026. The 2026 season expanded the league to sixteen clubs with the addition of two expansion sides — Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC — joining the fourteen returning clubs from the 2025 season.
NWSL competition operates under the IFAB Laws of the Game as administered globally by FIFA, layered with NWSL-specific competition rules that govern scheduling, rosters, postseason format, substitutions, and discipline. The 2026 NWSL Competition Rules & Regulations document is the canonical text and is published on the league's Rules & Policies page; the discussion below summarizes its key provisions and cites the public press summary issued by the league on March 11, 2026.
Distinct from the IFAB-published Laws, the NWSL document specifies league-only mechanics such as the single-table competition format, 30-match regular-season schedule, single-elimination postseason, expanded substitution windows, and the new "Only The Captain" referee-protection rule introduced for the 2026 season. NWSL teams also compete in the season-spanning NWSL Challenge Cup and the cross-promotion NWSL × Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, each with its own competition guidelines outside the scope of this entry.
The NWSL Championship final for 2026 is scheduled for Saturday, November 22, 2026, with the regular season concluding in early November and the eight-team single-elimination playoff bracket beginning the weekend of November 6.
Section 2: Equipment
The Ball
NWSL matches use a FIFA Quality Programme approved match ball: spherical, 68–70 cm circumference, 410–450 g at the start of the match, and inflated to 0.6–1.1 atmospheres of pressure at sea level (IFAB Law 2). The league designates a single official match ball supplier each season; clubs must use the league-approved ball model in all regular-season and postseason competitions.
Players' Equipment
- Jersey or shirt with sleeves (sleeveless undershirts must match the primary color of the jersey sleeve)
- Shorts (compression undershorts or tights, if worn, must match the primary color of the shorts)
- Socks (any tape applied externally must match the color of the sock at the point of contact)
- Shin guards covered entirely by the socks, made of suitable material providing reasonable protection
- Footwear (cleats appropriate to the playing surface)
- The goalkeeper wears colors that distinguish them from outfield players, the opposing goalkeeper, and the match officials
Captain's Armband and Identification
Each club designates one starting captain per match who wears a captain's armband visible to the match officials. Identification of the captain is operative for the 2026 "Only The Captain" rule (Section 7), under which only the captain may approach the referee to discuss a stoppage decision once the referee has stepped back to indicate the no-approach zone.
Permitted and Prohibited Items
- Permitted: religious head coverings, prescription eyewear approved as match-safe, soft headbands, soft sweatbands, and protective casts approved in advance by the match medical staff
- Permitted: heart-rate or GPS performance trackers worn under the jersey
- Prohibited: jewelry of any kind (including taped-over items), hard casts not approved by medical, anything dangerous to the player or others (IFAB Law 4)
Goal Frames and Nets
Goals are 7.32 m wide by 2.44 m high (IFAB Law 1), painted white, securely anchored, and fitted with nets that do not interfere with the goalkeeper or with retrieved balls.
Section 3: Playing Area
Field Dimensions
NWSL matches are played on a rectangular field within IFAB Law 1 limits — a length of 100 to 110 meters (110 to 120 yards) and a width of 64 to 75 meters (70 to 80 yards) — with the league's preferred dimensions favoring the upper end of the range for major venues. The field surface must be natural grass, hybrid grass, or a FIFA Quality Pro approved artificial surface; the home club is responsible for surface conformance and field testing.
Field Markings
- Touchlines (sidelines) and goal lines bound the field
- Halfway line with a centre mark and a 9.15 m centre circle
- Goal area (5.5 m × 18.32 m) and penalty area (16.5 m × 40.32 m) at each end
- Penalty spot 11 m from the goal line, with an arc 9.15 m radius from the spot
- Corner arcs (1 m radius) at each corner with optional corner flags
- Technical areas marked along the touchline at each bench, with referee-managed bench access
Stadium and Match Operations
The official game time is managed on the field by the referee; the stadium clock starts at kickoff of each half and runs continuously through any added time. Bench composition is league-restricted (Section 4). The home club is responsible for stadium operations, locker rooms, and maintaining a venue suitable for live broadcast, including ball stand placement around the field perimeter to support the IFAB-permitted faster ball-in-play protocol.
Section 4: Players & Officials
Squad and Match Roster
Each NWSL club selects a match-day roster of up to 20 players (11 starters and 9 named substitutes). Senior roster construction, international slots, allocation money, and salary mechanics are governed by the separate NWSL Roster Rules & Regulations document and are out of scope here.
Substitutions
- Each club may make up to 5 substitutions during a match (excluding half-time and re-entry of the same player as a substitute)
- Substitutions must be used over a maximum of 3 substitution opportunities ("windows") plus half-time, consistent with IFAB
- One additional concussion substitution is permitted independent of the five-substitute count to remove a player with an actual or suspected concussion (IFAB Law 3 concussion-sub trial)
- Substitutes must enter at the halfway line on the referee's signal; the player being replaced must leave the field of play within a brief permitted window
- Unused substitutions do not generate additional opportunities in the second half or in any extra time periods used in postseason
Officiating Crew
Each NWSL match is officiated by a referee, two assistant referees, a fourth official, a Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and at least one assistant VAR (AVAR). The referee on the field has final on-field authority. VAR is operative for clear-and-obvious-error reviews of (a) goals and surrounding incidents, (b) penalty decisions, (c) direct red-card incidents, and (d) cases of mistaken identity, in line with the IFAB VAR Protocol. The referee announces VAR-final decisions to fans in the venue and to the broadcast.
Bench Composition
The team bench houses the nine named substitute players and a limited list of staff approved by the league, including the head coach, assistant coaches, the team athletic trainer, and one club physician. Bench staff who leave the technical area to dispute officiating decisions are subject to discipline (Section 7).
Section 5: Rules of Play
Match Structure
Regular-season NWSL matches consist of two 45-minute halves separated by a half-time interval not to exceed 15 minutes. The referee adds additional time at the end of each half to compensate for stoppages including substitutions, injury treatment, time-wasting, and goal celebrations, consistent with the IFAB time-loss directive.
Regular-Season Format
- Single-table format: all 16 clubs play in one combined league standings (no East/West conferences)
- Each club plays 30 regular-season matches
- 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss
- Tiebreakers (in order): total wins; goal differential; goals scored; head-to-head record; head-to-head goal differential; head-to-head goals scored; fewest disciplinary points; coin toss
Postseason Format
- The top 8 clubs in the single table qualify for the NWSL Playoffs
- Single-elimination quarterfinals (1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6, 4 v 5), semifinals, and the NWSL Championship final
- All playoff matches are hosted by the higher seed except the Championship, which is held at a pre-selected neutral venue
- If a playoff match is tied after regulation, two 15-minute extra-time periods are played; if still tied, the match is decided by a penalty-kick shootout from the penalty mark
- 2026 NWSL Championship: Saturday, November 22, 2026
Substitution Mechanics During Play
The referee signals each substitution opportunity, the substitute enters at the halfway line, and the player being replaced exits across the nearest sideline within a brief permitted window. Tactical or non-medical delays during a substitution are penalty-deserving conduct under IFAB Law 12.
Goalkeeper Time-Holding
Per the 2025 IFAB amendment carried into 2026, the goalkeeper may hold the ball with the hands for a maximum of 8 seconds (formerly 6 seconds and rarely enforced). Failure to release within 8 seconds results in a corner kick to the opposing team (rather than the prior indirect-free-kick sanction).
Cooling and Drinks Breaks
For matches played in extreme heat conditions, the referee may authorize cooling breaks of up to three minutes around the 30th and 75th minutes, distinct from the half-time interval. Triggers are typically WBGT-based and managed by the league medical staff in coordination with the home club.
Section 6: Scoring
Goal
A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided no infringement was committed previously by the team scoring the goal (IFAB Law 10). All NWSL venues use goal-line technology or league-approved goal-line confirmation processes; VAR may also be used to verify goal/no-goal incidents.
Match Result
- Regular season: the team scoring more goals during the match wins; if the match ends with the same number of goals scored by each team, it is a draw
- Playoffs: if regulation ends level, two 15-minute extra-time periods are played; if still level after extra time, the match is decided by a penalty-kick shootout (IFAB Law 10 KFTPM procedure)
Standings
3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss. The full tiebreaker chain listed in Section 5 governs final standings position when teams are level on points. The Supporters' Shield, awarded to the regular-season points winner, is determined strictly by the standings tiebreakers.
Penalty Kick Shootout (KFTPM)
If a playoff match remains level after extra time, the IFAB Kicks From the Penalty Mark procedure is used: each team takes five alternating kicks from the penalty mark; if still tied, kicks proceed in sudden death until a winner is determined. Per the 2026 NWSL competition rules, a yellow card issued during the match (regulation or extra time) does not carry over to the shootout — a player is not sent off solely because they receive a yellow in regulation and a yellow during the shootout.
Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Cautions (Yellow Cards)
The IFAB list of cautionable offenses applies, including unsporting behavior, dissent by word or action, persistent infringement of the Laws, delaying the restart of play, failure to respect the required distance at restarts, entering or re-entering the field without permission, and deliberately leaving the field without permission. Two yellow cards in the same match results in a sending-off (red card by accumulation).
Sending-Offs (Red Cards)
The IFAB list of sending-off offenses applies: serious foul play; violent conduct; spitting at a person; denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by handball; denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity by a foul (DOGSO); using offensive, insulting, or abusive language or gestures; receiving a second caution in the same match. A player sent off cannot be replaced; the team plays short for the remainder of the match.
"Only The Captain" Rule (2026)
To curb mass refereeing-protest incidents, the 2026 NWSL season operationalizes the IFAB-trial "Only The Captain" referee-protection mechanism. When the referee gestures an "X" with the arms above the head and steps back approximately four meters, only the team's designated captain may approach the referee to discuss the stoppage decision. Any non-captain who enters the four-meter zone is shown a yellow card for dissent. If the captain is the goalkeeper at the moment of the incident, the team's outfield captain (designated pre-match) may approach the referee instead.
Goalkeeper Tactical Timeout Crackdown (2026)
To address the global trend of teams using goalkeeper "injuries" as tactical timeouts, the 2026 NWSL rules require that on any goalkeeper injury, players must congregate by the centre circle rather than approaching the team technical area. Players who approach the technical area during a goalkeeper-injury stoppage are subject to discipline. If the goalkeeper is substituted as a result of the injury, players may approach the technical area to restore the substitution channel.
Direct Free Kicks, Indirect Free Kicks, and Penalty Kicks
The IFAB Law 12 distinctions apply: ten specific offenses (kicking, tripping, jumping at, charging, striking, pushing, tackling, holding, impeding with contact, and biting/spitting) restart with a direct free kick (or a penalty kick if committed by the defending team in their own penalty area). Indirect free kicks are awarded for technical offenses such as offside, dangerous play without contact, and goalkeeper handling violations.
Suspensions
- Yellow-card accumulation thresholds in the regular season trigger automatic one-match suspensions
- Straight red cards trigger a minimum one-match suspension (with longer terms for serious foul play, violent conduct, or DOGSO at the discretion of the league disciplinary committee)
- The NWSL Disciplinary Committee may impose supplemental discipline for incidents that the on-field officials did not observe or did not punish at the standard the league deems appropriate, consistent with IFAB allowance for league post-match review
- Yellow-card accumulation totals reset between the regular season and the postseason; thereafter the playoff yellow-accumulation threshold operates independently
Section 8: Safety Considerations
Concussion Protocol
NWSL operates under the league's Concussion Management Protocol developed in conjunction with U.S. Soccer and the league medical staff. The IFAB-trial concussion substitution permits one additional substitution per team beyond the five-substitute count when a player has an actual or suspected concussion. A player removed under the concussion protocol cannot return to the match and is subject to a graduated return-to-play assessment before being cleared for subsequent training and competition.
Heat and Air Quality
The league applies WBGT-based heat thresholds for cooling breaks and, in extreme cases, for delays of kickoff or postponement. Air-quality-index thresholds apply for venues affected by wildfire smoke or other particulate events, with on-field play decisions made in consultation with the league medical staff and the home club's medical team.
Field Conditions
The home club is responsible for ensuring the field of play meets league surface standards. Lightning detection and the league lightning policy halt outdoor activity within a defined radius of detected strikes; play resumes only after the all-clear interval has elapsed.
Athletic Training and Medical Coverage
- Each match must have at least one club physician on the bench, supported by certified athletic trainers
- An emergency action plan covering on-field cardiac, head/neck, and orthopedic emergencies must be in effect at every venue
- Independent league medical observers may be present for high-profile or postseason matches
Player Safety Innovations Carried From IFAB
- Concussion substitution remains in effect alongside the five-substitute allowance
- Goalkeeper 8-second hold rule (corner kick sanction) reduces stoppage-time stalling
- "Only The Captain" approach zone reduces mass-protest crowding around officials
- Goalkeeper tactical timeout crackdown reduces injury-feigning to advantage
Anti-Harassment, Anti-Discrimination, and Player Welfare
NWSL players, staff, and venue personnel are bound by the league's Anti-Harassment Policy, Non-Fraternization Policy, and Coach Code of Conduct, all available alongside the Competition Rules & Regulations on the league's Rules & Policies hub. The Fan Code of Conduct binds spectators and is enforced through venue operations.
