The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the USA is home to quality players from around the world, including some African stars who have taken it by storm in recent years.
Founded in 2012, the NWSL is the most stable top-tier professional league that has existed in American women's soccer history. The NWSL was a successor to the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS; 2007-2012) and the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA; 2001-2003).
The WUSA was the first women's league in the United States in which all of the participating players were paid as professionals. It folded after significant cumulative financial losses and the WPS faced similar financial challenges as well as some legal woes caused by disputes with team owner Dan Borislow.
The NWSL, by contrast, is in comparatively healthy financial shape - buoyed by a global surge in interest in women's soccer. The league was founded in 2012 for the 2013 season after the WPS officially announced it would not return. The initial season featured only eight teams.
The league quickly grew into a powerhouse with an initial salary cap of $200,000 for the initial season growing into $2,750,000 in 2024. There are currently 14 clubs who play in the NWSL, but it is rapidly expanding with two new sides set to join in 2026.
Key players
The NWSL boasts some of the greatest talents in global women's soccer. These include last season's MVP Temwa Chawinga, the Malawi striker who took the league by storm in 2024.
Chawinga broke Sam Kerr's single-season NWSL goals record in her debut season in the league, scoring 20 times in the regular season and once in the playoffs for the Kansas City Current.
Another African star, Barbra Banda, scored the winning goal in the final for the Orlando Pride as they saw off the Washington Spirit 1-0 to clinch the championship. Angelina, who set up her goal, is a talented Brazilian midfielder in a team which also features Marta, one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
Racheal Kundananji, who plays for Bay FC, was the most expensive player in the history of the women's game until her record was broken by Naomi Girma, who recently joined Chelsea from San Diego Wave for about £900,000. Kundananji's transfer from Madrid CFF to Bay had cost around £685,000 ($787,600).
Kundananji plays for Bay alongside Asisat Oshoala, a six-time African women's footballer of the year. In 2024, that award was won by Banda.
Other key players in the NWSL include Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson (née Smith), though she is pregnant and out for this season, Chicago Stars' Mallory Swanson and Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman.
The league also boasts some of the best goalkeepers in the world, including NJ/NY Gotham FC's Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany) and USWNT great Alyssa Naeher.
2025 season schedule
This year, the league will kick off on March 14 (2:00 AM CAT on March 15) with the Orlando Pride hosting the Chicago Red Stars and the Houston Dash welcoming the Washington Spirit, who gained revenge on the Pride in the curtain-raiser - the NWSL Challenge Cup.
The regular season is set to conclude on November 2, with the playoffs officially starting five days later and culminating in the Championship Final - scheduled for November 22.
Where to watch the NWSL?
For viewers in sub-Saharan Africa, the NWSL will be available on ESPN Africa - channels 218 and 219 on DSTV (and Starsat 248).