What is the NWSL Challenge Cup? Explaining the 2022 season-opening soccer competition

Kyle Bonn

What is the NWSL Challenge Cup? Explaining the 2022 season-opening soccer competition image

The 2022 NWSL season kicked off on Friday, March 18, but it was not the regular season that got the teams underway. That was to come a month later. 

For the third straight season, the official start to the NWSL competitive campaign took place with the Challenge Cup. The tournament served as the appetizer ahead of the 22-game regular season, which officially kicked off on April 29. The two competitions — the Challenge Cup and the NWSL regular season — actually overlapped by a week in 2022 and it required some rescheduling of regular season matches.

After a Challenge Cup group stage in which each NWSL team played six matches, four teams advanced to the final four and the semifinal winners met in the May 7 final. The North Carolina Courage capitalized on home-field advantage and defeated defending NWSL champion Washington Spirit in the 2022 final 2-1.

The focus next turns to the regular season which is followed by the NWSL playoffs, making for a busy seven-month season from mid-March through the end of October.

MORE: Top NWSL stars of the 2022 season

What is the NWSL Challenge Cup?

The Challenge Cup was the first event of the season, spanning from mid-March to early May. The Challenge Cup matches did not officially count as part of the 2022 regular season.

The tournament saw all 12 NWSL teams divided into three groups of four teams each based on geography.

After each team played all its other group opponents twice in a classic round-robin format (six total matches), the three group winners, plus the best second-place team, reached the semifinals on May 4. The winners played in the final on May 7.

2022 NWSL Challenge Cup

Group Stage

East Region

Pos Team Points W-D-L GD
1.* NC Courage 12 3-3-0 +5
2.** Washington Spirit 10 2-4-0 +5
3. NJ/NY Gotham FC 6 1-3-2 -3
4. Orlando Pride 2 0-2-4 -7

Central Region

Pos Team Points W-D-L GD
1.* Kansas City Current 13 4-1-1 +2
2. Chicago Red Stars 8 2-2-2 +2
3. Racing Louisville 6 1-3-2 +1
4. Houston Dash 6 2-0-4 -6

West Region

Pos Team Points W-D-L GD
1.* OL Reign 14 4-2-0 +6
2. Portland Thorns 10 3-1-2 +3
3. San Diego Wave 5 1-2-3 -2
4. Angel City FC 4 1-1-4 -7

* Advance to semifinals as group winner
** Advance to semifinals as highest-placed group runner-up

Challenge Cup semifinals

Date Match  
Wed, May 4 OL Reign 0, Washington Spirit 0
(Spirit advance 9-8 on PKs)
Highlights
Wed, May 4 KC Current 1, NC Courage 2 Highlights

Challenge Cup final

Date Match  
Sat, May 7 NC Courage 2, Washington Spirit 1 Highlights

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The 2022 format differed slightly from the previous edition given the introduction of two new expansion teams that took the league to 12 clubs: Angel City FC and San Diego Wave. When the league had 10 teams, the Challenge Cup consisted of two groups of five teams with the group winners advancing to the championship game.

The Challenge Cup was created in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the league was the first pro team sport in the USA to return to action that year. The NWSL teams all convened in Utah to play out the 2020 tournament under strict health and safety protocols.

That first edition saw the Houston Dash emerge as winners, beating the Chicago Red Stars in the final. The Portland Thorns won the second edition of the Challenge Cup in 2021, defeating NY/NJ Gotham FC in a penalty-kick shootout after a 1-1 draw. 

MORE: Key dates, matches, schedule, results for 2022 NWSL regular season

How to watch the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup

  • Dates: Friday, March 18 to Saturday, May 7
  • Matches: 39 matches spread across 16 matchdays
  • TV channel: CBS, CBSSN (select matches)
  • Streaming: Paramount+, fuboTV

The entire Challenge Cup tournament was available to watch on CBS streaming platform Paramount+ with the final broadcast nationally in the USA on CBS.

Select Challenge Cup matches aired on CBS and CBS Sports Network (CBSSN), and those channels were streamed on fuboTV.

When does the 2022 NWSL regular season start?

The 2022 NWSL regular season kicked off on April 29 with all 12 teams in action on opening weekend between April 29 and May 1.

Each team will play a balanced 22-match regular season which wraps up on Oct. 2.

Six teams will advance to the NWSL playoffs with the top two teams earning opening-round byes. The 2022 NWSL championship will be played in a single-game format on Oct. 29 at a venue to be determined by the league. 

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.