The growth of the NWSL has seen the U.S. women's soccer league entertain a host of new television and streaming partners for the 2024 regular season.
But while the influx of interested parties brings the league both increased visibility and revenue growth, netting the league $240 million across the deal's four-year span, it will also make it more difficult for fans to know how to watch their teams across the coming campaign.
With the NWSL expanding to 14 teams with the arrival of Utah Royals FC and Bay FC adding to the picture, the league will boast a new 26-game league schedule with 13 home games and 13 road games afforded to every club.
The Sporting News breaks down exactly how to watch the NWSL across the 2024 season, and how to navigate the complicated rights deal which involves matches televised or streamed on ION, ABC, ESPN, CBS, and Amazon Prime, as well as the league's own new streaming service NWSL+ which debuts this year.
MORE: Sign up for Fubo to watch NWSL games across ION, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and CBS
How to watch NWSL matches in 2024
There are a litany of television and streaming partners which will have carry matches throughout the season. Of the 182 games in the 2024 regular season and playoffs, 121 will be carried by television and streaming partners, with the remaining 69 to be broadcast by the league's new in-house NWSL+ streaming service.
To keep things as simple as possible for those tuning in, here are all the various partners who will broadcast NWSL games this season.
ION
The NWSL's main television broadcast partner for the 2024 regular season is ION, which will broadcast 50 matches across the campaign. All of ION's games will come on Saturdays, with a doubleheader each weekend.
Games broadcast by ION include the Cascadia rivalry in Portland with the Thorns hosting the Seattle Reign on May 11.
ION is available to stream via Fubo USA, which is offering a free trial for new users.
Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video will broadcast one match each week, with the Friday timeslot all to themselves. That means 25 games will be broadcast by Amazon Prime across the 2024 regular season.
Prime will also have the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup match on March 15 between the reigning champions Gotham FC and NWSL regular season winners San Diego Wave.
ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes
This is where things get muddy. ESPN has the rights to a combined 17 matches throughout the regular season, but they will be found in various places. The season opener between the Kansas City Current and Portland Thorns on March 16 will be broadcast on ABC, and another 15 matches will be split between ESPN (7 games) and ESPN2 (8 games).
All 17 of those games will be broadcast on ESPN+, while 13 of them will also be available to watch in Spanish on ESPN Deportes, which is streamable via Fubo.
ESPN's biggest game of the year will be a rematch of the 2023 postseason title game between defending champions Gotham FC and the Seattle Reign on June 30. They will also have the final match of the regular season between the San Diego Wave and Racing Louisville on November 3.
CBS, CBSSN, Paramount+
Another major broadcast partner for the NWSL in 2024 is CBS, which will place 11 games across the season on its main network channel. All 11 of these matches can be streamed on Paramount+ or on Fubo.
Additionally, another 10 matches will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, which will not be streamed on Paramount+, adding a source of frustration to the schedule. CBSSN is available to stream via Fubo, which offers a free trial for new users.
Games broadcast by CBS include the Southern California derby between Angel City and San Diego Wave on May 23, and the matchup between the two expansion teams Utah Royals and Bay FC on June 16.
NWSL+
All matches not distributed to its aforementioned partners will be handled by NWSL+ the league's new in-house streaming service.
It will be free for viewers to access, and will be supported by Endeavor Streaming Services who will handle the technical side of the broadcasts. The platform will be available on iOS and Android devices as well as on TV distributors Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku.
Where to watch 2024 NWSL playoffs
The seven playoff matches in the 2024 NWSL postseason will be scattered across all the various broadcast partners, which will make viewing the biggest matches of the year a challenge.
CBS will have the most postseason matches, including the final, while ESPN and ABC (with the eventual destination to be determined later) will have a few and Amazon Prime gets one quarterfinal to air.
- Quarterfinals: Amazon Prime Video (1), CBS (1), ESPN/ABC (2)
- Semifinals: CBS (1), ESPN/ABC (1)
- Final: CBS/Paramount+
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >