The NWSL is replacing its 2020 season with a rapid-fire tournament

Professional soccer is officially back on in the United States.
The National Women's Soccer League announced Wednesday that the league would return to play with a 25-game tournament running from June 27 to July 26 in Utah. The league's 2020 season, scheduled to run from April to November, had been delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Billed as the Challenge Cup, the tournament will feature all nine NWSL teams playing matches in the Salt Lake City area, but without spectators in the stadiums. The league will also institute strict testing and quarantine protocols for players and staff members, similar to those followed by other leagues that have resumed activity. Matches will be streamed on CBS All Access, with the opener and final match being broadcast on CBS.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Questions remain over whether all of the league's top stars, many of whom play for the World Cup-champion U.S. national team, will play. The U.S. Soccer Federation, which pays the salaries of the national team players, issued a statement saying it would be up to those players if they wanted to participate, and at least some had reportedly expressed reservations about health and safety.
The top men's soccer league in the U.S., Major League Soccer, has reportedly been developing a similar plan, with teams congregating for a tournament in Orlando.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bryan Maygers was a deputy editor for TheWeek.com.
-
Shompole Wilderness Camp: reconnect with nature at this secluded retreat
The Week Recommends This luxurious family-run camp in southern Kenya has access to more than 350,000 acres of pristine savannah
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Liberation Day: will Keir Starmer surrender to Donald Trump's tariffs?
Today's Big Question After failing to secure exemptions for the UK, PM must decide whether to retaliate or not
By The Week UK Published
-
Cosy cabins for a country escape
The Week Recommends Slow down and take in the nature at these secluded retreats
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published