Key dates revealed for 2022 NWSL schedule: Challenge Cup kicks off in March

With a more balanced schedule and an estimated 22 games, key dates for the 2022 NWSL schedule were revealed, highlighting the fact that the Challenge Cup kicks off in March. 

One of the goals for the upcoming tournament is for National Women's Soccer League teams to play 22 regular-season games each in 2022, a reduction from the 24-game schedule that has been in place since 2017.

This reduction to 22 games translates to each team facing each opponent twice, once at home and once as a visitor.

This will be just the second time the NWSL has used a "balanced" schedule, following 2014, when nine teams faced each other three times each in 24 games.

And like last year, the season will kick off with the third edition of the Challenge Cup.

When does the 2022 NSWL season start?

The 2022 NWSL season will start with the Training Camp, scheduled to begin February 1, and teams will have six weeks of preparation. The next key date will be the Challenge Cup.

The 2022 season, the league's tenth, will begin with the NWSL Challenge Cup for the third consecutive year.

When will the Challenge Cup kick off?

This tournament will kick off on March 19 and this time will feature three groups of four teams each, playing in a double round robin format.  

The Challenge Cup final will take place on May 7 and will be broadcast on CBS. The regular season will then begin.  

The tournament will likely be completed by the two California teams plus the Pacific Northwest teams, with teams playing home and away in the group stage.

Last year's tournament was played with 10 participating teams that were divided into two regional divisions of five teams each.

Each team played four games within its division, and the two division winners faced each other in the final on May 8.

In the last edition, Portland Thorns lifted their first Challenge Cup after a 1-1 draw in the final against NJ/NY Gotham FC and a 6-5 penalty shootout victory.

This is so far the most important change as far as the NWSL tournament is concerned, but a good sign for the league, as there are now more teams to compete in the tournament. 

The regular phase of the NWSL 2022

As every year, the competition is divided into a regular phase and a final knockout phase. In the first phase, each team will play 22 games, 11 home and 11 away.

At the end of this phase, the top-ranked team earns the NWSL Shield, and the top six qualify for the playoffs, which consist of three single matches (i.e. there will be no home and away matches):

Two semifinals and one final. In the semifinals, the first team plays home against the fourth team, and the second team plays home against the third team.

The top six in the single table will qualify for the playoffs, and the top two seeds will have a bye for the opening round, something that was not advantageous in the 2021 playoffs. 

This means that 50% of the 2022 teams will make the playoffs, something that is not impossible for an expansion team, but not a given either.

Finally, the NWSL championship finals will take place the weekend of October 28.