Boyds, MD., (7/4/2019) – ESPN and the National Women’s Soccer League have jointly announced a new partnership to televise 14 games during the second half of the 2019 season.
Eight of the matches will air on ESPNEWS, six will air on ESPN2 including the two semi-final games and the league title.
NWSL broadcasts will begin on July 14 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPNNEWS with a matchup featuring the top of the table Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride.
The NWSL championship will air Sunday, October 27, at 4 p.m. on ESPN 2, tickets will go on sale this month. All NWSL matches broadcast on the ESPN networks will stream live on the ESPN App, as well as online on WatchESPN.
The Spirit will have one showcase on the ESPN Family of networks on September 25 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN 2 when they face the Houston Dash on the road. The Spirit previously faced the Dash on June 22 when they played them to a scoreless draw. They will host them once more on July 20 before the September matchup.
“NWSL is a global leader in women’s professional soccer, with collectively the most talented players in the world. Together with the reach of ESPN’s vast network, we have the opportunity to bring more games to a broader audience across the country and world,” said NWSL President Amanda Duffy.
“Even in the year leading up to the Women’s World Cup, we have continued to experience tremendous growth through the support, engagement, and visibility from our fans.”
Last year, more fans came to see NWSL games than any other regular season in the league’s history, with a total regular season attendance of more than 650,000. The 2018 NWSL Championship broke the record for the largest all-time crowd of a women’s professional soccer championship with a sellout crowd of 21,144.
Full 2019 NWSL Schedule on ESPN:
Sun, Jul 14
3 p.m. ET
Portland Thorns FC vs. Orlando Pride
ESPNEWS
Sun, Jul 21
6 p.m. ET
Chicago Red Stars vs. North Carolina Courage
ESPN2
Sat, Jul 27
10 p.m. ET
Utah Royals FC vs. North Carolina Courage
ESPNEWS
Fri, Aug 2
7 p.m. ET
Houston Dash vs. Reign FC
ESPNEWS
Sun, Aug 11
3 p.m. ET
Portland Thorns FC vs. North Carolina Courage
ESPNEWS
Sun, Aug 18
1 p.m. ET
Sky Blue FC vs. Reign FC
ESPNEWS
Sun, Aug 25
3 p.m. ET
Portland Thorns FC vs. Chicago Red Stars
ESPNEWS
Wed, Sep 11
7 p.m. ET
Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars
ESPNEWS
Tue, Sep 17
7:30 p.m. ET
North Carolina Courage vs. Houston Dash
ESPNEWS
Wed, Sep 25
9 p.m. ET
Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit
ESPN2
Sun, Sep 29
2 p.m. ET
Reign FC vs. Portland Thorns FC
ESPN2
Sun, Oct 20
2 p.m. ET
Semifinal I
ESPN2
4 p.m. ET
Semifinal II
ESPN2
Sun, Oct 27
4 p.m. ET
NWSL Championship
ESPN2
