The National Women's Soccer League is hitting the ground running with its 2024 season, unveiling a packed schedule that puts women's soccer front and center on the national stage. According to an announcement from the NWSL, the Portland Thorns will have the honor of opening the regular season against Kansas City Current at the latter's home turf, CPKC Stadium – a venue lauded as the first built specifically for a professional women's soccer team. Thorns fans eager to catch the live action can tune in nationally on ABC, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+.
With the throttle fully open, Portland's own Thorns FC are charging into the new season presented by Alaska Airlines. The team's campaign, which begins on the road March 16, will stake their claim on the burgeoning fan interest, riding high from the league's shiny new $60 million per year media rights deal, as reported by OPB. The club will face off against every opponent twice, once at home and away, ensuring a nail-biting journey to the season finale on November 1 against Angel City.
But it's not all about the kicks and goals, with the extended reach of the game, the Thorns and their leaguemates are reveling in the spotlight. "It's where we belong," Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey expressed in a moment of candor, stating that every team and female athlete deserves this level of exposure, per an interview obtained by OPB. This sentiment echoes through the new media rights agreement that effectively puts the NWSL into the living rooms of fans, via CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports, who combined, will broadcast a whopping 113 regular-season games, seven postseason games, and the Challenge Cup.
Die-hard soccer enthusiasts who bleed for the Thorns won't miss a beat, thanks to the comprehensive broadcasting strategy laid out for the 2024 season. Timbers.com details the team's three games airing on CBS, with two more on CBS Sports Network, five streaming on Prime Video, and nine sizzling matches on Scripps Sports. If, by some twist of fate, a game slips away from the main channels, fans can plunge into the league's direct-to-consumer streaming service, NWSL+, ensuring no one misses the chance to witness every blockbuster match, assist, and goal.
And for the record-breaking part, the playoffs have been expanded too. Eight clubs will now vie for the championship title in the quarterfinals starting November 9-10, leading into the semifinals on November 16-17. Fans can crown their soccer-filled year by watching the NWSL Championship on November 23, being broadcast during primetime on CBS. It's shaping up to be a season of high stakes, and even higher visibility, for the sport that's been steadily etching its mark on the American sports landscape.
