The National Women’s Soccer League announced on Tuesday that league-play will begin on Sept. 5, 2020.

The league has come up with a plan to continue the 2020 season called NWSL fall series. The announcement was made on Tuesday, Aug. 25, a month after the successful NWSL Challenge Cup final.  

NWSL fall series: format 

The fall series will consist of three, three team pods, that will play a total of 18 games over the course of seven weeks. The pods were designed for teams to play one another in an effort to minimize travel. However, the full format and schedule has not been announced yet and the league plans to release it next week. 

West 

  • OL Reign 
  • Portland Thorns FC 
  • Utah Royals FC 

Northeast 

  • Chicago Red Stars 
  • Sky Blue FC 
  • Washington Spirit 

South 

  • North Carolina Courage  
  • Orlando Pride  
  • Houston Dash 

NWSL fall series: Broadcast information 

There will be a televised NWSL Game of the Week on the CBS Television Network every Saturday in September, and on CBS Sports Network three Saturdays in October. CBS All Access will exclusively stream four games as well as the CBS broadcast coverage in September. 

"The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup on CBS All Access and CBS was very successful this summer, driving record numbers for the League across all platforms. We are thrilled to be able to build on that momentum with the return of the NWSL in September," said Dan Weinberg, EVP, Programming, CBS Sports. "We will once again capitalize on CBS' multi-platform assets for this outstanding property with games on CBS Sports Network and CBS All Access, as well as four Saturday afternoon games on CBS, creating even more exposure for the League. Together, with our great partners at the NWSL, we look forward to another memorable run of women's soccer this fall." 

NWSL fall series: health and safety protocols  

Given the success of health protocols during the Challenge Cup, the NWSL will continue to work closely with its medical task force. The protocols have been molded to fit home-market matches and regional travel. Moreover, the protocols have been divided into four subsets: PEE Protocol; Standards for Cleaning, Disinfection and Sanitation; Competition Protocol; Positive Test Result Protocol

NWSL fall series: what commissioner Lisa Baird has to say 

"Building on the success of this summer's Challenge Cup, I am so excited to smartly and safely take this next step on the NWSL's journey," said NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird. "The women of the NWSL want to compete and we've certainly heard from our fans all over the world looking for more action this year. I'd like to thank the NWSL Player's Association for their constant collaboration, as well as CBS for continuing to invest in our league's growth and this unprecedented opportunity to showcase the NWSL to a world-wide audience, week-in, week-out."