2024 National Women's Soccer League season
The 2024 National Women's Soccer League season was the twelfth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer and the Women's United Soccer Association, it was the 18th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. The league had 14 teams following the addition of expansion teams Bay FC and Utah Royals—the latter being the revival of a team that had played in the league from 2018 to 2020.
The season began with the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup, a supercup match between the reigning playoff champion and NWSL Shield winner San Diego Wave FC, on March 15, 2024. The regular season began the following day and ran until November 3; it paused for a month between July 8 and August 18 for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Each team played 26 matches during the regular season, an increase of four from the 2023 season. The playoffs comprised the top eight teams and ran from November 9 to November 23. The Orlando Pride finished in first place during the regular season, accumulating a record 60 points, and also won the playoffs, defeating the Washington Spirit in the final.
In addition to league play, 2024 marked the debut of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, an international competition between clubs from the NWSL and Liga MX Femenil of Mexico. The inaugural edition was played from July to October and won by the Kansas City Current.
The 2024 season was the first under new broadcast agreements with CBS Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and Scripps Sports; 118 of the total 182 matches were televised or streamed nationally. Attendance averaged 11,235 per game, a record, and total attendance for the year was just over two million, also a record.
Teams, stadiums, and personnel
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and sponsorship
Note: All teams use Nike as their kit manufacturer as part of a league-wide sponsorship agreement renewed in November 2021.Regular season
Standings
Tiebreakers
The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings is most points earned, with three points earned for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams tie in total points total when determining rank, playoff qualification, and seeding, the NWSL uses the following tiebreaker criteria, going down the list until all teams are ranked.- Greater goal difference across the entire regular season.
- Most total wins across the entire regular season.
- Most goals scored across the entire regular season.
- Head-to-head results between the tied teams.
- Head-to-head most goals scored between the tied teams.
- Fewest disciplinary points accumulated across the entire regular season.
- Coin flip or drawing of lots.
Positions by week
Considering each week to end when the NWSL releases their weekly standing tweet| Team \ Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Team \ Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Orlando Pride | 6 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Washington Spirit | 12 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | 8 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kansas City Current | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| North Carolina Courage | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Portland Thorns FC | 10 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Bay FC | 5 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Chicago Red Stars | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Racing Louisville FC | 7 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| San Diego Wave FC | 9 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 10 |
| Utah Royals | 13 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Angel City FC | 11 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| Seattle Reign FC | 4 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| Houston Dash | 14 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Legend: Gold = first place; green = playoff position; Red = last place.
Attendance
Average home attendances
Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.| Team | |||||
| San Diego Wave FC | 12 | 234,896 | 32,066 | 10,289 | 19,575 |
| Angel City FC | 13 | 251,073 | 22,000 | 16,023 | 19,313 |
| Portland Thorns FC | 13 | 243,428 | 23,212 | 16,688 | 18,725 |
| Washington Spirit | 13 | 181,187 | 19,897 | 8,182 | 13,937 |
| Bay FC | 13 | 177,027 | 18,000 | 10,367 | 13,617 |
| Kansas City Current | 13 | 149,500 | 11,500 | 11,500 | 11,500 |
| Utah Royals | 13 | 133,949 | 20,370 | 7,491 | 10,304 |
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | 13 | 111,660 | 11,662 | 5,883 | 8,589 |
| Seattle Reign FC | 13 | 110,536 | 16,598 | 5,083 | 8,503 |
| Orlando Pride | 13 | 108,424 | 17,087 | 4,702 | 8,340 |
| Chicago Red Stars | 13 | 93,030 | 35,038 | 2,999 | 7,156 |
| Racing Louisville FC | 14 | 86,916 | 11,365 | 2,137 | 6,208 |
| North Carolina Courage | 13 | 82,702 | 10,026 | 4,528 | 6,362 |
| Houston Dash | 13 | 80,520 | 8,600 | 4,438 | 6,194 |
| Total | 182 | 2,044,848 | 35,038 | 2,137 | 11,235 |
Statistical leaders
Top scorers
Top assists
Clean sheets
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Score | Date | |
| Cloé Lacasse | Utah Royals | vs. Seattle Reign FC | 3–0 | October 13, 2024 |
Playoffs
The NWSL increased the number of teams eligible for the NWSL playoffs from the top six teams to the top eight in the 2024 season. In the semifinals, teams were not reseeded and the winners within each quarterfinals arm played each other.Challenge Cup
In a change of format, the Challenge Cup will be played as a one-off super cup, contested by the winners of the previous season's NWSL Championship, NJ/NY Gotham FC, and NWSL Shield, San Diego Wave FC.NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup
The inaugural Summer Cup was played from July to October. Kansas City Current defeated NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 in the final.Individual awards
Annual awards
Teams of the Year
Best XISecond XI
Monthly awards
Player of the Month
| Month | Player | Team | |
| March/April | Bia Zaneratto | Kansas City Current | |
| May | Barbra Banda | Orlando Pride | |
| June | Temwa Chawinga | Kansas City Current | |
| July | Ally Sentnor | Utah Royals | |
| August | Ella Stevens | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| September | Temwa Chawinga | Kansas City Current | |
| October/November | Temwa Chawinga | Kansas City Current |
Rookie of the Month
| Month | Player | Team | |
| March/April | Croix Bethune | Washington Spirit | |
| May | Croix Bethune | Washington Spirit | |
| June | Croix Bethune | Washington Spirit | |
| July | Ally Sentnor | Utah Royals | |
| August | Croix Bethune | Washington Spirit | |
| September | Kennedy Wesley | San Diego Wave FC | |
| October/November | Makenna Morris | Washington Spirit |
Team of the Month
| Month | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | |
| March/April | Alyssa Naeher, CHI | ||||
| May | Ann-Katrin Berger, NJY | ||||
| June | Anna Moorhouse, ORL | ||||
| July | Cassie Miller, NJY | ||||
| August | DiDi Haračić, LA | ||||
| September | Anna Moorhouse, ORL | ||||
| October/ November | Almuth Schult, KC |