“This is the beginning of our future.” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman truly meant these words when she announced one of the largest broadcast agreements in women’s sports history on November 9, 2023—signed with Prime Video, Scripps Sports, ESPN, and CBS—securing a $240 million payday spread across four seasons. Why, you ask? Well, even though the deal only began last season, the surge in the American women’s league’s popularity has already compelled ESPN to introduce another remarkable revamp.

And mind you, we aren’t joking when we say surge. Citing figures shared by Nielsen Big Data + Panel, ESPN journalist Jeff Kassouf revealed in a tweet that, in 2025 so far, the NWSL audience across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 has grown by a whopping 72 percent compared to 2024, the first year of the deal. That only resulted in the American broadcasting company taking a big step and revamping its agreement with the league.

Starting in the 2026 season and continuing through 2027, passionate NWSL fans will enjoy expanded coverage on the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, with weekly broadcasts of 36 games—including all eight Decision Day clashes, two quarterfinals, and a semifinal. They won’t be alone, as ABC—co-owned by Walt Disney and a television cousin of ESPN, Hulu, FOX, FX, Disney Channel, Disney+, and Freeform—will also have a similar arrangement.

“The NWSL showcases some of the best athletes in the world,” said Rosalyn Durant, executive vice president, programming and acquisitions, ESPN. “We are proud to increase our commitment on ABC and ESPN, and to further elevate women’s sports and the athlete stories.” Interestingly, that isn’t the only major development and revamp that you’ll witness from next year.

It is worth noting that CBS has also increased its package of games under the existing deal, bringing the total to 38 broadcasts for next season. In addition, the NWSL unveiled a fresh partnership with the streaming service Victory+, which will air Sunday primetime matchups every week throughout the campaign. “We are expanding the discoverability and reach of NWSL matches because the demand is there,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement.

“These additional media packages will help us reach new audiences and build a new generation of fandom,” added Berman, insisting that these expanded commitments from the respective broadcasters will “bolster the NWSL’s trajectory of unprecedented growth,” further helping cultivate a new generation of fans.

Not to mention, the addition of two new franchises worth $110 million—Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC—set to kick off their debut seasons next year, will also expand the league to 16 teams and add another 32 games to the schedule. Here’s a quick look at the overall match distribution of the games:

2026-2027 NWSL match distribution

CBS Sports: 38 total matches (10 regular season, 1 quarterfinal, 1 semifinal, and the NWSL Championship on CBS; 20 on CBS Sports Network; 5 on TBD platform)

ESPN: 36 total matches (33 regular season, including all 8 Decision Day matches, plus 2 quarterfinals and 1 semifinal)

Victory+: 57 total matches (25 Sunday Night matches, plus 32 additional)

Prime Video: 27 total matches (25 regular season, 1 Challenge Cup, 1 quarterfinal)

Scripps/ION: 50 regular-season Saturday night matches

NWSL+: 40 total matches

Looking at this development, one thing is clear: it’s certainly going to be a blast starting next year. More to that, this was a much-needed therapy for the NWSL, which, sadly, has been pushed around a lot by the rival European league.

NWSL doing the most to keep up with European giants

The start of the year has largely been about talented NWSL players leaving the United States to join European rivals. It’s not as if this hasn’t happened before—there have been moves in both directions—but recent developments have seen the American women’s league lose some big names. It began with Naomi Girma, who joined Chelsea in a $1.1 million deal. She was followed by Jenna Nighswonger’s move to Arsenal, Kerolin to Manchester City, and Crystal Dunn to Paris Saint-Germain.

Just a few weeks ago, another young talent, 20-year-old Alyssa Thompson, left Angel City to reunite with Girma at Chelsea in a record club deal worth $1.3 million. Seeing these major European clubs throw such cash around to secure players is bound to make the NWSL feel somewhat insecure about its ability to keep pace with its rivals, though financial factors are certainly part of the equation.

Even so, the NWSL’s own historic breakthroughs in media and investment deals give the league a significant upper hand. The question now is, what more do they have in store for their passionate fans?