Updated March 14, 2025 at 12:14 PM ET
The 2025 National Women's Soccer League season kicks off Friday night. But it almost feels like the NWSL has not stopped. The league has made a lot of news during the offseason. There was a historic player transfer. The league also announced a new partnership with Call Her Daddy podcast host Alex Cooper. And Jessica Berman, the league commissioner, has announced that the NWSL is expanding to Denver, with Boston on the horizon.
"A lot of what we're focused on in the future is about building infrastructure, knowing that we need to control our own destiny," Berman told NPR's All Things Considered.
The growth of the league under her leadership is apparent. More people are watching. It had a record of more than 17 million viewers last season. The league is also in the second year of an historic $240 million broadcast deal.
But by 8 p.m. Friday night, the focus will shift back to what happens on the pitch. To help you get ready, we looked at five big questions that could shape the NWSL this season.
What version of the NWSL will fans see this year?
It's a big question for 2025: Will the NWSL continue its long identity as a "chaos" league, where any team can beat any other?
Chaos is what makes the league exciting for fans to watch, with a unique mix of parity and fast, physical play. For a perfect example, look at the end of the 2022 season. The three lowest-ranked teams then, with a collective 12 wins, went on to win the 2023 championship (Gotham FC), the 2024 championship (Orlando Pride), and the 2025 Challenge Cup (Washington Spirit).
How did they transform themselves? A robust supply of NCAA talent helped: In 2023, Gotham drafted the versatile Jenna Nighswonger and Orlando chose Emily Sams, who quickly emerged as a world-class defender. In 2024, Washington's stellar draft class included Croix Bethune and Hal Hershfelt, both of whom went to the Paris Olympics with the national team.
But the NWSL has since abolished the draft, putting new focus on teams' ability to attract and sign top talent — homegrown or international.
Orlando has shown it can do that, bringing in Zambian forward Barbra Banda from the Chinese Women's Super League last season. Banda went on to become the finals MVP. And after the Kansas City Current added Malawian striker Temwa Chaŵinga last year, she electrified the league in scoring a record 21 goals.
The dramatic shifts of last season inspired a documentary from Amazon Prime titled For The Win, focusing on top players.
In 2025, will we see a continuing wave of international players at the peak of their career, choosing to play in America? How will the NWSL's advantages — strong growth, parity and increasing players' rights — stack up against top leagues in France, Spain and England, where competition (and spending) is often dominated by a handful of elite clubs?
The answer will depend in part on how the NWSL copes without big stars such as Alex Morgan (retired) and Sophia Wilson (formerly Smith), who recently announced she is pregnant.
What were the biggest offseason moves?
As with any offseason, there were a lot of moves shaking up the league. The biggest was Naomi Girma's historic million-dollar move out of the NWSL to Chelsea FC in England's Women's Super League. The San Diego Wave lost Girma and Morgan and also traded Jaedyn Shaw to the North Carolina Courage. Just 20 years old, Shaw has been making a name for herself on the U.S. national team.
San Diego had the league's best record in 2023, but it didn't make the playoffs in 2024 and will have a lot to work to do as it rebuilds.
North Carolina lost a big name, too: 2023 league MVP and Brazilian forward Kerolin Nicoli Israel Ferraz made a move to Manchester City. NJ/NY Gotham FC also lost a player to England's WSL: Jenna Nighswonger, the USWNT left back, signed with Arsenal. Gotham also saw Crystal Dunn leave for Paris Saint-Germain.
But other favorites are still around. Trinity Rodman is in Washington, where she's coping with an injury. Marta re-signed with the Pride, and Christen Press re-signed with Angel City in Los Angeles. Lynn Biyendolo (formerly Lynn Williams) left Gotham as the league's all-time leading scorer, and signed with the Seattle Reign through 2027.
The league is in transition. Who will lead the next generation?
A slew of players has retired in the last couple of years. A lot of these players — like Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn and Megan Rapinoe — were icons for what they accomplished off the field, pushing women's soccer to new heights and also toward gender equity.
They will be missed, especially on the national team. But a talented group of players is trying to make a case for why the league is in good hands.
Look no further than forward Ally Sentnor, the 21-year-old goal chaser on the Utah Royals. Sentnor had a great performance in February on the U.S. Women's National Team, making her debut on the senior team in the SheBelieves Cup. She scored two goals in three games and had moments where her quick feet allowed her to impose her will on the field.
Yazmeen Ryan, who is 26 and has just made a move to the Houston Dash, was another standout in the SheBelieves Cup. The Dash finished in last place in 2024. Ryan can help the team win games, and fans are eager to see how she pairs with 23-year-old striker Diana Ordóñez, who plays for the Mexican national team.
Some more names to watch: Defender of the Year Emily Sams, with the Orlando Pride; 2024 MVP Temwa Chaŵinga of the Current; and her teammate, defensive midfielder Claire Hutton. And Washington is hoping Croix Bethune, who tied the league's season assist record in her rookie year, can come back strong from a knee injury.
For a lot of the players mentioned above, 2025 brings an opportunity to make their case to national team coach Emma Hayes that they belong on the 2027 FIFA Women' World Cup roster. This season, with no Olympics or FIFA World Cup scheduled, players will be focused on their club teams' success.
What will the San Diego Wave look like after Alex Morgan?
If there is a team that embodies the league's transition, it's San Diego, which recently hired former Arsenal Women coach Jonas Eidevall.
While the Wave has huge shoes to fill, the team will be interesting to watch this season. The front office brought in some big French names over the last two seasons — Kenza Dali, Delphine Cascarino and Perle Morroni. They also traded for María Sánchez in the middle of last season.
Sánchez, one of the most promising young players on the Mexican national team, signed a historic contract in 2023 in Houston before coming to San Diego. Sanchez has the chance to be an MVP front-runner, especially if she can help the team get back to the top of the table.
Are we on Trinity Rodman transfer watch?
The short and official answer is: not yet. She's under contract with the Spirit until the end of this season. Trinity Rodman has become a face of the USWNT, the league and the Washington Spirit since winning NWSL rookie of the year honors in 2021. She is one of the best attacking players in the world right now. So of course, people will start to wonder if she might follow in Naomi Girma's footsteps and play overseas.
Rodman told ESPN this week that she has always thought about playing overseas at some point and that it is "just a matter of when." Her $1.1 million contract with the Spirit made history in 2022. There's no reason to believe that she won't command a record salary and transfer fee if she chooses to play for another team.
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