ORLANDO, Fla. (March 9, 2021) - The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has released the schedule for the second edition of the NWSL Challenge Cup, with the Orlando Pride set to face Racing Louisville FC, Sky Blue FC, the Washington Spirit and the North Carolina Courage across the four-week competition.
The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, presented by Secret Deodorant, will kick off on Friday, April 9 with a rematch of the 2020 final when the Houston Dash host the Chicago Red Stars at BBVA Stadium in an 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS Sports Network.
The Pride will begin their four-game slate, presented by Orlando Health, the following evening, traveling to take on 2021 NWSL expansion side Racing Louisville FC in what will serve as the inaugural match between the two franchises. Following that contest, the team will return to Orlando for a two-game home stint, first hosting Sky Blue FC on April 14 followed by the Washington Spirit on April 21.
To close out their divisional fixtures, the Pride will travel to North Carolina to face the Courage on Saturday, May 1 at Sahlen’s Stadium.
The Pride will feature in two of the four matches throughout the competition to air on CBS Sports Network, with their matchups against Sky Blue FC and North Carolina slated for a national broadcast. The team’s fixtures against Racing Louisville and the Washington Spirit will be available to stream on Paramount+, with international viewers able to tune in on Twitch.
As previously announced, the 2021 tournament will see the league’s 10 teams organized into two divisions, East and West. Each club will play four matches in home markets, as approved by the NWSL’s Medical Task Force, followed by the top team from each division competing in the final slated for May 8 and set to air on the CBS Television Network.
Four total matches will air on CBS Sports Network and every other game will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. All games that are not on CBS Sports Network will be available internationally, including in Canada, on Twitch.
Following the Challenge Cup, the league will return to action with a 24-game regular season slated to begin on May 15 and end on Oct. 30. Six teams will qualify for an expanded NWSL playoffs beginning on Nov. 6, with the top two seeds receiving a first-round bye. The league’s ninth season will conclude with the NWSL Championship on Nov. 20.
Orlando Pride 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup Schedule:
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Broadcast</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sat., April 10</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Racing Louisville FC</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lynn Family Stadium</span></span> |
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paramount+</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wed., April 14</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sky Blue FC</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Exploria Stadium</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7 p.m.</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CBS Sports Network</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wed., April 21</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Spirit</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Exploria Stadium</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7 p.m.</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paramount+</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sat., May 1</span></span> |
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7:30 p.m.</span></span> |
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6edfaba-7fff-92b7-c391-abea5b1fb22f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CBS Sports Network</span></span> |
