2020 Challenge Cup is a big opportunity for the NWSL

CARY, NC - OCTOBER 27: Kristen Hamilton #23 of the North Carolina Courage and Samantha Mewis #5 raise the championship trophy after a game between Chicago Red Stars and North Carolina Courage at Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park on October 27, 2019 in Cary, North Carolina. The North Carolina Courage defeated the Chicago Red Stars 4-0 to win the 2019 NWSL Championship. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images). /

The NWSL will be one of the first team sports returning in the United States. Can the league make the most of that opportunity?

A month-long tournament isn’t exactly what the NWSL had in mind for its 2020 season.

With a new commissioner, new stadium deals and partnerships, and a TV deal with CBS, the 2020 season was supposed to be the NWSL’s best season yet. The league was hoping to continue building off the success of the U.S. Women’s National Team and the viewership boost that came from the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

But everything changed when the coronavirus pandemic broke out.

The public health crisis forced the NWSL to delay the start of their 2020 season and to rethink what a return to play might look like. But rather than cut their losses and give up on the 2020 season, the league came up with a new arrangement: the 2020 Challenge Cup. A 25-game, month-long tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah that will feature all nine NWSL clubs.

It might not be what anyone envisioned, but this tournament should make the NWSL one of the first team sports to return in the United States, and they have an opportunity to capitalize on that.

Just look at the Bundesliga. In the United States, the viewership of their first match after the shutdown was 725 percent higher than the viewership for their final match before the shutdown. People are isolating in their homes and they’re desperate for sports entertainment. The Bundesliga capitalized on that need. There’s no reason the NWSL can’t do the same thing.

The first match of the 2020 Challenge Cup will air on CBS on June 27th. The rest of the matches will air on CBS All Access, with the championship game also airing on national television. The NWSL has strong partners to work with — including Budweiser, P&G, Secret, and most recently, Verizon. If they can build up excitement around this tournament, it could be a major boost to the league for years to come.

The Challenge Cup isn’t what the NWSL wanted for the 2020 season, but they have an opportunity to make the most of a bad situation. It could end up being a defining moment for the league.

Next. NWSL announces return to play with 2020 Challenge Cup in Utah. dark

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