As the popularity of the NWSL continues to skyrocket, the league is looking to raise their profile and grow the sport in the United States. They recently filed with the US Soccer Federation to launch a second Division II league.
CBS sports reported that eight NWSL teams have committed to the Division II league. According to the filing, every NWSL team would be required to have a team in the new division. They would have to do this within four years.
This would allow the league to not only grow across the country but give the teams in the top league to have a farm team that they can us to look at and develop players throughout their season. Injuries can hamper teams at times, especially in the heat of the summer, and this may help teams provide more depth and ability to bring in home-grown talent.
The league would have six teams to be able to apply for sanctioning. In addition, all stadiums would have to seat at least 2,000 spectators and principal owners of any of the teams must have a net worth of $7.5 million.
The NWSL currently has 14 teams with a plan to expand to 16 at the start of 2026
The league is hoping to start the new Division II league in addition in 2026. They are hoping that it allows more of a pool of players to continue on and grow the women's game.
"It's not as if the players aren't there; they are there," NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman told ESPN. "They need to be identified, they need to be in the right technical environment, they need to be invested in and developed in an age- appropriate way that allows for them to ultimately graduate into what we need for our teams as we continue to scale, and what the U.S. national team needs as well."
The NWSL has grown in popularity the last few years due to TV and streaming deals with CBS, ABC and Amazon Prime. It has not been announced yet if the games for the Division II league would be a part of the streaming deals.
If the teams do play in new cities and venues, it will advance the league and profile of the NWSL. It may be wise for some of the games in the new league to be available for streaming.
2026 should be a huge year for the NWSL as it looks to grow its audience and have a larger pool of talent. This will not only benefit the league as a whole, but US Soccer to continue their dominance of the women's game.