2024 NWSL Expansion Draft live stream, rules, preview: Watch Expansion Draft online

Expansion always comes at a cost. At least for all the 12 clubs that used to make up the entirety of the league. In some ways, this NWSL Expansion Draft is similar to the 2022 version, but in others, the differences are evident. For instance, the USWNT allocated player rule is a thing of the past. The bomb of chaos is about to get dropped. Hold on tight, and keep those notifications on.

It is smack dab right in the middle of a busy end of a week in the world of women's football. The UEFA Women's Champions League takes place on Wednesday and Thursday while nearly every European top-flight league has a slate of fixtures over the weekend. No need to wake up early or miss work for this Friday's draft though.

Cue the suspenseful music. Here's some for you: click. The deadline for any final transactions has been set for Tuesday at 9 a.m. EST. Just a few hours later, the team’s lists of protected and unprotected players are due at 2 p.m. EST.

We've seen both Utah Royals FC and Bay FC already make their respective moves, but after Friday night, those rosters will become that much more clear. Every club from the 12-team league in 2023 has the right to protect just nine players. The northern California outfit will choose first in a 12-round draft. After a club sees one of its players taken, it can protect an additional player who was not on the previous nine-player list. If the player fits in the U18 category, it does not need to make up that list of nine because it does not qualify to be handpicked.

You can only imagine the chaos inside each NWSL club's front office right now, especially the ones without a defined leader. This will be the first draft when free agency is going to be a major factor. The most important thing you need to know is that unsigned free agents do not need to be chosen for protection by the club they competed for last season. If you were wondering why there has not been a boatload of signings across the league so far, that is why.

Another important rule to keep in mind before turning the draft on is players with "no-trade" clauses. If the player doesn't waive it, they need to be in the list of nine, but if they do, that individual is free for others to sign.

Now, let's get into teams with protection because, over the past few weeks, clubs have dealt players with the idea of keeping their core intact. Seb Hines' Orlando Pride is protected from both expansion sides while Racing Louisville FC and Kansas City Current have guarded their rosters from the new California outfit. In trades on Nov. 20, North Carolina Courage and the defending NWSL Shield winners, San Diego Wave locked up safety from the club that calls Salt Lake City home.

Orlando is the only side, in reality, that is completely in the clear. Cheers to the Pride. Even if a club has protected itself from one, it is still able to have two of its players snatched from under them by the other expansion outfit. According to a report by The Athletic on Monday, the "value of protection from a single expansion team had nearly doubled over the past two or three days, from $150,000 to $250,000." So in reality, there is no point in protecting yourself from one team if you can still lose the same amount of players if you don't.

As far as what happens during the draft, Utah and Bay FC have three minutes to make their selections. In addition, both sides can call up to two five-minute time-outs during the draft. The twist is they are not permitted to use them in a row.

How to watch the 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft Presented by Ally

• Date: Friday, Dec. 15

• Start Time: 7:00 p.m. EST

• Location: Virtual

• TV info/Live Stream: CBS Sports Network

The NWSL College Draft takes place on Friday, January 12, at 8 p.m. EST in Anaheim, California. It will be broadcast on ION, and is open to the public to attend in-person.