Photo copyright by Lewis Gettier/The Equalizer.
The National Women’s Soccer League Challenge Cup kicks off this Saturday. Due to the Orlando Pride withdrawing from the tournament due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests, the league was forced to rearrange the schedule to feature only eight teams. Rosters, which were originally to be released on Monday, were also revealed Tuesday.
The format of the schedule remained the same, with each club playing four preliminary round matches before advancing to the knockout rounds. Before the Pride dropped out, one of the nine teams was slated to miss the quarterfinal round. However, now that there are only eight clubs, all eight will advance and only seeding will be on the line.
Kickoff times remain the same for each match day: 12:30 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET. Saturday’s opening game on CBS — the first women’s club soccer game on broadcast TV in the U.S. — is still the North Carolina Courage vs. Portland Thorns FC, a rematch of the 2017 and 2018 NWSL Championship matches.
NWSL Challenge Cup Schedule
| DATE | TIME (EDT) | VENUE | HOME | AWAY | PLATFORM |
| Saturday, June 27 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | NC Courage | Portland Thorns FC | CBS & CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Saturday, June 27 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Chicago Red Stars | Washington Spirit | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Tuesday, June 30 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Houston Dash | Utah Royals FC | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Tuesday, June 30 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | OL Reign | Sky Blue FC | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Wednesday, July 1 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Portland Thorns FC | Chicago Red Stars | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Wednesday, July 1 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Washington Spirit | NC Courage | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Saturday, July 4 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Utah Royals FC | Sky Blue FC | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Saturday, July 4 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Houston Dash | OL Reign | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Sunday, July 5 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | NC Courage | Chicago Red Stars | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Sunday, July 5 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Portland Thorns FC | Washington Spirit | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Wednesday, July 8 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Utah Royals FC | OL Reign | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Wednesday, July 8 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Sky Blue FC | Houston Dash | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Sunday, July 12 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Washington Spirit | Houston Dash | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Sunday, July 12 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Chicago Red Stars | Utah Royals FC | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Monday, July 13 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | OL Reign | Portland Thorns FC | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Monday, July 13 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Sky Blue FC | NC Courage | CBS ALL ACCESS |
| Friday, July 17 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Quarterfinal 1 | CBS ALL ACCESS | |
| Friday, July 17 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Quarterfinal 2 | CBS ALL ACCESS | |
| Saturday, July 18 | 12:30 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Quarterfinal 3 | CBS ALL ACCESS | |
| Saturday, July 18 | 10:00 PM | Zions Bank Stadium | Quarterfinal 4 | CBS ALL ACCESS | |
| Wednesday, July 22 | 12:30 PM | Rio Tinto Stadium | Semifinal 1 | CBS ALL ACCESS | |
| Wednesday, July 22 | 10:00 PM | Rio Tinto Stadium | Semifinal 2 | CBS ALL ACCESS | |
| Sunday, July 26 | 12:30 PM | Rio Tinto Stadium | Championship | CBS & CBS ALL ACCESS |
