The National Women’s Soccer League today announced telecast details for the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. The tournament, set to kick off on Friday, March 18, will feature three matches broadcast on The CBS Television Network, including the Championship match. The three matches will also stream live on Paramount+. Four contests will air on CBS Sports Network, and all other matches will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. Additionally, the Challenge Cup in its entirety will be available to stream internationally on Twitch.
“We’re thrilled to work with our friends at CBS Sports to bring another NWSL Challenge Cup to our viewers,” said interim CEO Marla Messing. “The Challenge Cup is an exciting opener to our 10th anniversary season and thanks to CBS Sports’ partnership, more tournament matches than ever will be available to fans across the country. We look forward to once again showcasing the best women’s soccer league on the air.”
"The first two editions of the NWSL Challenge Cup were incredibly successful, and we look forward to bringing fans the action for a third straight year from this exciting and competitive tournament," said Dan Weinberg, EVP, Programming, CBS Sports. “We are happy to expand our coverage across all CBS Sports platforms with more Challenge Cup games than ever before, including three matches on The CBS Television Network, four matches on CBS Sports Network, and all others on Paramount+."
CBS Sports’ coverage kicks off with the first 18 Challenge Cup matches streaming live exclusively on Paramount+ and continues on The CBS Television Network Saturday, April 2 when newcomer San Diego Wave FC takes on fellow first-year club Angel City FC at Torero Stadium in a 4 p.m. ET contest. The network will also feature the defending NWSL Champion Washington Spirit in a Saturday matinee against the North Carolina Courage on April 23.
Airing on CBS Sports Network, the Kansas City Current and Houston Dash square off in a mid-tournament match Friday, April 15 at 8 p.m. ET, while OL Reign is set to welcome ACFC to Lumen Field Sunday, April 17 for a 6 p.m. ET matchup. The Houston Dash round out CBS Sports Network’s group play coverage Sunday, April 24 when they host Racing Louisville FC for a 6 p.m. ET contest at PNC Stadium.
CBS Sports Network will air the first of two Challenge Cup semifinal matches on Wednesday, May 4 at 8 p.m. ET, with the second semifinal match at 10 p.m. streaming exclusively on Paramount+. The Championship game, slated for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, will be televised live on the CBS Television Network and streamed live on Paramount+ Saturday, May 7.
The NWSL also announced updated kick times for a trio of group stage contests. OL Reign’s April 17 match against Angel City, originally slated for a 7 p.m. ET kick off at Lumen Field, has been moved up to 6 p.m. ET. Additionally, the Houston Dash-Racing Louisville FC match April 24 will now kick off at 6 p.m. ET at PNC Stadium, while Angel City’s match against Portland, originally scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET kick off, will now be played at 9 p.m. ET at Titan Stadium at Cal State Fullerton.
