Women’s professional soccer has a champagne problem: A packed calendar around the World Cup that will test the sustainability of its mega growth

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) insists that too much of a good thing is just a myth, at least in the context of the sport.

Earlier this month, the league announced its 2027 calendar, which will start one month earlier than usual to account for a two-month mid-season break when many of its athletes will swap club jerseys for country ones at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

It will be the NWSL’s longest season in its 14-year history.

The global tournament comes at a critical time for the NWSL, which has doubled in size over the last decade.

As of its 2026 season mid-point, the league saw an average of more than 11,000 fans at each match, a 10% year-over-year increase, and its social media following grew 24% year-over-year to 3.1 million followers across major platforms, according to NWSL data .

With 138 NWSL players expected to join national rosters for the Women’s World Cup, the league is preparing to capitalize on an influx of fans.

“That schedule was intentionally designed to position the NWSL at the center of one of the biggest years in the history of women’s soccer,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman told reporters this month.

“By maintaining our spring to fall calendar, which we decided earlier this year, we’ve created the best possible environment for our players, clubs, partners, and fans to maximize the extraordinary opportunity presented by the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“We know that major tournaments inspire millions of people to follow the sport,” she added.

“And our schedule allows us to be part of the lead-in and the lead-out of that big moment.” But in order for the NWSL to make the most of a jam-packed calendar, it will have to overcome a number of logistical obstacles, from cold climates to maintaining the health of players.

Its executives believe the league is ready to meet the moment.

“It means that we can then come back to our regular season on the heels of the Women’s World Cup and ride that momentum,” Sarah Jones Simmer, chief operating officer of the NWSL, told Fortune .

“And we will have so many players coming back to our league that will have had success in the Women’s World Cup, and that’s going to be a massive fan acquisition opportunity for us.

It’s going to really contribute to the growth of the league.” How the NWSL is meeting the moment For the league, preparing to take advantage of the 2027 World Cup has meant pushing up its regular season start by more than a month to Feb.