May 30 – Mirroring the men’s League Cup, played between clubs in the MLS and Mexico’s LigaMX sides, the NWSL and the Liga MX Femenil will debut the Summer Cup, kicking off July 19.
The ground-breaking competition will feature all 14 NWSL clubs and the six teams with the most points achieved in Liga MX Femenil Clausura and Apertura during 2023, including Tigres UANL, Club América, Chivas de Guadalajara, Rayadas de Monterrey, Pachuca and Tijuana.
The final will be played at Toyota Field, San Antonio, on October 25.
Clubs will be divided into five groups of four teams consisting of both NWSL and Liga MX Femenil clubs, with each club competing in three matches. Of the five group winners, the four clubs with the most points will advance to the semi-finals.
This is the first time the US and Mexican leagues have collaborated on a cross-border tournament.
Liga MX has been building its women’s clubs and raising the level of the women’s game in the country. In February the Mexican women beat the US women at the inaugural W Gold Cup in a group game, the first time Mexico has beaten the US in a major tournament.
While the US teams will start as favourites, the Mexicans are coming from the country’s biggest clubs, many of whom have recruited overseas talent to boost the quality and development of the domestic league.
For the NWSL teams, it provides a new competitive opportunity and expand the professional game in the Concacaf region which has now committed to a women’s Champions League.
CBS Sports will be the exclusive English-language distributor of all 33 Summer Cup games, with every match set to stream live on Paramount+, 11 matches simulcasting on CBS Sports Golazo Network and 12 matches simulcasting on CBS Sports Network, including the semifinals and championship match.
TUDN, the sports programming branch of Spanish-language network Univision, will air three group stage matches while NWSL+ will serve as the Spanish-language home for the remaining group stage matches in the US.
“We are thrilled to host the first-ever final of this exciting tournament,” said Director of Toyota Field and STAR Soccer Complex Jose Lizardo. “This match gives our organization another opportunity to spotlight the tremendous growth of women’s soccer. We’re excited to continue inspiring the next generation of young talent in our city and look forward to welcoming fans from all over the region to Toyota Field.”
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