The NWSL will start its season earlier in 2027 because of the Women's World Cup

The National Women's Soccer League will kick off its season earlier than ever before next year to work around the Women's World Cup in Brazil.

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman gave a wide-ranging midseason State of the League address Wednesday during which she discussed next season's schedule, the impact of the men's World Cup and other topics impacting the league.

The league's 15th season will open on Feb. 11, more than a month earlier than this season. The annual Challenge Cup match will be played on Feb. 6. The NWSL will pause from June 24 to July 25 during the Women's World Cup as many of the league's players will be on national teams that qualify for the tournament. The playoffs will start on Nov. 5 and the league championship will be played on Nov. 20.

“We know that major tournaments inspire millions of people to follow the sport, and our schedule allows us to be part of the lead-in and the lead-out of that big moment," Berman said.

The league is intentionally launching the season during Super Bowl weekend and will be “working closely with ESPN to make sure that the NWSL is woven into the weekend stories, and we’re very excited about that,” Berman said. ABC/ESPN is a broadcast partner of the NWSL, and ABC is broadcasting the 2027 Super Bowl.

There has been speculation the NWSL may at some point shift to a season that would align with its international counterparts, although the players' union has objected to such a move and the league will remain on a spring to fall schedule through at least 2030.

The men's domestic league, Major League Soccer, will shift its season to a summer to spring calendar next year. Berman said the MLS move presents both benefits and challenges because many teams share stadiums.

“Right now, being on a spring to fall footprint with MLS, we both have our playoffs at the same time, and what that means is that there are holds across lots of dates with uncertainty,” she said. “With us being on different calendars, that’s no longer going to be the case. We’re going to have visibility into weeks that might otherwise have been reserved but not confirmed, and that will be helpful.”

Berman said the league appears to be benefitting from the so-called World Cup bump, with increased viewership and engagement following the men's tournament this summer. The league's “Sumer of Soccer” event tour and marketing campaign aimed to capitalize on the men's tournament to boost the NWSL's profile.

Berman touted the campaign for growth on social media platforms Instagram and YouTube. The league had nearly 40 million impressions on social media with the Summer of Soccer tour hashtag, #NWSLOnTour."

Average attendance to date is 11,174 per game, the second-highest behind 2024, which had an average of 11,249.

“We’re close to to beating that, and we hope we’ll have a strong second half of the season, where we can celebrate this being our highest-attended year on an average basis,” Berman said.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell stakes in future World Cups to private investors has brought increasing scrutiny of his leadership.

CONCACAF and its 41 member associations, including the United States, previously rejected Infantino's proposal. Whether U.S. Soccer would take a position on Infantino's future won't be discussed until a September board meeting, CEO JT Batson told reporters on Tuesday. Berman sits on the board.

"I’ll start by saying we wholeheartedly support the position that U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF took as it relates to not being supportive of that proposal, and are pleased that it was withdrawn," Berman said. "As it relates to future state conversations about the future of FIFA and leadership, I’m eager to have discussions with our fellow board members to listen and learn and better understand the optionality that might exist and the process."

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Jessica Berman, commissioner of the National Women's Soccer League, announces the securing of a bid by Denver to be the 16th team in the league during a news conference, Jan. 30, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Three people have been charged with threatening a judge, a witness and local officials connected to the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after a July Fourth boat trip with friends to an island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.

None of the three appear to know Wells, his family or the boating group, or be part of the investigation. The threats came amid rampant speculation and scrutiny of the investigation, deepened in part by uncertainty surrounding Wells' final hours, distrust of law enforcement and the state's long history of racist violence.

The teenager, who was Black, had traveled to the uninhabited island with a group of friends from high school, all of whom were white. He did not return with his friends to the mainland that evening. His body was found two days later off the island’s coast.

Authorities have not made any arrests or named any suspects. An independent autopsy commissioned by Wells’ family found the 18-year-old’s cause of death to be “undetermined” pending further investigation.

Attempts to reach the defendants for comment were unsuccessful. Phone numbers listed for some of the defendants in affidavits weren't active and a call to another number went unanswered. Emails sent to addresses listed in an affidavit for one of the defendants went unanswered. It is unclear if they have attorneys.

One of the defendants, Edward James Porter of Illinois, allegedly called an unnamed witness on July 31 and threatened to kill them and their family, according to an affidavit. Porter also allegedly told another person in Mississippi in a phone call that he would cut them up and put them “into a suitcase.” Porter was charged on July 31 in federal court for the Southern District of Mississippi for the threat.

Porter threatened two members of the family of Bart Edminston Jr., a 21-year-old who knew Wells and provided aid to the boat the group used on July Fourth, said family attorney Russell Latino. Latino said that one of the family members who Porter threatened is a witness in the investigation into Wells’ death.

An Ohio woman was also charged with allegedly placing bomb threats at the George County Chancery Clerk's Office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on July 23. The woman, Michelle Francine Edwards, allegedly called the clerk's office 21 times and said, “the clock is ticking,” according to an affidavit.

A California man, Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, was charged on July 14 for allegedly sending a threatening Facebook message to a Jackson County Chancery Court judge with ties to the Wells investigation. According to an affidavit, a Facebook user believed to be Dumarce sent a message to the judge's account that constituted a “threat that a bomb would be mailed to the judge's office."

Judge Ashlee Cole posted a screenshot of Dumarce's threatening message on Facebook on July 9. Cole wrote in an earlier Facebook post that her son last saw Wells on July Fourth around 3 p.m. and decided to “stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends.” Cole wrote that she deactivated her Facebook and that she fears for the safety of her children.

Christine Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley, mother and step father of Nolan Wells, stand on a stage with a photo of their son as they appear at the National Urban League's annual conference to share updates on his death, as well as Daniel Erving, and Tyler Smith, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)