With the NWSL regular season on hiatus until Aug. 23 as a record 56 of its rostered players participate in the Paris Olympics soccer competition, the inaugural NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup tournament will fill its pitches with 30 group stage contests, followed by the semi-finals and title game.

CBS Sports and ESPN platforms will combine to air domestically and internationally every match in the first NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup tournament, which begins today (July 19).

In the U.S., CBS Sports will be the exclusive English-language distributor of all 33 Summer Cup games.

Every match will 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.

Spanish-language coverage in the U.S. will be provided by TUDN, the sports programming branch of Spanish language network Univision, with three group stage matches, and NWSL+ for the remaining group stage matches.

ESPN will exclusively carry Spanish-language coverage of Summer Cup in Mexico, as well as the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. NWSL+ will serve as the English and Spanish-language home for all remaining international territories.

NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup will feature five groups, including four groups of three NWSL clubs and one LIGA MX Femenil club, and one group with two clubs from each league.

Each participating club will compete in a minimum of three matches.

The semifinals are scheduled for Aug. 6, with both matches in CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, MO.

The final is scheduled for Oct. 25 in Toyota Field in San Antonio.

See the full schedule here.

All NWSL marketing partners are supporting the tournament.

Maven Clinic, the world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health, will serve as an official partner of Summer Cup.

“(This) marks a historic milestone for women’s soccer in North America and another significant step in the continued elevation of our global game,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said via the league.

“We’re excited to partner with LIGA MX Femenil to create additional competitive opportunities for our athletes, unlock new rivalries, tap into our collective fanbases and continue our shared mission of raising the value, visibility and global standard of our sport.”

Regarding the Olympics, NWSL said the 56 NWSL participants account for the “most players of any league in the world — nearly one quarter of the women’s Olympic player pool,” which begins July 25.

Every NWSL team will have a representative in this year’s Olympics, “highlighting the depth of talent across the league. Additionally, as the NWSL continues to be a destination for rising stars and the next generation of talent, more than half of the league’s first-time Olympic participants are 24 years old or younger.”

All 26 matches in the tournament, including the medal round contests, will feature at least one NWSL player on team rosters.

By comparison, NBA commissioner Adam Silver estimated that 130 NBA and WNBA current and former players would participate for their national team in the Paris basketball tournament.

NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Orlando Pride lead the way in representation with seven players named to national team squads, while Portland Thorns FC and the Washington Spirit each sent six players to the Games.

All 18 players and four alternates on the U.S. Women’s National Team are from NWSL rosters, followed by Team Canada with ten.

According to the league, “The NWSL’s record representation comes on the heels of several strategic moves made over the past 12 months to secure the league’s position as the international destination for top-tier players, including an increased number of international roster slots, a significant increase in the salary cap for the 2024 season and further investments across key business and sporting functions including coaching, commercial and media.”

Orlando Pride striker and Brazilian legend Marta, the most veteran NWSL player in this year’s tournament, will make her sixth and final appearance at the Games. The 38-year-old star has appeared in every Olympics since 2004.

Angel City FC defender and New Zealand captain Ali Riley will make her fifth tournament appearance.

The 2024 Paris Olympics is the eighth Olympic Games to feature women’s soccer.

The USA won the inaugural Olympic gold medal for women’s soccer in 1996 in Atlanta, silver in 2000 in Sydney and then won three straight golds: Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

The USA fell in the quarterfinals in penalty kicks in Rio in 2016 and earned a bronze medal in 2021.

Eight players who return from the 2020 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team are goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, defenders Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger and Emily Sonnett, midfielders Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle and Catarina Macario and forward Crystal Dunn.

First-time USWNT Olympians include goalkeeper Casey Murphy, defenders Emily Fox, Naomi Girma and Jenna Nighswonger, midfielders Korbin Albert and Sam Coffey and forwards Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Jaedyn Shaw.

Four players on the U.S. roster with 100 or more international appearances include Horan (148), Dunn (147), Naeher (104) and Lavelle (100).

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the U.S. will open Group B play on July 25 — one day before the Opening Ceremonies — against Zambia in Stade de Nice.

They then play Germany July 28 in Marseille’s Stade de Marseille, then finish group play against Australia on July 31, also in Marseille.

2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team Roster by Position (NWSL Club/Caps/Goals):

(2): Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 19), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 104)

(6): Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 58/3), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 49/1), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 32/0), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit; 49/0), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 9/2), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 91/2)

(5): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 11/0), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 17/1), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 148/35), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 100/24), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC, ENG; 19/8)

(5):Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 147/25), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 38/7), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 14/7), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 48/19), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars; 92/34)

Rebooted USWNT Soccer Team Sees Return To Gold As Its Goal In Paris

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