NWSL ANNOUNCES DRAW FOR 2020 NWSL CHALLENGE CUP
Utah Royals FC Faces Washington Spirit, Chicago Red Stars, OL Reign and North Carolina Courage at Zions Bank Stadium
SANDY/HERRIMAN, Utah (Monday, June 1, 2020) – The National Women’s Soccer League announced the draw for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup presented by P&G and Secret on Monday in a live broadcast on CBS Sports, including Utah Royals FC’s schedule for the tournament. Utah will face the Washington Spirit, Chicago Red Stars, OL Reign and North Carolina Courage at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.
URFC will open the NWSL Challenge Cup against the Washington Spirit on June 30. Following that, Royals FC will meet Chicago on July 4 and the Reign on July 8 before concluding the preliminary round against the defending NWSL champion Courage on July 12. The top eight teams from the Preliminary Round will advance to the Quarterfinal Round. The Semifinal Round and Final will be played at Rio Tinto Stadium.
“We’re tremendously excited about the NWSL Challenge Cup schedule,” URFC Head Coach Craig Harrington said. “Now we know who we’re playing – three top teams – so now it’s about preparation and making sure that we’re ready to go on June 30th.”
The full 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup is as follows:
(All Preliminary Round matches at Zions Bank Stadium, Times TBA)
June 27
Chicago Red Stars vs. Orlando Pride
North Carolina Courage vs. Portland Thorns
June 30
Washington Spirit vs. Utah Royals FC
OL Reign vs. Sky Blue FC
July 1
Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride
North Carolina Courage vs. Houston Dash
July 4
Chicago Red Stars vs. Utah Royals FC
Washington Spirit vs. OL Reign
July 5
North Carolina Courage vs. Orlando Pride
Houston Dash vs. Sky Blue FC
July 8
Washington Spirit vs. Portland Thorns
Utah Royals FC vs. OL Reign
July 9
Orlando Pride vs. Sky Blue FC
Chicago Red Stars vs. Houston Dash
July 12
Utah Royals FC vs. North Carolina Courage
Portland Thorns vs. OL Reign
July 13
Chicago Red Stars vs. Sky Blue FC
Washington Spirit vs. Houston Dash
The 25-game tournament will kick off on June 27, 2020 at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah, with the tournament semifinals and Final presented by Budweiser played at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. While spectators will not be in attendance, fans can catch all the action via CBS All Access with the opener and championship game also airing live on CBS.
The nine NWSL teams will train at the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman and America First Credit Union Field in Sandy.
The format of the tournament will feature the league’s nine clubs each playing four games in the preliminary rounds to determine seeding. The top eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals, when the tournament becomes a knockout competition. The semifinals and Final presented by Budweiser will be played at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah with the Championship match slated for July 26, 2020 where we will also announce the tournament MVP Award presented by Budweiser. Budweiser has been an Official Sponsor of the NWSL since 2019 and supporter of the U.S. Women's National Team for over three decades.
Both the tournament opener and the Final will air on CBS and will be streamed on the CBS All Access subscription service. All other games will be live on CBS All Access in the U.S. and Canada and will re-air on CBS Sports Network. Fans outside the U.S. and Canada can stream the full tournament on Twitch.
