It’s the summer international break! (Or if you prefer, it’s the lunch recess of the 2025 NWSL season.) Either way, we’ve reached roughly the halfway point of the FNWSL season. Each NWSL team has played every opponent in the league exactly once, and all of the reverse fixtures will occur following the break. That means that we have a pretty good understanding of each team’s strengths and weaknesses, independent of scheduling differences.
Stay tuned for some Fantasy NWSL analysis over the next few weeks, as league (and FNWSL) play will return with three matches on Friday, August 1st. In the meantime, lots of other things are happening in the world of women’s soccer!
So, what is going on during the international break?
The headliners are the four confederation championships being played during this window. Here are the dates of the final match of each tournament:
- OFC: July 19
- CAF: July 26
- UEFA: July 27
- CONMEBOL: August 2
CONCACAF and AFC are not holding tournaments this year, though the East Asian Football Federation is holding the final round of the EAFF E-1 Championship, which features China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and South Korea, and concludes on July 16. Most CONCACAF nations are playing friendlies early in the break, and the US, Mexico, and Canada will each conclude their international windows with matches on July 2.
What are the NWSL teams doing during the break?
A lot of different things! There are multiple club cups scheduled, as well as a variety of exhibition games – both between NWSL clubs and against clubs from other leagues around the world. We don’t know for sure that more games won’t be announced, but here’s what’s official so far:
- Bay, Angel City, Houston, and Seattle are playing exhibition games
- Kansas City and Chicago are participating in the Teal Rising Cup alongside two Brazilian teams, Corinthians and Palmieras
- Louisville is going to Brazil to participate in The Women’s Cup
So what does that mean for FNWSL?
With league play resuming within a week of the conclusion of several tournaments, be sure to have backup plans in place, especially for South American players, but also for European and African players, as many will likely get a week or two off if their national teams make a deep run.
One note: Malawi is not participating in the finals of WAFCON, meaning Temwa Chawinga should be fully available for Kansas City.
On the other hand, CONCACAF players should be fully available for the return of league play on August 1!
As the various tournaments progress, I’ll be keeping tabs on which NWSL players are getting lots of minutes, and we can hopefully have a good idea of who will be back when. In the meantime, enjoy all the soccer, and as always, comment or Bluesky @MansersAnswers with any FNWSL questions/comments/thoughts!