July Tournament NWSL Impact

Updated July 13, 2022 to reflect replacement player call-up and tournament schedule beyond group play.

56 NWSL players across all 12 clubs are confirmed to be representing 15 countries in five international tournaments taking place throughout the month of July. 

Brazil has yet to publicly release final rosters for their July tournaments. Three NWSL players were listed on their preliminary roster release and called in for June friendlies, however, the latest NWSL Availability Report only lists two as unavailable due to International Duty. It has been reported that Kerolin is temporarily rejoining her club for their Round 9 match.

Team Impact

With key players topping our ShePlays NWSL Fantasy Points leaderboards missing from NWSL rosters for some portion of July, here’s what you need to know. 

The Houston Dash, OL Reign, and Washington Spirit all have seven players out in July. Operating under the assumption that Angelina and Debinha are on Brazil’s final roster for Copa América, given the latest NWSL Availability Report, would bring OL Reign’s total to eight. It is also worth noting that one of those eight is Jordyn Huitema, who has yet to appear for the club, having signed in June after three seasons at PSG in the Division 1 Féminine. In their roster announcement, Canada Soccer has listed OL Reign as her club affiliation. Karina Rodriguez was notably left off Mexico’s final roster and will be available for the Spirit. 

Portland Thorns FC will have six international absences, San Diego Wave FC following with five, and the Chicago Red Stars, Nj/NY Gotham FC, and Racing Louisville FC will all have four. The North Carolina Courage have three players who have been publicly confirmed to tournament rosters, with an assumed fourth in Debinha and a potential fifth in Kerolin. Kerolin is reported to have returned from international duty, according to the Courage’s most recent Match Preview, and will be available for Round 9.

Angel City FC and Kansas City Current both will be missing two, and the Orlando Pride will be one of the teams least impacted by July tournaments with only one player on international duty. 

The June FIFA window closed prior to the start of Round 9, and all players are expected to be available for roster selection unless noted by their clubs. 

ShePlays NWSL Fantasy Competition July Tournament Impact

Tournament Timelines

Africa Women’s Cup of Nations

The many tournaments of July kick off with the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) in Morocco, from July 2-23. The four NWSL players participating in AWCON are split between the two top-ranked teams in the tournament, Nigeria and Cameroon, so we don’t expect to see them back in the NWSL following the conclusion of the group stage on July 10. We anticipate the soonest NWSL AWCON players will return to market is in time for Round 12. 

The four teams to win their quarterfinal match and advance to the semifinals will qualify for the 2023 World Cup. The entire tournament will be televised in Africa, with The Afrosport Group expecting it “will set a new record for the biggest ever TV audience for a women’s sporting event on the continent.”

Viewers in the United States and Canada will be able to access all matches for free in English and Spanish through beIN SPORTS. Click here to find the streaming and broadcast listing for your service and region, and check out the table below to add the matchdays to your calendar. 

AFF Women’s Championship

Chelsie Dawber of the Chicago Red Stars is the sole NWSL representative in the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship, which will run from July 4-17 in the Philippines. This tournament has been twice rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, originally set to take place in 2020. The Asian Football Federation’s (AFC) World Cup qualifying tournament, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, took place in early 2022.

In their release of the Matilda’s schedule, Football Australia noted that broadcast details are expected to be shared shortly, but updates will be available on the tournament’s Facebook and Instagram.

CONCACAF W Championship

The W Championship, taking place from July 4-18, has the highest concentration of NWSL talent. Thanks to the alignment of the NWSL’s scheduled mid-season break, these players are all expected to be available again come Round 12. The group stage in Monterrey ends on July 11, and She Plays Round 11 begins on July 15. Teams that advance beyond the group stage will be playing both a semi-final and final or third-place match, as this is a continental qualification tournament for numerous future tournaments. 

While all semi-finalists qualify for the World Cup 2023, only the winner will secure a place in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The second CONCACAF team to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics will be determined in a later playoff match between the second and third-place teams. Both teams who qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics will additionally directly qualify for the inaugural 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup. It’s safe to say there’s a lot at stake for the eight teams who have made it to the W Championship. 

With the confirmation on June 29^th that Rocky Rodriguez of the Portland Thorns, who captained Costa Rica through W Championship qualification, has made the final roster, the NWSL will have 41 players in Monterrey representing five of the eight participating nations. All matches will be accessible via streaming on Paramount+ in the US. 

UEFA Women’s Euro 2022

The UEFA Women’s Euro will take place from July 6-31, 2022, with the final matches of the group stage being played on July 18^th. If teams advance, we do not foresee players participating in the Euro returning to market sooner than Round 13. If a team does not advance out of the group stage, we cannot definitively say if they would be available for selection by their NWSL team for Round 12. 

Six NWSL players will be representing their nations in the Euro, including captains for both the Houston Dash and the Orlando Pride, Rachel Daly and Gunny Jónsdóttir. If you want to track how they perform for country, you can join the ShePlays Euro 2022 competition! All Euro matches will be available through ESPN in the United States. You can find the specific channels and match times for those involving NWSL players in the table below. 

2022 Copa América Femenina

The 2022 Copa América Femenina will take place from July 8-30, and with all NWSL participants representing defending champions Brazil, we don’t anticipate players being available for an NWSL matchday sooner than Round 13 – potentially Round 14 due to the clubs involved and how the NWSL schedule falls. Three teams from COMNEBOL will qualify for the 2023 World Cup in this tournament, and games will be available to watch on FS1 and streaming through Fox Sports in the United States. 

International Matches featuring NWSL Players – July 2022

National Team Replacement Player News:

Five clubs have signed National Team Replacement players, who are currently available in our database to be selected for your ShePlays NWSL lineup (less OL Reign). You can learn more about them in the announcements linked below as you attempt to lessen the July tournament impact on your fantasy lineup. 

Racing Louisville FC: Racing signs Whitfield, Wyne as national team replacements

Washington Spirit: Washington Spirit Signs Six National Team Replacement Players 

NJ/NY Gotham FC: Jenna Bike & Amanda Visco Join Gotham FC as National Team Replacements 

Houston Dash: Houston Dash sign four National Team Replacement Players 

OL Reign: OL Reign Signs Ryanne Brown, Elli Reed, and Jodi Ulkekul as National Team Replacement Players

Despite significant losses to NWSL squads for the next few rounds, there will be no shortage of matches to watch this month. The inaugural ShePlays NWSL Fantasy Competition has been a learning experience for us all, and this month serves as a great opportunity to put your knowledge to the test.