The NWSL Challenge Cup is here, with teams set to compete for a record prize pool of $1 million.

Beginning on April 19, three groups of four teams each will compete in the group stage, which will conclude on Aug. 6. All three division winners will advance to the semifinals, as well as the runner-up with the most points across all the divisions.

For a more in-depth look at players and teams to watch during the Challenge Cup, see staff writer Claire Watkins’ predictions for the revamped 2023 edition.

What are the divisions?

• East Division:
  • NJ/NY Gotham FC
  • North Carolina Courage
  • Orlando Pride
  • Washington Spirit
• Central Division:
  • Chicago Red Stars
  • Houston Dash
  • Kansas City Current
  • Racing Louisville
• West Division:
  • Angel City FC
  • OL Reign
  • Portland Thorns
  • San Diego Wave FC

What happens in case of a tie?

If teams end up tied in points after the divisional round, the first tiebreak is goal differential, followed by goals scored. After that, the tiebreak moves to head-to-head results between the teams that are tied, followed by goal differential in those games. From there, it goes to head-to-head goals scored in games between the teams that are tied.

At the end of all of that, if teams are still tied, the tiebreak will rely on the number of yellow and red cards received by each team, and then to a draw.

When will the games take place?

The tournament is being held concurrently with the regular season for the first time. The inaugural 2020 edition replaced that year’s pandemic-canceled season, and the 2021 and 2022 editions were played during the preseason.

Challenge Cup games mostly will be played on Wednesdays, although during the World Cup break games also will take place on Friday and Saturday nights.

The two semifinal matches will take place on Sept. 6, followed by the championship match on Sept. 9.

What is the full schedule?

Note: All kickoff times are listed in Eastern Time. All matches are available on Paramount+ unless otherwise noted.

• Wednesday, April 19:
  • Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage, 7:00 p.m.
  • NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit, 7:30 p.m.
  • Houston Dash vs. Kansas City Current, 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
  • San Diego Wave vs. Portland Thorns, 10:00 p.m.
  • Angel City FC vs. OL Reign, 10:00 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
• Wednesday, May 3:
  • North Carolina Courage vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7:00 p.m.
  • Houston Dash vs. Chicago Red Stars, 8:00 p.m.
  • OL Reign vs. Angel City FC, 10:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 10:
  • Washington Spirit vs. Orlando Pride, 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
• Wednesday, May 17:
  • Racing Louisville vs. Kansas City Current, 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 31:
  • Chicago Red Stars vs. Racing Louisville, 8:00 p.m.
  • San Diego Wave vs. OL Reign, 10:00 p.m.
  • Portland Thorns vs. Angel City FC, 10:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 7:
  • NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Orlando Pride, 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
• Wednesday, June 14:
  • Washington Spirit vs. North Carolina Courage, 7:30 p.m.
  • Kansas City Current vs. Chicago Red Stars, 8:00 p.m.
  • Racing Louisville vs. Houston Dash, 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 28:
  • Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7:00 p.m.
  • Portland Thorns vs. OL Reign, 10:30 p.m.
  • Angel City FC vs. San Diego Wave, 10:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
• Friday, July 21:
  • Racing Louisville vs. Chicago Red Stars, 7:00 p.m.
  • Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave, 10:30 p.m.
•  Saturday, July 22:
  • North Carolina Courage vs. Washington Spirit, 7:00 p.m.
  • Kansas City Current vs. Houston Dash, 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, July 28:
  • Washington Spirit vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7:30 p.m.
  • OL Reign vs. San Diego Wave, 10:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 29:
  • North Carolina Courage vs. Orlando Pride, 7:00 p.m.
  • Chicago Red Stars vs. Kansas City Current, 8:00 p.m.
  • Houston Dash vs. Racing Louisville, 8:30 p.m.
  • Angel City FC vs. Portland Thorns, 10:00 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 4:
  • Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, 7:00 p.m.
  • Kansas City Current vs. Racing Louisville, 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 5:
  • NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. North Carolina Courage, 7:30 p.m.
  • Chicago Red Stars vs. Houston Dash, 8:00 p.m.
  • San Diego Wave vs. Angel City FC, 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 6:
  • OL Reign vs. Portland Thorns, 6:00 p.m.

Rose Lavelle is hoping to return to the field soon. 

The 28-year-old midfielder has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the Gold Cup in early march. Since then, she has yet to play for new club Gotham FC in the NWSL. She also missed a potential USWNT appearance at the SheBelieves Cup in April, where senior team newcomer Jaedyn Shaw saw success assuming Lavelle's role in the attacking midfield. 

At the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee media showcase on Monday, Lavelle told reporters that she’s doing well and hopes to be back soon.

"I’m doing good — I’m hoping I’ll be back in the next couple weeks," Lavelle said. "It’s frustrating to start the year off with an injury, just because I feel like you come off preseason and you’re revving to go, so it’s so annoying."

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Lavelle is still looking to compete for one of just 18 Olympic roster spots. When healthy, she ranks as one of the national team’s most trusted assets, but considering this most recent injury, her health is an obvious concern. Faced with an onslaught of experienced competitors and young talent, incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes will have some big decisions to make when selecting the Paris-bound squad — a reality Lavelle seems to be taking in stride as she works to regain full fitness.

"We have so many special players, we have so much depth, and so many different weapons to utilize on and off the bench," Lavelle said. "Unfortunately that means really good players are going to get left off, too. And I think for all of us, it’s just about being ready for whatever role is given to us, embracing that, and looking to put it into a collective picture so that we can go into the Olympics ready to go."

Stanford has found its replacement for legendary head women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer in associate head coach Kate Paye.

The Cardinal confirmed the hiring on Tuesday via a press release. Paye was largely expected to replace the longtime head coach, as the college mentioned they were still negotiating Paye's contract when they announced VanDerveer's retirement.

In Tuesday's statement, Paye reported that she was "humbled" to have been tapped to lead the women’s program.

"Stanford University has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember and I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead its women’s basketball program," Paye said. "I’d first like to thank Tara, who has played such a pivotal role in my career for her friendship and guidance. It’s not what she’s done, but how she’s done it, that has had such a profound impact upon me."

A Woodside, California native, Paye played under VanDerveer from 1992 to 1995, taking home a national title her freshman year. After graduation, Paye briefly joined San Diego State as an assistant coach before making her professional debut with the ABL's Seattle Reign in 1996. After finishing her playing career with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, she joined the team’s coaching staff in 2007 and has been with the organization ever since, picking up another national title win — this time as associate head coach — in 2021. Paye's brother John played quarterback for Stanford from 1983 to 1986, while also serving as a point guard on the basketball team.

In her own response, VanDerveer said that she was "grateful" that Stanford picked Paye to follow in her stead. Last week, the decorated coach stated that this year would be her last after 38 seasons at the helm and three national titles under her belt.

"She has long been ready for this opportunity and is the perfect leader for Stanford at this time of immense change in college athletics," VanDerveer noted. "Kate was the choice for this job and I am confident she will achieve great success as head coach."

The 2024 WNBA Draft has officially concluded, leaving the newly minted rookie class facing a tough road ahead.

Only 144 roster slots are available throughout the league’s 12 teams, the reason why the players are sometimes referred to as the “144.” And Monday’s draft picks are set to join a large group of established players competing for those same roster spots, from seasoned veterans to young athletes determined to prove their value on the court.

Last year, just 15 of the league’s 36 draftees made it onto their drafting team's opening-day squad.

In reality, there are oftentimes fewer than 144 spots available, as not every team maxes out their roster. Per the league's CBA, each team roster must maintain a minimum standard of 11 players, but those lists can include players out with injuries or on other forms of leave. Players can also be assigned to short-term hardship contracts, something waived players must be prepared for at any point during the season.

Earlier this week, Laeticia Amihere — a 2022 national champion with South Carolina who currently plays for the Atlanta Dream — took to TikTok to provide some insight into the WNBA training camp process. 

"You can either get drafted on Draft Night, or you can get signed by a team," she said. "Once that happens, you go to training camp literally like two weeks later... Basically everybody's got to try out. There's 12 roster spots, and there's like 18 people at the at the trial."

@laeticiaamihere Replying to @dantavius.washington #wnba #draft ♬ original sound - Laeticia Amihere

Amihere also had an important point to make: Getting cut does not signify a player’s abilities. 

"If you get cut after training camp, that does not mean you're not good," she said. "That does not mean that player sucks, don't stop supporting that player. Literally, there's so many reasons somebody can get cut."

"If you guys look at the best players in the league, most of them have bounced around teams," she added. "And I promise you it is not a bad thing, it's just how the league is."

Things, however gradually, are changing. With Golden State's WNBA team scheduled to launch in time for the 2025 season, league expansion is just around the corner. On Monday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league is aiming to grow to 16 teams by 2028. But by then, it might be too little too late for the generation of talent emerging from an increasingly competitive NCAA system.

Monday night’s WNBA draft added to the nationwide uptick in record-breaking women's sports viewership, pulling in 2.45 million viewers throughout the nearly two-hour broadcast and peaking at 3.09 million, according to an ESPN release. 

That number shatters the previous draft viewership record — 601,000 in 2004 — which was fueled primarily by then-No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi entering the league after UConn's historic three-peat March Madness performance.  

The 2023 WNBA draft drew 572,000 viewers, the most for any televised WNBA event since 2.74 million tuned in to NBC for a Memorial Day matchup between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets back in 2000.

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While many came to watch Caitlin Clark get drafted No. 1 overall, it’s important to note that viewership didn’t take a massive dip after the superstar shooter left the stage. The numbers show that a bulk of the audience stuck around to watch the remainder of the show, making 2024's event not just the most-viewed WNBA draft in history, but also the most-viewed WNBA program to ever air on ESPN platforms.

Draft Day's popularity is yet another sign indicating an expected rise in WNBA regular season viewership. Clark and Iowa's NCAA tournament showdown with the Chicago Sky-bound Kamilla Cardoso's South Carolina side drew a record 18.7 million to ABC's Sunday afternoon broadcast. Banking on this trend, 36 of Indiana's upcoming 40 games are set to be shown on national television. In-person ticket sales are also soaring, leading the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to re-home their matchup with the Fever to a venue that can accommodate some 6,000 more fans.