Project 8 — the company founded by Canadian soccer star Diana Matheson to develop a domestic pro women’s soccer league in Canada — is officially ready for takeoff. Yesterday, Matheson unveiled the new name and branding for the six-team Northern Super League (NSL) with plans for an April 2025 kickoff.

The U.S. and Mexico have officially withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC), leaving Brazil and a joint bid from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in the race. The North American contingent noted it will instead focus on securing rights for 2031, which they believe has potential for bigger ROI.

Last September, Boston Unity Soccer Partners (BUSP) announced its successful bid for an NWSL team that would play in Boston’s historic White Stadium. With $100M worth of renovations slated to start this year, the ownership group is fielding community pushback amid concerns about how an NWSL team would change the stadium’s accessibility for the local community.

The ninth annual SheBelieves Cup kicks off tomorrow, with four of the world’s best women’s footy squads competing in a preview of this year’s Paris Olympics. Oui oui.

Women’s sports heavy-hitter Ally announced its latest major partnership yesterday, becoming the official retail banking partner of The Soccer Tournament (TST). Expanding on its previous investment in TST’s inaugural tournament last year, the new sponsorship brings Ally another step closer to reaching its 50/50 Pledge by the end of 2027.

After a successful inaugural W Gold Cup, the NWSL and Liga MX Femenil — Mexico’s top pro women’s soccer league — will compete in the first-ever NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup this year. Similar to Europe’s UEFA Women’s Champions League, it further proves the viability of international women’s soccer tourneys in the Western Hemisphere.

Private equity (PE) giant Carlyle Group and MLS' Seattle Sounders agreed to purchase Seattle Reign FC for $58M, up from the NWSL club’s $49M October valuation. After the surprise sale of the San Diego Wave for $120M, this makes Reign FC the second NWSL team sold within a week, with both fetching more than their previous valuations.

Beyond the Madness, it was a truly incredible weekend for women’s sports, with records broken across the PWHL and NWSL.

The NWSL is selling like hot cakes — within the last week, two of its highest-valued franchises have put up the ‘for sale’ sign. A day after the San Diego Wave announced its impending $120M sale, Sportico reported that Angel City hopes to sell a controlling stake amid ownership friction.

Beyond arming each team with splashy new kits, the league is evolving to stay competitive with Europe’s pro women’s leagues, like England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), Spain’s Liga F, and France’s Division 1 Féminine.

Commerce behemoth Amazon is expanding its recent NWSL media rights deal through a multiyear partnership with the league that involves Amazon Prime and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Additionally, the deal makes Amazon the exclusive retail partner of the NWSL and an official licensee.

The Women’s Super League (WSL) is enjoying a 43% attendance boost YoY, with Arsenal leading the way in proving that the league deserves a bigger stage. While popularity and crowd sizes do vary among clubs, the overall numbers show upward trends across the board.