Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC both join the league for their inaugural seasons in 2022, with the two teams based in close proximity in LA and San Diego. That is rife for a budding rivalry, bringing the league to 12 teams in total.

Before the 2022 regular season schedule kicks off on April 29, we get a taste of what each team can offer through the spring Challenge Cup.

Here’s everything you need to know about the start to the 2022 campaign.

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When does the NWSL season start?

This is a two-part question.

The new season began on the weekend of March 18-20 as the 2022 Challenge Cup gets underway.

The Challenge Cup is a three-group, round-robin contest with the group winners plus one second-place finisher advancing to the semifinals on Wednesday, May 4.

The 2022 Challenge Cup final takes place on Saturday, May 7.

This is the third edition of the competition after it was first launched in 2020 in the league’s return to action during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Portland Thorns are defending champions (2021), and the Houston Dash won the inaugural tournament in 2020.

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Then, after the Challenge Cup, the 2022 NWSL regular season will begin in earnest, with each team contesting a balanced schedule of 22 matches throughout the campaign.

The 2022 regular season schedule kicks off just before the end of the Challenge Cup competition on April 29. Last season, the NWSL regular season began on May 15, a week after the Challenge Cup final on May 8.

Six teams make the playoffs with the top two seeds earning a first-round bye. The NWSL championship match will be played on Oct. 29.

Here is a rundown of the 2022 Challenge Cup openers. While there are some Challenge Cup and NWSL regular season matches on CBS throughout the season, all season openers will be streamed exclusively on Paramount+.

Friday, March 18

Saturday, March 19

Sunday, March 20

NWSL 2022 key dates

March 18: Challenge Cup opens May 4: Challenge Cup semifinals May 7: Challenge Cup finals April 29: Regular season begins Oct. 2: Regular season ends Oct. 29: NWSL Championship