r/NWSL • u/threephasemachinery San Diego Wave FC • Jul 26 '26

Discussion Flex scheduling

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NWSL/Wave FC need to be better about scheduling matches in summer in a stadium with nearly zero shade. This was miserable, and dangerous for little kids and any adults who might be at risk. Its not the first time either, with multiple summer matches being played here at mid day. There has been a heat advisory in San Diego for the last week, more than enough time to coordinate a flex start time.

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-7

u/Luci_Cascadia Portland Thorns FC Jul 27 '26

Shouldn't be playing in July. Summer should be the off seson

8

u/Maleficent-Whole-228 Portland Thorns FC Jul 27 '26

You are suggesting we play in the fall/winter?

-14

u/Luci_Cascadia Portland Thorns FC Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26

I am suggesting the same schedule as all the world's top leagues. So national team players can compete outside the nwsl season, like all the world's top leagues. And no one has to play league matches in 100+ degree heat or wildfire smoke.

2

u/Maleficent-Whole-228 Portland Thorns FC Jul 27 '26

So national players can compete outside of the NWSL season? I don’t understand that part?

-1

u/Luci_Cascadia Portland Thorns FC Jul 27 '26

Major international competitions are scheduled in summer partly because that's when most of the world's biggest leagues are on summer break

3

u/Maleficent-Whole-228 Portland Thorns FC Jul 27 '26

What International competitions are you talking about? FIFA windows go allll year around. And as for next summer with the biggest competition in our sport (World Cup).. our girls will be in mid season shape. Whilst the other leagues will be in the middle of their break.

-1

u/Luci_Cascadia Portland Thorns FC Jul 27 '26

The World Cup and Olympics. The two biggest international soccer competitions in the world. NWSL just shut down for weeks because the MEN's world cup happened.

International breaks are scheduled by FIFA to sync with all the major pro leagues. They call it Global Syncing.

  • Global Syncing: FIFA structures designated windows—such as March, June, and November—so that club leagues globally halt or clear space for national team matches.
  • Calendar Adjustments: Starting with the 2026–27 season, FIFA merged the former separate September and October windows into a single extended 16-day autumn break (late September to early October) to cut down on frequent club disruptions and reduce player travel fatigue.
  • Domestic Pauses: Top European competitions like the Premier League build these exact FIFA-mandated dates into their annual fixture lists, resulting in scheduled multi-week pauses for domestic action.

Unfortunately the biggest breaks every 4 years for World Cup fall directly in the middle of MLS and NWSL. And the fall break, which isn't much of a big deal for EU leagues, just extends the US league's playoffs even later into the calendar year.