NWSL Unveils High Impact Player Rule to Boost Talent Recruitment and Retention

NEW YORK (Dec. 23, 2025) — The National Women’s Soccer League on Tuesday announced the introduction of a High Impact Player Rule, a new compensation mechanism designed to give clubs greater flexibility to attract and retain elite global talent.

Under the rule, each NWSL club may exceed the league’s salary cap by up to $1 million for designated high impact players. That figure will increase annually at the same base rate as the league salary cap. Clubs may apply the additional funds to a single player or divide them among multiple players, while maintaining competitive balance across the league. Any contract using the provision must carry a minimum cap charge equal to 12% of the base salary cap.

The rule establishes specific commercial and sporting benchmarks for players to qualify as high impact players. Eligible criteria include:

• Selection to SportsPro Media’s Top 150 Most Marketable Athletes within one year prior to the current season

• A top-30 finish in Ballon d’Or voting within the previous two years

• Selection to the Guardian Top 100 football players in the world (top 40) within the previous two years

• Selection to ESPN FC’s Top 50 football players in the world (top 40) within the previous two years

• Ranking among the top 11 U.S. women’s national team field players in minutes played over the previous two calendar years

• Ranking first among U.S. women’s national team goalkeepers in minutes played over the previous two calendar years

• Selection as an NWSL MVP finalist within the previous two league seasons

• Selection to the NWSL End-of-Year Best XI First Team within the previous two league seasons

The league said it will regularly review and update the qualifying criteria to ensure they remain objective and aligned with global market conditions and on-field performance standards.

The High Impact Player Rule represents a significant increase in league investment. Beginning in 2026, the NWSL will raise leaguewide player spending by up to $16 million, with the potential to invest as much as $115 million in additional player compensation over the duration of the current collective bargaining agreement.

“Ensuring our teams can compete for the best players in the world is critical to the continued growth of our league,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said. “The High Impact Player Rule allows teams to invest strategically in top talent, strengthens our ability to retain star players, and demonstrates our commitment to building world-class rosters for fans across the league.”

The rule will take effect July 1, 2026. Clubs may sign high impact players prior to that date, provided contract terms do not require use of the rule until it becomes effective.

In accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, the NWSL exercised its discretion to establish the High Impact Player roster classification and adjust associated salary cap charges following consultation with the NWSL Players Association.

The NWSL is the world’s premier women’s professional soccer league, featuring top national team players from around the globe. Current clubs include Angel City FC, Bay FC, Boston Legacy FC, Chicago Stars FC, Denver Summit FC, Gotham FC, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current, North Carolina Courage, NWSL Atlanta, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns FC, Racing Louisville FC, San Diego Wave FC, Seattle Reign FC, Utah Royals FC and Washington Spirit.