Here’s our guide to watching the upcoming NWSL tournament from home and abroad
WATCHING OUTSIDE USA & CANADA
In a time of despair for women’s football there is one shred of joy: The NWSL Challenge Cup! Let’s rejoice that we can watch the NWSL from ANYWHERE! Outside America it’s completely FREE! A whole month of games with some of the worlds best players. What’s not to be excited about?
What’s pretty amazing is that there’s representation from all over the world of women’s football, including Lionesses Jodie Taylor and Rachel Daly as well as Scottish legends Rachel Corsie and Claire Emslie (Claire is a personal favourite)! If you’re in Australia and you love the Matildas… well… the list is endless!
We’ll be giving you non-stop coverage throughout the tournament via our insta and twitter channels (@TheNWSLshow) and also via our web page: www.womensfootie.com/nwsl - we have articles, podcasts, video content and a huge team of people wanting to spread the word!
“But…HOW can I watch the games if I’m not in America?” I hear you cry, and the answer is simple: Twitch.
Here’s my guide to getting set up for the one and only women’s tournament this summer if you live OUTSIDE America:
What is Twitch and how do I get onto it?
Twitch is a streaming platform that focuses (usually) on video games. It’s perfect for this tournament as its main focus is live-streaming… perfect for live footie then!
Signing up is free! You can get it from your app store or on your games console or even via twitch.tv on your laptop or TV. I signed up on my mobile and I was really impressed by how secure it is! It even does that annoying thing where it makes sure you’re not a robot…
Once you’re set up you can just search for nwsl and click onto the nwslofficial page- IMPORTANT: you DON’T need to subscribe! Just click on this little love heart to bookmark the page. There’s already some awesome content on there to help you get in the mood! Most importantly… ENJOY!
WATCHING IN THE USA & CANADA:
Where can I watch the Challenge Cup if I live in the US or Canada? The short answer is that the entire tournament will be available for streaming on the CBS All Access app.
It is no doubt great news that the NWSL has a solid broadcast deal with a major network such as CBS. In partnering with them you can find live games and replays of the Challenge Cup all in one convenient place. The slightly less good news is that you will have to pay to watch the games live. If cost worries you, what if I told you it would cost you less than $0.25 to watch a match?
Well, it’s true. If you sign up for CBS All Access anytime after June 20th you will be able to watch the entire 25 game tournament live or on-demand for only $6 (in both USD and CAD). As an added bonus when you purchase your CBS All Access subscription you will also have access to their entertainment library in addition to streaming live sports so the app acts as an incredible one-stop-shop for all of your Avatar: The Last Airbender and NWSL needs!
The signup process may take you all of 5 minutes to complete, and that’s if you are taking it slow and left your credit card in another room. Even then you can use Paypal to pay for your subscription. We have gone ahead and saved you the Google search, all you have to do is click here and you will be on the CBS All Access sign up page.
If you are not able to or simply do not want to pay to watch any of the matches in the tournament do not worry the NWSL still has you covered. Both the first and final match of the NWSL Challenge Cup will be broadcast on CBS which you do not even have to have cable to be able to watch. For the other 23 games you will be able to watch them for free as well, you just will not be able to watch them live. The NWSL will be making each game available to watch on their Twitch channel shortly after the games have finished airing. That means if you can manage to stay off Twitter long enough to avoid spoilers you can watch the whole tournament absolutely free. If you have any questions about Twitch and getting set up with that please see the portion of this article dedicated to viewers outside of the US and Canada.
by Katie Clark and Helen Hardy
