The NWSL and NWSL Players Association have announced a new collective bargaining agreement that sees the college draft and other drafts abolished. This decision makes the NWSL the first major American professional sports league to eliminate their draft. The deal was negotiated two years ahead of the original CBA expiring in 2026 and sees numerous changes for players in a league growing by the day.
The new CBA includes PA victories that eliminate all draft events, and it introduces free agency for all. League wins include staffing investment, selective charter flight use, and room for the league to create a year-round schedule. Increased salary caps and salaries are also key features in another historic contract.
The NWSL regular season will return to play on Friday, after an Olympic break, and fans can watch select NWSL matches across CBS platforms including CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
The first CBA between the PA and NWSL was ratified in 2022. It set in place a number of minimum standards among them salaries and free housing, parental leave, mental health leave, and protocols to roll out free agency. Now this 2.0 version of the CBA includes all those previous wins, and more, for NWSL players.
The NWSLPA can now cross off another historic first — the abolition of the NWSL Draft, and all other draft events including expansion drafts, and no more NWSL Discovery Rule. Additionally, all future trades, intra-league or intra-league transfers, will require player consent.
NWSL’s college draft eliminated with new CBA: What happens next and what does it mean for prospects?
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