# A New National Stage for Women’s Club Soccer
U.S. Soccer plans to launch the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup, a new women’s club competition that will bring teams from different leagues together. The tournament is expected to offer an initial prize pool of $1.5 million, giving clubs a significant new incentive to compete for a national title.
No launch date has been announced. U.S. Soccer hopes to have the competition running before the 2031 Women’s World Cup, which is expected to be hosted in North America.
## Which teams could compete in the Crest Cup?
The inaugural Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup is expected to include clubs from the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Gainbridge Super League (GSL). U.S. Soccer is also considering ways for lower-division professional clubs and amateur women’s teams to join, either at launch or as the tournament develops.
U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said the competition could expand over time. Starting with the NWSL and GSL would bring the two Division One leagues together, while future editions could create more opportunities for clubs across the women’s soccer pyramid.
## A women’s equivalent to the U.S. Open Cup
The Crest Cup is expected to follow the model of established knockout competitions such as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and England’s FA Cup. Its cross-league format would allow teams from different levels of women’s soccer to face one another in single-elimination matches.
Parlow Cone has said she wanted to establish a national women’s cup competition for years. She pointed to the growth of professional women’s soccer and the emergence of the GSL as reasons the timing is now more favorable. A stronger base of professional and amateur clubs could help make the tournament sustainable and broaden its reach.
## A route to international competition
The Crest Cup winner is expected to earn a place in the Concacaf W Champions Cup, adding an international pathway to the new tournament. That opportunity could give more players and staff experience in meaningful competition beyond their domestic leagues.
U.S. Soccer sees the cup as a way to increase interleague matchups and potentially help clubs reach further international competitions, including a possible future Women’s Club World Cup.
## Scheduling and player workload remain key questions
The tournament schedule has not been confirmed. Midweek games are one possibility, allowing matches to fit between weekend fixtures in the NWSL and GSL, but U.S. Soccer has not announced which days the games will be played.
Balancing the calendar will be an important challenge. Women’s club teams are facing an expanding slate of competitions, while some clubs outside the NWSL have comparatively short domestic seasons. For example, the 2026 GSL season is scheduled to run from August to November, with 14 regular-season matches.
Parlow Cone said U.S. Soccer is working with the NWSL and GSL to develop a schedule that considers both player recovery and the need for enough competitive matches. The goal is to avoid overloading athletes while also creating a meaningful opportunity for clubs to compete.
## What the Crest Cup could mean for women’s soccer
With a $1.5 million initial prize pool, participation from the NWSL and GSL, and a potential path to international play, the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup would add a major new event to the U.S. women’s soccer calendar.
The launch date, format and schedule are still to be determined. But if the competition grows to include lower-division professional and amateur clubs, it could offer a broader national platform for women’s teams and strengthen connections across the sport.