The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) insists that, at least when it comes to the sport, too much of a good thing is a myth.

Earlier this month, the league unveiled its 2027 calendar, which begins one month earlier than usual to accommodate a two-month mid-season break during which many of its athletes will trade club jerseys for national-team colors at the FIFA Women's World Cup, to be hosted by Brazil. The result will be the longest season in the NWSL's 14-year history.

The global tournament arrives at a pivotal moment for the NWSL, which has doubled in size over the past decade. According to NWSL data, the league averaged more than 11,000 fans per match at the mid-point of the 2026 season, a 10% year-over-year increase, while its social media following grew 24% year-over-year to 3.1 million across major platforms. With 138 NWSL players expected to join national rosters for the Women's World Cup, the league is positioning itself to capitalize on an influx of fans.

"That schedule was intentionally designed to position the NWSL at the center of one of the biggest years in the history of women's soccer," NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman told reporters this month. "By maintaining our spring to fall calendar, which we decided earlier this year, we've created the best possible environment for our players, clubs, partners, and fans to maximize the extraordinary opportunity presented by the FIFA Women's World Cup."

"We know that major tournaments inspire millions of people to follow the sport," she added. "And our schedule allows us to be part of the lead-in and the lead-out of that big moment."

To make the most of a jam-packed calendar, however, the NWSL must overcome a series of logistical obstacles, ranging from cold climates to player health. League executives believe the NWSL is ready for the challenge.

"It means that we can then come back to our regular season on the heels of the Women's World Cup and ride that momentum," Sarah Jones Simmer, chief operating officer of the NWSL, told Fortune. "And we will have so many players coming back to our league that will have had success in the Women's World Cup, and that's going to be a massive fan acquisition opportunity for us. It's going to really contribute to the growth of the league."

How the NWSL is meeting the moment

Preparing to leverage the 2027 World Cup has meant moving the regular-season start date up by more than a month to Feb. 11. Preseason will begin in the first week of January, just six weeks after the 2026 championship—the shortest offseason in league history. The regular season concludes on Decision Day, Oct. 31, with the 2027 championship set for Nov. 20. Play will pause for the World Cup, which runs from June 24 to July 25.

The early start raises weather concerns, particularly for teams in colder markets such as Chicago, Denver, and Boston. NWSL players have previously voiced worries about playing in cold conditions, and the players' association tabled a vote on a fall-to-spring calendar, with many members opposing the measure on climate grounds.

"I think there's way too many locations that are way too cold. I don't think we've fully thought through what that looks like," Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman said in April. "If we have snowed-out games—or just the conditions in general—what are the backup plans? Where are the fields we can play at?"

"And just fans in general (and) getting to games, I think that would decrease the attendance for games in cold climates. So, for me, I just think we have to be fully prepared and have backup plans if we do potentially decide to do that."

Simmer said the league's geographic diversity makes February games feasible because warm-weather markets can absorb those fixtures. MLS, by comparison, typically kicks off in late February and front-loads away matches for teams in colder climates, while also scheduling later kickoffs when daytime temperatures peak. For 2027, MLS will flip to a summer-to-spring model to better align with the international calendar and to sign and retail top talent.

Player health presents another challenge: athletes will not only navigate their 30-game schedule but also compete in World Cup matches in the middle of their regular season. A study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics in 2025 found that when the 2022 FIFA World Cup was held in winter rather than its usual summer slot, injuries in the Premier League and Bundesliga increased significantly.

"A midseason slot may not be the best time to schedule a World Cup," the study authors wrote.

The NWSL's collective bargaining agreement mandates an offseason, and league officials said the NWSL works hard to introduce policies that accommodate playing conditions, such as hydration breaks during hot-weather games.

As it continues to grow, the league is accustomed to adapting and making game-time decisions. Eleven of the NWSL's 16 teams share venues with MLS clubs and coordinate schedules to use facilities that can accommodate larger crowds. Only the Kansas City Current have their own stadium, financed by co-owners Angie and Chris Long as well as Patrick and Brittany Mahomes. As more teams look to build out their own infrastructure, the league works to secure the best possible venues for its clubs within those constraints.

"We're working even closer, with not just our clubs and the venues, but also with MLS directly to continue to understand their plans heading into a newer year for them," Carlin Hudson, NWSL's vice president of strategy, told Fortune. "We work very hand in hand with our venues that have responsibilities to both MLS and NWSL clubs."

The high stakes of women's soccer

Professional soccer in the U.S. has historically benefited from the World Cup. Major League Soccer (MLS) is itself a byproduct of the 1994 FIFA tournament, which required the U.S. to establish a professional league in order to host the competition. This summer's FIFA Men's World Cup also catalyzed greater interest in the sport, with multiple MLS teams telling Front Office Sports that they have seen ticket sales rise by more than 150% since the global tournament began in June. Ratings, however, have remained mostly flat as the U.S. slowly warms to soccer more broadly—a gap the NWSL will be watching closely as it tries to convert World Cup attention into sustained league viewership.

The NWSL has effectively built its business model around the expectation that future international events will bring more money into the league. Those events include not just the 2027 Women's World Cup but also the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2031 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica—a run of marquee tournaments on or near U.S. soil that gives the league a sustained window to convert casual viewers into regular fans. Berman told CNBC in March that teams are able to turn a profit today but have shifted priorities toward growing the league instead.

The average NWSL team is now worth $184 million, according to Sportico, an increase of 77% compared with estimated valuations in September 2024 and up 179% from 2023. Last year, the league's 14 teams were worth a combined $2.6 billion.

"It's a choice," Berman said. "We could be profitable. We could choose to stop investing with a growth mindset. It is a choice on our board and by our owners to continue investing because they believe, from a business perspective, that their dollar invested today will be worth more in the future."

How the 2027 season actually plays out—early-weather attendance, player workload, and whether post-World Cup momentum translates into lasting fan growth—will offer an early test of whether that bet is paying off.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.