CHICAGO (December 1, 2020) – The National Women’s Soccer League today announced the opening of player registration for the rebranded 2021 NWSL Draft. The 2021 NWSL Draft will stream live exclusively on the NWSL’s Twitch channel on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 7pm EST. The league has also released the current draft order which is available here.
The 2021 NWSL Draft order was determined by the reverse order of standings after the preliminary stage of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, with the exceptions being Louisville taking the first selection as the league’s expansion team and Orlando slotting into the fourth spot as agreed by the board of governors.
In order to be eligible for the 2021 NWSL Draft, a player must:
- Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or a foreign national who is currently enrolled at a University in the United States or was enrolled at a University in the United States during the fall 2020 semester (or quarter), and;
- Be a player who has exhausted, lost, or renounced their remaining NCAA eligibility, including high school graduates choosing to forego college, and;
- Be at least 18-years old by the conclusion of the 2021 NWSL season (November 21, 2021), and;
- Not be under a current professional contract nor have previously signed a contract to play professionally; and;
- Register for the 2021 NWSL Draft by 8:00 pm ET on Monday, January 11, 2021.
Interested players can access the online registration here.
Players who register for the draft but are not selected will become Discovery Eligible on the day following the 2021 NWSL Draft.
Due to the NCAA spring season in 2021, the NWSL has requested a waiver from the NCAA that will allow student-athletes who register for the NWSL Draft to decide by Friday, January 22, 2021 if they will report to their NWSL club before or after the spring collegiate season.
If the waiver is denied players will have the option to either participate in the 2021 NWSL Draft and forfeit their remaining collegiate eligibility if selected or, withdraw from the draft registration and play the spring collegiate season, but they will be ineligible to participate in the NWSL during the 2021 season.
Additional NWSL Draft details will be announced in the coming weeks.
