WASHINGTON, Dec. 24, 2025 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is set to allow teams to exceed the salary cap by up to $1 million for players who meet specific commercial and sporting criteria, a move designed to retain top talent amid increasing interest from European clubs.
NWSL Creates ‘High Impact Player’ Exception
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The new rule, effective July 2026, aims to keep star players in the league by offering financial flexibility for teams.
- The ‘High Impact Player Rule’ permits each NWSL team to surpass the salary cap by up to $1 million per player.
- Eligibility is based on criteria including rankings from SportsPro, Ballon d’Or voting, and USWNT performance.
- The rule is a response to growing competition from European leagues for NWSL stars.
- The NWSL Players Association has voiced opposition, citing collective bargaining rights.
- The initiative is projected to increase league-wide player spending by $16 million in 2026.
The NWSL is proactively addressing the challenge of keeping its biggest stars in the United States. The league will implement the ‘High Impact Player Rule’ beginning in July 2026, allowing each club to exceed the current $3.5 million salary cap by as much as $1 million for players who demonstrably boost the league’s profile and performance.
What Qualifies a ‘High Impact Player’?
To qualify for the exception, a player must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Appear within the top 150 of SportsPro’s Most Marketable Athletes ranking within one year prior to the current league season.
- Be selected in the top 30 in Ballon d’Or voting in the two years prior to the current league season.
- Be selected in the top 40 of The Guardian’s top 100 players in the world in the two years prior.
- Be selected in the top 40 of ESPN FC’s top 50 football players in the world in the two years prior.
- Rank among the top 11 in minutes played for the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) in the prior two calendar years (field players).
- Rank among the top one in minutes played for the USWNT in the prior two calendar years (goalkeepers).
- Be selected as an NWSL MVP finalist within the previous two league seasons.
- Be selected to the end-of-year NWSL Best XI first team within the previous two league seasons.
Currently, Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman (ranked 120) and Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson (ranked 138) are the only NWSL players featured in the top 150 of this year’s SportsPro 50 Most Marketable Athletes ranking, which was produced in partnership with NorthStar Solutions Group.
Rising European Interest
The introduction of this rule comes as the NWSL faces increased competition from European clubs for its star players. Trinity Rodman, for example, has reportedly received “lucrative offers” from Europe as her contract with the Washington Spirit nears its expiration at the end of this month. Alyssa Thompson recently moved from Angel City to Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, and Crystal Dunn transferred from Gotham FC to Paris Saint-Germain.
“Ensuring our teams can compete for the best players in the world is critical to the continued growth of our league,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. “The High Impact Player Rule allows teams to invest strategically in top talent, strengthens our ability to retain star players, and demonstrates our commitment to building world-class rosters for fans across the league.”
Players Association Raises Concerns
However, the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) has expressed strong opposition to the rule, arguing that the league cannot unilaterally alter compensation structures without collective bargaining. The NWSLPA released a statement asserting that the decision “leaves it with no choice but to take action” to protect players’ rights, though the specific nature of that action remains unspecified.
“Under federal labour law, changes to compensation under the salary cap are a mandatory subject of bargaining – not a matter of unilateral discretion,” the statement read. “Fair pay is realised through fair, collectively bargained compensation systems, not arbitrary classifications. A league that truly believes in the value of its players would not be afraid to bargain over it.”
The NWSLPA proposed raising the team salary cap and establishing a system for projecting revenue sharing to facilitate multi-year deals with players.
The NWSL clarified that the additional $1 million can be allocated to a single player or distributed among multiple athletes. The threshold will also increase annually in line with the overall salary cap, which stood at $3.5 million in 2025.
The rule is projected to increase league-wide spending on player salaries by $16 million in 2026 and up to $115 million over the term of the current collective bargaining agreement, which extends through 2030. The ‘High Impact Player Rule’ mirrors Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Designated Player initiative, introduced in 2007 to facilitate the signing of David Beckham, allowing clubs to sign up to three players outside of the salary cap.
