Since its inception in 1998, the Women’s Premier Soccer League has established itself as one of the leading pillars in women’s soccer in the United States. The WPSL has built an unmatched legacy of developing players who have advanced their playing careers to professional status and represented their countries on the international stage, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympic competition. Legends of the game, including Brandi Chastain, Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan, have all competed on the WPSL field.
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The WPSL is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as a Tier 1 league and is affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation.

The league’s footprint spans across 40 states with over 150 teams competing coast-to-coast, including the Top 25 largest U.S. media markets. The annual alignment is divided into four regions that are split into 16 conferences which are determined every January at the WPSL’s Annual General Meeting.

For nearly three-decades, the WPSL has retained its status as the largest women’s soccer league in the world and has become the longest-active competition as it prepares to kick off its 28th season in 2026. Through this historic landscape, the WPSL has stayed true to its original mission of advancing women’s soccer and remains committed to creating continual opportunities and pathways for the women’s game.

Through The Years

This timeline highlights the key moments, milestones, and growth that have shaped the WPSL into what it is today.

1998
The Women’s Premier Soccer League was founded by women’s soccer pioneer Jerry Zanelli who was a true advocate for the women’s game. The league opened its inaugural season with a membership of six teams.
2009
After celebrating its 10-year mark, the WPSL welcomed a 50-team membership for the 2009 season as it embarked on a national footprint.
2012
With the folding of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPSL, a void swept across the women’s game with the absence of a professional pathway. With no top-level professional league for women’s soccer in the United States, WPSL ELITE was launched to bridge this gap until the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) was founded in 2013. Eight teams that featured professional greats like Leslie Osborne, Tobin Health, Lori Chalupny, and Megan Rapinoe,played in the WPSL ELITE.
2016
The WPSL became the largest women's soccer league in the world under Zanelli’s leadership and vision that grew the league into a 100-team membership just shy of its 20th season.
2018
New ownership honored league founder, Jerry Zanelli, by renaming the coveted WPSL Championship Trophy to the Jerry Zanelli Cup that is awarded to the league’s national champions each postseason.
2020
League membership hits an All-Time high of 130 teams nationwide.

*2020 Season cancelled by global COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
The WPSL launched its U21 platform that consisted of 39 teams across 13 states in its highly-anticipated debut.
2023
The league celebrated its 25th Anniversary and solidified itself as the longest-active women’s soccer league.

Only the MLS has played more consecutive seasons–a testament to the WPSL’s stability, sustainability, and lasting impact on the game.
2025
Ahead of its fifth season, the WPSL rebranded its second tier to WPSL Division II that featured nearly 50 teams nationwide.
2026
Today, nearly 200 teams compete across the league’s first and second divisions and the league remains committed to shaping the future of women’s soccer
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The WPSL embarks on its 28th season in 2026 and retains the prestigious status as “The Longest Tenured Women’s Soccer League in North America."  Over the past decade, WPSL Membership has grown by 45 percent with an annual growth rate of 10.6 percent.

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