U.S. Soccer announced on Wednesday that it will launch a new cup competition between the NWSL and the USL Super League, with the winner receiving a berth to the Concacaf W Champions Cup.
The competition will be called the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup and it will feature a prize pool of over $1.7 million.
ESPN first reported the prospect of the competition in May. Sources told ESPN then and again recently that the competition is expected to launch in 2028. U.S. Soccer did not confirm a start date in Wednesday's announcement.
"Women's soccer continues to be one of the most dynamic and inspiring forces in sport," U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. "The Crest Cup will create meaningful impact by bringing people together, attracting investment in the future of the game, and ensuring that excellence, inclusivity, and opportunity remain at the heart of women's soccer in the United States."
The Crest Cup will be a single-elimination tournament featuring every USL Super League and NWSL team.
U.S. Soccer did not share finer details of the competition, including a full breakdown of the prize money or how teams will be paired. A federation spokesperson told ESPN that they expect the draw for the tournament to consider geography for matchups in the interest of player health.
Prize money will be funded by U.S. Soccer, per a federation spokesperson.
Inter-league matches are also likely. The NWSL will have 18 teams in 2028. The USL Super League currently has eight teams. Both are sanctioned by U.S. Soccer as first division leagues.
The USL Super League launched in summer 2024 as a fall-to-spring league, but it is shifting to a spring-to-fall league beginning in 2027 to align with the NWSL.
Crucially, the new competition will serve as a qualifying mechanism for the Concacaf W Champions Cup. The winner of that Concacaf tournament qualifies for the new FIFA Club World Cup.
Gotham FC, the reigning NWSL champions, won the inaugural Concacaf crown in 2025. Mexico's Club América won the latest edition of the tournament in May.
U.S. Soccer still has not confirmed which teams will qualify for the 2027 Concacaf W Champions Cup, although it is expected that the NWSL Championship winner and the NWSL Shield winner will take two of the three U.S. slots.
The 2026-27 Concacaf W Champions Cup was pushed back to 2027, meaning that would-be qualifiers from last year did not get to participate.
The Crest Cup will be the first formal competition between the NWSL and USL Super League. It is a step toward an Open Cup that exists in the men's game, although only professional teams are expected to participate.
ESPN previously reported that the forthcoming WPSL Pro, which is expected to launch as a second division league in 2028, was part of initial conversations about the cup in the spring.
The new competition will carry the name of Arthur Blank, who owns the forthcoming NWSL expansion team Atlanta City FC, MLS' Atlanta United FC, and the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
Blank also contributed $50 million toward the creation of the new U.S. Soccer National Training Center near Atlanta, which opened earlier this year and also bears his name.
"Soccer has an extraordinary power to bring people together, and this competition represents an important step forward for the women's game," Blank said in a statement.
"Creating a new stage for the best clubs and athletes in the country to compete at the highest level will expand opportunity, inspire the next generation and build on the tremendous momentum behind women's soccer in the United States."