Bay FC announces regular-season schedule as it prepares to kick off third year in NWSL
Bay FC will be back at PayPal Park soon.
The third-year NWSL club announced its 2026 regular-season schedule Thursday morning, highlighted by back-to-back home matches to start off the year’s slate.
Bay FC opens the season against brand-new club Denver Summit FC on March 14 at PayPal. Bay will face Angel City FC on March 21 in San Jose.
For the first time, the NWSL schedule features 30 matches for each club, with expansion sides Denver and Boston Legacy FC beginning play as the league’s 15th and 16th teams. Each club will play 15 home and 15 away matches.
As the 2026 NWSL season coincides with the FIFA Men’s World Cup, league competition will pause between June 1 and June 27 as venues throughout the United States host group stage matches. The schedule will avoid conflicts between NWSL matches and the FIFA women’s international match calendar to allow the league’s top players to compete for both club and country.
Tickets to every 2026 home match are on sale starting Feb. 3. Season tickets are on sale now and multi-game plans and group tickets will go on sale next week.
Bay FC will open and close the season at home for the first time in club history, welcoming Denver on opening weekend and closing the season with a visit from San Diego Wave FC on Nov. 1.
Mid-week competition returns three times in 2026, with Bay FC visiting Portland Thorns FC on May 20, hosting reigning league champion Gotham FC July 29 and making its first trip to Denver for a Sept. 16 match.
Bay FC will take on Boston for the first time on May 15 at PayPal Park before playing the new club away on July 5.
Throughout the season, Bay FC will host several themed home matches. More information and the full schedule of events can be found on Bay FC’s website.
The NWSL playoffs begin with the quarterfinal round Nov. 6-8 ahead of the semifinal round on Nov. 13-15. The league will conclude its 2026 season with the NWSL championship on Nov. 21.
Eight teams qualify for the playoffs. Bay FC made the postseason in its first year as the No. 7 seed and missed the playoffs last year.
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