The tournament had 20 teams: all 14 teams in the NWSL and 6 participants from Liga MX Femenil, determined through a qualification process. The teams were divided into five groups, each with four participants, and each played three matches in the group stage beginning on July 19. The four group winners with the most points advanced to the semifinals at
CPKC Stadium in
Kansas City, Missouri, on August 6, with their ranking used for seeding; one group winner would not advance. The championship match was held October 25 at
Toyota Field in
San Antonio, Texas. If a match was tied after 90 minutes, it immediately proceeded into a
penalty shootout. Three points were awarded for a win in regulation time, two points for a win via a penalty shootout, one point for a loss in the penalty shootout, and no points for a regulation-time loss. The group stage tiebreakers were
goal difference, followed by total goals scored, points in head-to-head matches, goal difference in head-to-head matches, goals scored in head-to-head matches, and least disciplinary points. Nearly all games during the group stage were played in the United States, with the exception of Tigres–Pachuca at
Estadio Universitario in Monterrey. and
Subaru Park in
Chester, Pennsylvania. ==Teams==