The
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) commenced play in 2013, and was the sole professional women's soccer league in the United States for over a decade. Though the
National Independent Soccer Association and
United Women's Soccer jointly attempted to form a second pro league, the
United Soccer League were the first to successfully launch one, with their
Super League in 2024. The
Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) also began plans for a pro league,
WPSL Pro, and initially sought for it Division 3 status from
U.S. Soccer, the governing body of soccer in the United States. Seeking stability for its flagship league amid this rapid growth of pro women's soccer in the United States, the NWSL established a new league to serve as a "transitional space" between
college soccer and the NWSL following the discontinuation of its
college draft in 2024, aiming to foster a "space for clubs to build roster depth" modelled after
Minor League Baseball. In an effort to "meet a deadline", the NWSL applied for Division 2 status for the league in April 2025, though the league's existence was not publicized until a
CBS Sports report disclosing the application was published a few weeks later. Days prior to this revelation, the WPSL announced that it would be seeking Division 2 status for WPSL Pro, following
Cleveland Pro Soccer's entry and investment into the league. Cleveland Pro Soccer had bid for a NWSL franchise, but lost to
Denver Summit FC, and sought an alternative means of commencing play. At the time of the NWSL and WPSL's applications, U.S. Soccer required all clubs in a Division 2 league to have a venue capacity over 2,000, and a principal owner with a
net worth over
US$7.5 million; However, some of the eight franchises named as charter members in the application were not committed at the time, having raised concerns about the cost of operating a reserve team. As of February 2026, the league has not been publicly announced by the NWSL. == Format ==