SAN JOSE, Calif. (Feb. 11, 2026) – Bay FC announced today the club has acquired midfielder Claire Hutton from the Kansas City Current in exchange for $1.1 Million in intra league transfer funds. The 2025 NWSL Best XI First Team selection will join Bay FC in a historic transfer, with the exchange representing one of the highest transfer fees between two NWSL clubs and one of the highest for any women’s player worldwide.
“Claire is an important signing for us. She’s a top-quality player who is tight on the ball, and she has the mobility and physical presence to break up play,” said Head Coach Emma Coates. “Despite her age she brings experience and a strong mentality, and we believe she has the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the world. The most exciting part for us is her desire to keep getting better, and we’re excited to support her through the next stages of her career and even more excited to see the impact she will have at Bay FC.”
“Bay FC is a club with real ambition, and that is a big part of why this move feels right for me,” said Hutton. “It’s clear from Coach Coates how detailed her vision is and how much she values challenging players to keep improving. The standards she wants to set and the environment the club is building really resonated with me, and I’m excited to join a group that pushes each other every day as we compete at the highest level while winning championships”.
The 20-year-old midfielder joins Bay FC following a stellar 2025 campaign that saw her appear in 25 regular season matches (22 starts) and record two assists as her club lifted the NWSL Shield. She was one of the league’s best players in one-on-one situations, finishing Top 10 league wide in duels won (153) and successful tackles (49) and winning possession 170 times. Her performance on the defensive end helped her club tally a league record 16 clean sheets. She earned league-wide praise for her performance following the campaign, earning a nomination for the 2025 NWSL Midfielder of the Year and a spot on the NWSL Best XI First Team for the first time in her career.
Hutton signed her first professional contract with Kansas City ahead of the 2024 NWSL season at 17 years old. She was the sixth player signed under the league’s Under-18 Entry Mechanism, going on to make her professional debut March 18, 2024, against Portland Thorns FC. She tallied one assist and logged over 1,400 minutes her rookie season, helping Kansas City to a fourth-place finish in the regular season standings. She scored her first professional goal Aug. 1 as her club bested Mexican side Tigres on its way to the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup title. Following the season, she was named a finalist for 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year.
Hutton has risen quickly in the United States National Team ranks, representing the U-17, U-19, and U-20 Women’s National Teams. She won the Concacaf U-17 Championship title with the U.S. in 2022, sharing the pitch with Bay FC forward Onyeka Gamero, and earned Bronze at with the U.S. U-19’s at the 2023 Pan American games and the 2024 U-20 World Cup in Colombia. She made her senior national team debut in 2025, earning her first selection for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup and first cap Feb. 23 against Australia. She has appeared 13 times for Emma Hayes’ squad, scoring one goal July 2 vs. Canada. She captained her nation for the first time in the most recent international window, taking the armband from Trinity Rodman in the USWNT’s defeat of Paraguay Jan. 24 at Dignity Health Sports Park. At 20 years old, she is the youngest player to captain the U.S. Women in the modern era.
Highlighted by NWSL Rivalry Weekend and the return of Decision Day, the league’s 14th year of play kicks off this March as the world’s biggest stars in women’s football return to the pitch.
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) today unveiled the schedule and broadcast details for the 2026 NWSL regular season. Highlighted by NWSL Rivalry Weekend and the return of Decision Day, the league’s 14th year of play kicks off this March as the world’s biggest stars in women’s football return to the pitch.
The 2026 season is poised to build on the momentum of recent record-setting campaigns that delivered historic growth across the league, including continued increases in broadcast viewership, match attendance and overall fan engagement nationwide.
As part of the league’s historic four-year domestic media rights agreements with CBS Sports, ESPN, ION and Prime Video, 220 matches will be featured on national platforms throughout the season, including 212 regular season contests, all seven playoff matches, and the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup.
The 2026 NWSL regular season begins Friday, March 13, with all 16 clubs in action across opening weekend.
Friday night coverage on Prime Video opens with the 2025 NWSL Championship runner up Washington Spirit hosting Portland Thorns FC at Audi Field.
Saturday action includes a nationally televised matchup on ABC featuring NWSL debutante Boston Legacy FC and defending NWSL Champion Gotham FC. Saturday coverage continues with an ION tripleheader showcasing the launch of Denver Summit FC’s inaugural campaign, offseason acquisitions and emerging young talent across the league.
Opening weekend concludes Sunday with a Victory+ doubleheader featuring matches between Orlando Pride and Seattle Reign FC, and Angel City FC and Chicago Stars FC.
Each club will compete in 30 regular season matches, with 15 home and 15 away fixtures.
Throughout the 2026 campaign, matches will be distributed across the league’s broadcast partners as follows:
Prime Video will air Friday night matches throughout the regular season, with weekly kickoffs at 8 p.m. ET or 10 p.m. ET.
ION will present Saturday night doubleheaders, along with select expanded windows, and will continue its weekly studio show covering the NWSL and its players.
CBS Sports platforms will carry a package of regular season matches, including games on the CBS Television Network/Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network.
ESPN will televise matches across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, with all games streaming live on the ESPN App in English and Spanish. The agreement also includes Latin American rights in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Victory+ will feature a weekly Sunday night showcase alongside 32 additional matches throughout the season, all available to stream for free on the platform.
Remaining matches will stream on NWSL+, the league’s free direct-to-consumer platform.
No regular season matches will be staged from June 1 to 28. The league will pause play for a CBA-mandated break from June 8-14 and for the remainder of the month while the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The league will return to regular season play on July 3 following the conclusion of the tournament’s group stage.
The NWSL Challenge Cup, presented by e.l.f., featuring 2025 NWSL Champion Gotham FC and 2025 NWSL Shield winner Kansas City Current, will now take place on Friday, June 26, at 8 p.m. ET at Scotts Miracle-Gro Field, home of the Columbus Crew, in Columbus, Ohio. The match will bring NWSL action to Columbus for the first time as two of the league’s top clubs compete for the 2026 season’s first trophy, giving fans in the area the opportunity to experience elite women’s soccer in person at this celebratory showcase event.
The match will be available to stream live on Prime Video.
Additional details about the match, including ticket information, will be announced at a later date.
NWSL Rivalry Week, presented by Ally, set for matches between July 10-15, will feature marquee contests including:
The regular season concludes with NWSL Decision Day on Sunday, November 1, with all clubs competing simultaneously for playoff positioning. As part of last year’s expanded media agreements, ESPN will become the exclusive home for Decision Day contests in the U.S., with all eight matches available across ESPN platforms.
The opening round of the 2026 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, begins November 6-8, with matches distributed across ESPN/ABC, CBS/Paramount+ and Prime Video.
Semifinal matches will take place November 13-15, airing across CBS/Paramount+ and ESPN/ABC.
The 2026 NWSL Championship presented by Google Pixel will be played on Saturday, November 21, airing in primetime on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+. The selection process for the Championship host site is underway and additional details will be shared at a later date.
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You don’t want to miss a single moment of the action, so here are the platforms to catch all of the NWSL excitement, including a new partner Victory+. Learn more about Victory+ here.