Section 4: Players & Officials
Squad and Match Roster
Each NWSL club selects a match-day roster of up to 20 players (11 starters and 9 named substitutes). Senior roster construction, international slots, allocation money, and salary mechanics are governed by the separate NWSL Roster Rules & Regulations document and are out of scope here.
Substitutions
- Each club may make up to 5 substitutions during a match (excluding half-time and re-entry of the same player as a substitute)
- Substitutions must be used over a maximum of 3 substitution opportunities ("windows") plus half-time, consistent with IFAB
- One additional concussion substitution is permitted independent of the five-substitute count to remove a player with an actual or suspected concussion (IFAB Law 3 concussion-sub trial)
- Substitutes must enter at the halfway line on the referee's signal; the player being replaced must leave the field of play within a brief permitted window
- Unused substitutions do not generate additional opportunities in the second half or in any extra time periods used in postseason
Officiating Crew
Each NWSL match is officiated by a referee, two assistant referees, a fourth official, a Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and at least one assistant VAR (AVAR). The referee on the field has final on-field authority. VAR is operative for clear-and-obvious-error reviews of (a) goals and surrounding incidents, (b) penalty decisions, (c) direct red-card incidents, and (d) cases of mistaken identity, in line with the IFAB VAR Protocol. The referee announces VAR-final decisions to fans in the venue and to the broadcast.
Bench Composition
The team bench houses the nine named substitute players and a limited list of staff approved by the league, including the head coach, assistant coaches, the team athletic trainer, and one club physician. Bench staff who leave the technical area to dispute officiating decisions are subject to discipline (Section 7).