The world of women’s football keeps spinning as leagues and teams carry on with live competitions. In today’s “This Week in Women’s Football”, we go over how to watch the upcoming NWSL Challenge Cup games, national teams that have qualified for international competitions, the announcement of the 2021 Women’s Cup and more.

2021 Challenge Cup games: April 16-22

The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup is in full effect and will continue with five matches from Friday, April 16, through Thursday, April 22.

  • OL Reign vs. Houston Dash on Friday, April 16, at 10 p.m. ET
  • NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. North Carolina Courage on Tuesday, April 20, at 6 p.m. ET
  • Chicago Red Stars vs. Kansas City on Tuesday, April 20, at 8:30 p.m. ET
  • Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit on Wednesday, April 21, at 7 p.m. ET
  • Portland Thorns vs. OL Reign on Wednesday, April 21, at 10 p.m. ET

All games except for the Portland Thorns vs. OL Reign game will be live-streamed on Paramount+ in the USA and on Twitch internationally. The Portland Thorns vs. OL Reign game will be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network in the USA and Canada, and Twitch internationally.

UEFA Women’s EURO playoffs results

Northern Ireland, Russia and Switzerland qualified for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 in England after winning their respective two-legged playoffs.

Northern Ireland made history by taking down Ukraine 4-1 after home and away games. The Northern Irish entered the qualifiers ranked 32nd of the 48 participants and advanced to the finals after defeating Ukraine twice. As a result, Northern Ireland will advance to the Women’s EURO 2022 Finals for the first time in history.

Russia reached its sixth final tournament out of the last seven after taking advantage of an inexperienced Portugal side. Goalkeeper Elvira Todua played a big role in Russia’s feat over two legs.

Lastly, Switzerland denied the Czech Republic a debut finals after the first-ever UEFA Women’s EURO playoff penalty shootout. 

These three winners will join Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, holders the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden in the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 Finals in England.

Louisville ready to host 2021 Women’s Cup 

Racing Louisville will host the 2021 Women’s Cup at Lynn Family Stadium on Aug. 18 and 21. European powerhouses Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain will join NWSL members Racing Louisville and the Chicago Red Stars in the four-team, four-game tournament.

Chile heading to Tokyo 2021

The Chilean women’s national football defeated Cameroon 2-1 in the first leg of their football Olympic qualification playoff on Saturday, April 10, in Antalya, Turkey. And on Monday, April 13, a 0-0 result in the second leg saw Chile qualify for its first-ever women’s tournament at the Olympic Games. 

FA Women’s Super League: West Ham United vs. Aston Villa

ATA Football will stream an FA Women’s Super League make-up game between bottom-dwellers West Ham and Aston Villa for free in the USA, Germany and Italy. The game will also be available in England and Ireland (BTSport), Australia (Optus Sport), Canada (Sportsnet Now) and internationally (The FA Player).

Aston Villa will look to snap a seven-game losing streak to exit the relegation spot. On the other hand, West Ham will have a chance to win consecutive games for the first time this season after defeating Reading 5-0 in Matchday 19.

FA Women’s Super League Hall of Fame

The FA Women’s Super League celebrated its 10-year anniversary on Tuesday, April 13, and announced that it will be releasing a list of the most influential players the league has housed since its inception in 2011.

An induction event will take place later in the year and a panel will create a shortlist of nominees – players and coaches – before determining who will be the first inductees.