The 2024 NWSL Draft presented by Ally was the twelfth annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select from a list of amateur players above the age of 18 playing in the United States who exhausted, lost, or renounced any remaining collegiate eligibility.[1] It was held on January 12, 2024, at the 2024 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Anaheim, California and broadcast by ION.
| 2024 NWSL Draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Soccer |
| Date(s) | January 12, 2024 |
| Time | 8:00 pm (EST) |
| Location | Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California |
| Network(s) | ION |
| Sponsored by | Ally |
| Overview | |
| 56 total selections in 4 rounds | |
| League | National Women's Soccer League |
| Teams | 14 |
| First selection | Ally Sentnor, Utah Royals |
| Most selections | Utah Royals and Washington Spirit (6) |
| Fewest selections | NJ/NY Gotham FC (1) |
_069.jpg)
_089_(cropped).jpg)
Expansion sides Utah Royals and Bay FC held the first and second overall picks respectively. Ally Sentnor was selected by Utah Royals with the first overall pick. It was the first time Utah Royals had selected first and the third time a player out of North Carolina was selected first.[2]
Format
- All 14 teams of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) took turns making their selections over four rounds, with 14 picks per round. Draft order in each round was determined by the reverse order of the final 2023 regular season standings, with the exceptions being Utah Royals and Bay FC taking the first two selections as expansion teams and the two teams that contested the 2023 Championship game, Seattle Reign FC (formerly OL Reign) and NJ/NY Gotham FC, taking the last two selections.
- The final list of players eligible for selection was released on January 9, 2024. 230 players representing 138 schools declared for the draft.[3]
- Gaining the first choice in the asset selection process through a random generator, Utah Royals selected priority in the NWSL Draft. As a result, Utah received pick No. 1 in both the first and third rounds of the draft, while Bay will select first in rounds two and four. By virtue, Bay were given the first pick in the 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft.[4]
- Ion Television covered the draft domestically. International broadcast was available on the NWSL website.
Results
- As of June 23, 2024
Key
| + | Denotes player who has been selected as NWSL Most Valuable Player |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for an NWSL Best XI or NWSL Second XI team |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been selected as NWSL Rookie of the Year |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in a competitive NWSL game (regular season, playoff, or Challenge Cup) |
Picks
Trades
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Summary
In 2024, a total of 30 colleges had players selected. Of these, five had a player drafted to the NWSL for the first time: Iowa, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Saint Mary's and Utah State. The draft also saw North Carolina equal the record for most selections from a school in a draft with six.[33]
Schools with multiple draft selections
| Selections | Schools |
|---|---|
| 6 | North Carolina |
| 5 | BYU, Penn State |
| 4 | Clemson |
| 3 | Florida State, Stanford, Texas Tech |
| 2 | Arkansas, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, UCLA |
Selections by college athletic conference
| Conference | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 19 |
| Big East | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Big Ten | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Big 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| Ivy League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mountain West | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pac-12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| SEC | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| The American | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| West Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Selections by position
| Position | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Defender | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
| Midfielder | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 20 |
| Forward | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
Future draft trades
2025 NWSL Draft trades
- Round 3 (conditional), Racing Louisville FC → Washington Spirit. Washington Spirit acquired the natural second-round pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft, and a conditional third-round draft pick in the 2025 NWSL Draft if she reaches 10 appearances in 2024, from Racing Louisville FC in exchange for Jordan Baggett.[17]