USWNT star Alex Morgan and San Diego Wave to take on Crystal Dunn and Rose Lavelle's Gotham FC in NWSL Challenge Cup to kickoff 2024 campaign

The announcement came Thursday from league commissioner Jessica Berman, who announced that the heavyweight contest will begin the 2024 season. The Challenge Cup pits the NWSL Shield Holder, San Diego Wave, against the current league champions, Gotham FC, in a winner-takes-all game.

The match will be streamed on Amazon Prime and will be played at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. It will pit the reigning champions against the best regular season team from 2023, with the Bats looking to pick up their title-winning form from last season. The Wave, meanwhile, will aim to prove their doubters wrong - while Morgan will look to get off the mark early on.

The Wave lost to OL Reign 1-0 in the NWSL semifinals last playoff season, ending their 2023 campaign.

Preseason will get underway over the next few weeks, with teams starting training and prep for the upcoming campaign. Then, come March 15, two of the top teams in the league will go head-to-head to begin the 2024 season.