The prominent women's sports leagues in the United States and Canada serve as the pinnacle of women's athletic competition in North America. The U.S. is home to the majority of professional women's leagues. In North America, the top women's leagues feature both team sports and individual athletes. While some leagues have paid professional female athletes, others do not and function at a semi-professional level.
The team sports of soccer (also known as association football), basketball, fastpitch softball, ice hockey, ringette, women's gridiron football (full contact), flat track roller derby, and lacrosse are among the top leagues for women in North America. Women's competitions are also popular in individual sports such as tennis, bowling, and golf.
In 2025, according to a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about 3 in 10 American adults followed women’s professional or college sports. According to another report, 60% of Canadians say perception of women's sports has improved, 41% of Canadians see women's sports as a national investment, and 80% of men consider themselves fans of women's sports. Record attendances recorded by women's professional sports leagues have been dominated by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the now defunct National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), Independent Women's Football League (IWFL), Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), and National Women's Hockey League (NWHL).
Business
Some women's leagues are professional, while others are semi-professional. Only a few professional women's leagues pay their players, such as the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), and Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), all of which exist in the U.S. Many of the professional leagues pay less than a livable wage, while also offering other incentives in order to claim professional status.
The annual average salary in the now defunct Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was $32,000 in 2009. Players' salaries would vary (i.e., Marta Vieira da Silva would have received a salary of $400,000 during the last three seasons 2009–2011). As of 2026, the NWSL has a $3.7 million team salary cap, and under the "High Impact Player" rule announced in 2025, NWSL player salary caps can exceed the team cap by up to $1M for specific, elite players.
With the approval of the most recent WNBA's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in 2026, players' salaries range from a minimum of $270,000 to $1.4M, with each team's cap at $7M (compared to $1.5M in 2025).
The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) was established in 2015 to be the first professional women's ice hockey league to pay players a salary. In 2015, the salaries started at a minimum of $10,000 per season; however, salaries were reduced up to 50% in 2016. The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) began as a professional league in name only, giving other benefits to its players, but started paying stipends in 2017 with a minimum of $2,000 and up to $10,000 per season financed by the league's addition of teams in China. However, the CWHL ceased operations in 2019 citing the professional status to be financially infeasible. The PHF itself disbanded after its 2022–23 season; it was purchased by a group led by investor Mark Walter and tennis great Billie Jean King, which announced the establishment of the new PWHL. For the 2025–26 PWHL season, players had a minimum salary of $37,131, up from $35,000 in 2024. Each year, the minimum base salary will increase by 3%.
Player development
Generally, all major sports leagues possess an amateur system for the development of young players. Certain women's leagues develop links privileged with minor league amateurs of lower and junior levels. With the growth of women's sports at the NCAA and Canada's U Sports levels in the last decades, athletes can choose a university education (along with competing at the university level), and then have the potential proceed to compete in a top-level major league.
Players who have represented their national teams at junior or senior levels can showcase their talent on an international stage. Success in international competitions like the World Cup or Olympics can elevate a player's profile and indicate their ability to perform under pressure. Statistical achievements, such as leading the league in scoring, assists, or other categories, and receiving awards like MVP (Most Valuable Player), Rookie of the Year, or All-Star selections, highlight a player's individual skill and contribution to their team.
Television broadcasting , the Women's National Basketball Association, National Women's Soccer League, National Pro Fastpitch (which folded in 2001), Premier Hockey Federation (which folded in 2023), and Women's Flat Track Derby Association had television broadcasting contracts. The Canadian Women's Hockey League had a TV contract before it folded after its 2018–19 season.
The WNBA has been steadily growing in popularity and viewership, with several major networks. The league has been actively advancing women's basketball and promoting its athletes. The NWSL has also seen increased visibility through its broadcasting agreements with networks. This has helped bring women's soccer to a wider audience.
Professional women's leagues
There are several professional women's sports leagues in North America where female athletes are paid to play a sport, though most exist in the United States. Women's professional sports leagues in North America include the following.
Team sports SportCountry Pro league Began play Teams Avg. attendance Baseball Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) 2026 4 Basketball Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) 1997 15 11,148 (2025) Unrivaled 2025 8 Ice hockey Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) 2024 12 9,297 (2025–26) Lacrosse Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) 2025 4 Soccer National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) 2013 16 11,235 (2024) USL Super League (USLS) 2024 9 2,750 (2025–26) Northern Super League (NSL) 2025 6 3,236 (2026–27) Softball Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) 2025 6 Volleyball Major League Volleyball (MLV) 2024 84,000 (history) League One Volleyball (LOVB) 2025 64,608 (2024)
Teams by urban area Urban areaCountryPop.rankPopulation(2025 est.) Basketball HockeySoccerVolleyball WNBA PWHL NWSL USLS NSL LOVB Pro MLV New York City United States 1 20,892,000 New York Liberty New York Sirens Gotham FC Brooklyn FC——— New York Cosmos (2026) Los Angeles United States 2 15,582,000 Los Angeles Sparks— Angel City FC—— Future team (2027)— Chicago United States 3 8,790,000 Chicago Sky— Chicago Stars FC———— Washington–Baltimore United States 4 7,636,000 Washington Mystics— Washington Spirit DC Power FC—— Future team (2027) Boston–Providence United States 5 7,375,000— Boston Fleet Boston Legacy FC———— Dallas–Fort Worth United States 6 6,980,000 Dallas Wings—— Dallas Trinity FC—— Dallas Pulse Houston United States 7 6,804,000— Houston Dash—— LOVB Houston— Toronto Canada 8 6,400,000 Toronto Tempo Toronto Sceptres — — AFC Toronto — — PWHL Hamilton (2026–27) San Francisco Bay Area United States 9 6,376,000 Golden State Valkyries PWHL San Jose (2026–27) Bay FC Oakland Soul SC——— Miami–Fort Lauderdale United States 10 6,129,000—— Fort Lauderdale United FC———USL Palm Beach (Future) Philadelphia United States 11 5,697,000 Future team (2030)—————— Atlanta United States 12 5,495,000 Atlanta Dream— Atlanta City FC (2028)——LOVB AtlantaAtlanta Vibe Phoenix United States 13 4,600,000 Phoenix Mercury—————— Detroit United States 14 4,143,000 Future team (2029) PWHL Detroit (2026–27)————— Montreal Canada 15 4,029,000— Montreal Victoire—— Montreal Roses FC—— Seattle United States 16 3,952,000 Seattle Storm Seattle Torrent Seattle Reign FC———— Orlando United States 17 3,204,000—— Orlando Pride——— Orlando Valkyries Tampa Bay Area United States 18 3,180,000——— Tampa Bay Sun FC——— San Diego United States 19 3,053,000—— San Diego Wave FC——— San Diego Mojo Minneapolis–Saint Paul United States 20 2,904,000 Minnesota Lynx Minnesota Frost——— Future team (2027) Future team (2027) Denver United States 21 2,892,000—— Denver Summit FC———— Vancouver Canada 22 2,833,000— Vancouver Goldeneyes—— Vancouver Rise FC—— Cleveland United States 23 2,642,000 Cleveland Sirens (2028)—————— Salt Lake City United States 24 2,455,000— Utah Royals—— LOVB Salt Lake— Las Vegas United States 25 2,260,000 Las Vegas Aces PWHL Las Vegas (2026–27)———— Vegas Thrill Charlotte United States 26 2,214,000—— Carolina Ascent FC——— San Antonio United States 28 2,101,000—————— Portland United States 29 2,076,000 Portland Fire (2026)— Portland Thorns FC———— Sacramento United States 30 1,970,000————— Future team (2027) Austin United States 31 1,957,000————— LOVB Austin— Kansas City United States 32 1,788,000—— Kansas City Current———— Indianapolis United States 33 1,757,000 Indiana Fever—— Indy Eleven—— Indy Ignite Calgary Canada 36 1,593,000———— Calgary Wild FC—— Raleigh United States 37 1,585,000—— North Carolina Courage———— Columbus United States 32 2,242,028—— Future team (2028)——— Columbus Fury Jacksonville United States 41 1,325,000——— Sporting Club Jacksonville——— Ottawa Canada 44 1,187,000— Ottawa Charge—— Ottawa Rapid FC—— Louisville United States 50 961,000—— Racing Louisville FC———— Buffalo United States 51 950,000——— Buffalo Pro Soccer——— Madison United States— 910,246——— Rally Madison FC— LOVB Madison— Boise United States— 865,000——— Athletic Club Boise——— Omaha United States— 829,000————— LOVB Nebraska Omaha Supernovas Grand Rapids United States— 614,000—————— Grand Rapids Rise Spokane United States— 593,466——— Spokane Zephyr FC——— Northwest Arkansas United States— 590,337——— Ozark United FC——— Chattanooga United States— 574,507——— Chattanooga Red Wolves SC——— Lexington United States— 516,811——— Lexington SC——— Halifax Canada— 439,819———— Halifax Tides FC—— Uncasville United States—— Connecticut Sun——————
Notes
Individual sports
(*) = variable: can include singles or doubles
Sport Country Pro league Began play Players Avg. attendance Golf Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) 1950 Tennis Women's Tennis Association (WTA) 19732,500 Bowling Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) 1960
Semi-professional women's leagues
Team sports
Sport Country Amateur league Began play Teams American footballSee also:Women's gridiron football Women's Football Alliance (WFA) 2009 14 X League 2009 8 Women's National Football Conference (WNFC) 2019 17 Ringette National Ringette League (NRL) 2004 13 Roller derby International Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) 2004 Rugby union Women's Elite Rugby (WER) 2025 6 Ultimate Frisbee Premier Ultimate League (PUL) 2019 10 Western Ultimate League (WUL) 2020 8
Basketball Early history
Professional women's basketball has been played in the U.S. since 1978. The first professional league was the Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL). The league played three seasons from the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1981.
The second women's professional league to be created in the U.S. was the Women's Basketball Association (WBA). The league played three seasons (from 1993 to 1995) with plans to play as a 12-team league in 1997 but disbanded before 1997 season. In 1996, two professional women's leagues were started in the U.S.: the American Basketball League (ABL) and the WNBA. The ABL was founded in 1996 during an increase in the interest in the sport following the 1996 Summer Olympics. The league played two full seasons (1996–97 and 1997–98) and started a third (1998–99) before it folded in December 1998.
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is the longest-running competition in women's basketball. The WNBA was formed in 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association, and league play began in 1997.