The summer of 2025 is set to bring plenty of excitement for passionate soccer fans. There’s a lot lined up on the international stage, especially in the United States, as the country gears up to host the inaugural expanded edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled from June 14 to July 13, 2025. While the tournament is expected to capture national attention, it will also likely disrupt the domestic calendar, giving NWSL teams an extended break. And from the looks of it, Racing Louisville already seems to have mapped out its plans for how it will utilize the break.

Well, it’s not only because the NWSL is taking a break due to the nation’s international commitments. Do you remember the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup? Well, apparently, rumor has it that the competition won’t be making a return this year, even though it was just last season that it made its debut. This comes from the mouth of renowned journalist and ESPN contributor Jeff Kassouf.

On top of that, after the NWSL Matchday 13 concludes on June 22, all 14 teams will be returning to Matchday 14 action straight in the first week of August. Hence, given that all these circumstances leave all sides with plenty of time in July, Jeff reported that Racing Louisville is allegedly heading to Brazil. On what occasion, you ask? Well, to participate in The Women’s Cup — an annual women’s soccer domestic, friendly tournament.

Aside from sharing this update, the journalist also posted a banner from TWC’s official X account. The graphic reads, ‘The world is coming to Brazil,’ featuring a player at the crest of each of the four teams: Racing Louisville, Brazil’s São Paulo FC and Palmeiras Feminino, as well as Mexico’s Liga MX side, Club Pachuca Femenil. While ticket and match details are yet to be revealed, the venue was confirmed as Arena Barueri, with games scheduled for July 19, 20, and 24.

Meanwhile, it seemed evident why the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup isn’t making the return. Earlier, ESPN stated that one of the spokespersons from NWSL declined to comment on the tournament’s future. Despite efforts from all stakeholders to establish the competition as a consistent off-season event, recurring conflicts and overlapping challenges ultimately led to its downfall once again.

Not only did it make the calendar more congested for players who were being called up for national duty, but other factors like less popularity and fanfare only made things worse. Not to mention, lower pay for teams and players also played a part in the inevitable decline of the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup. Hence, with no signs of this cup game returning, it only leaves the American women’s sides to plan their summer accordingly.

No wonder Louisville took charge and decided to devise its own plans for the vacant July. Though this is something they are yet to address publicly, what’s certain is that they’ll be looking forward to giving their all in the upcoming summer competition — especially with the odds seemingly tilted in their favor this time.

Racing Louisville would look to cement their TWC dominance

Launched in 2021, The Women’s Cup was spearheaded by a team of seasoned soccer and entertainment professionals. The tournament is purely invitational basis and any women’s team across the world can be given the invite. Ironically, it was the Racing Louisville themselves who hosted the inaugural campaign at Lynn Family Stadium, Kentucky from August 18 to 21, 2021.

In fact, they even won the inaugural tournament, defeating Bayern Munich in the finals by winning the penalty shootout 7-6 after a 2-2 draw. While Bavarians entered the final by defeating Paris Saint-Germain on penalties 5-4 after a 2-2 draw, Racing Louisville also entered the same way by defeating Chicago Red Stars with a similar penalty score before eventually playing a rather 1-1 draw.

The Lavenders hosted the following season as well, where the tournament was further expanded from four to six teams. Aside from NWSL rivals OL Reign (Now Seattle Reign), Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza, Italy’s AC Milan, England’s Tottenham Hotspur, and Mexico’s Club América took part in the competition. Despite facing such tough competition, Louisville ended up reaching the final, only to lose 1-2 against their NWSL counterpart OL Reign.

Since then, they’ve skipped both the 2023 and 2024 editions of The Women’s Cup, as the tournament expanded to feature two rounds of games. Now, Louisville is finally set to make its return this season, and the team will be hoping to make the most of their presence — and, hopefully, lift the trophy to boost their mid-season NWSL spirit.