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“Our board believes that we can be the size of the NFL,” remarked NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. In fact, in her own words, nothing is standing in their way, other than the lack of talent. Either way, when one thinks about seeing the women’s soccer league boasting over 32 teams, it certainly brings a wave of joy, right? Better views, more money, more entertainment… everything will be double or triple the fun. While all of that is one thing, for USWNT veteran Tobin Heath, it would mark the beginning of something much bigger. We bet you have heard of All-Star games in American sports. For soccer fans, the biggest example that strikes their mind would be the MLS All-Star games. But the difference there is that the men’s league mainly sends invites to foreign teams while creating its own super XI. However, when it comes to sports like the WNBA or the NFL, things get more interesting; players from different conferences or certain star players build their own best XIs regardless of team affiliation. Sadly, that isn’t the case with the NWSL, where the season concludes with just the Shield and Championship wins. And rightly so, considering the current size of the league. But even if Jessica Berman’s vision comes true sometime in the future, Tobin Heath believes that would mark the rise of an All-Star concept in the NWSL as well, just like in the WNBA and NFL. “I do predict that as we continue to get more franchises in the NWSL, we will have an All-Star game, and we will have East vs West,” she remarked on the latest episode of the RE—INC podcast. ADVERTISEMENT For those unaware of the concept, consider the NFL All-Star game, better known as the Pro Bowl Games. Given the league’s size, it has been divided into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC), each consisting of 16 teams, further split into North, South, East, and West divisions of four teams each. In this way, top players from each conference are selected for the Pro Bowl Games. The WNBA had a similar system. Players from the Western and Eastern Conferences used to face each other until 2017, when a change in format introduced two captains, selected through the highest number of fan votes, who would then draft their own teams regardless of conference affiliation. This interesting concept offers fans a different and thrilling glimpse of entertainment. ADVERTISEMENT So it’s only a matter of time to see the NWSL also boasting such a number of teams, and we will get to witness a similar All-Star Game atmosphere. Speaking of which, even though the work is in process, with the NWSL set to feature two additional teams from the 2026 edition, as even the 17th franchise is also in the process of a potential launch later, what would the NWSL All-Star game look like? Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports ADVERTISEMENT NWSL All-Star Game reimagined! Given how there’s still a lot of time before an All-Star game unfolds in the NWSL, Tobin Heath decided to go the extra mile and make her own presumptions about how it would look. “I decided to go into the future a bit and have my own All-Star game,” she continued in a similar segment. And the choices she made were no easy ones. Starting with the East Conference, she picked Orlando Pride’s Anna Moorhouse as the goalie. Across the backline, we have Kerry Abello, Rafaelle, Gotham FC’s Emily Sonnett, and Orlando Pride’s Sams. In midfield, Angelina took the spot alongside Manaka and Rose Lavelle. Then up top, there’s Esther, KC Current’s Temwa Chawinga, and Washington Spirit’s Croix Bethune. Now coming to the West Conference, Lorena takes the goal spot, followed by a backline of Angel City’s Gisele Thompson, San Diego Wave duo Perle Morroni and Trinity Armstrong, with Seattle Reign’s Jordyn Bugg topping it off. KC Current’s Claire Hutton and Portland Thorns’ duo Olivia Moultrie and Sam Coffey take charge of the midfield. As for the attack, Utah Royals’ Mina Tanaka and Wave’s Delphine Cascarino lead the line, with Tobin Heath ending the attack by adding her fellow RE-INC co-host and fiancée, Christen Press, who announced her retirement earlier this month. ADVERTISEMENT Indeed, it’s quite a remarkable lineup between both conferences. The only sad part is that it’s all imagination. But hope remains to see this become a reality someday… right?
