The NWSL has not renewed its 2021 policy regarding transgender players, which allowed athletes transitioning from male to female to compete under specific hormone regulations. This absence of a policy follows the hiring of Commissioner Jessica Berman in March 2022. Currently, no transgender athletes are participating in the NWSL despite past involvement from athletes like Quinn and Kumi Yokoyama. Various organizations, including England's and Scotland's football associations, have implemented bans on transgender women in women's football after a UK supreme court ruling regarding gender definitions. The USSF also lacks a policy on transgender players for national teams.
The NWSL established a policy in 2021, stating: athletes who transition from male to female are eligible to compete if they declare their gender identity is female subject to testosterone levels being within typical limits of women athletes.
Currently, there are no known transgender athletes playing in the NWSL, though there have been in the past. Canadian international Quinn played for Washington Spirit and Seattle Reign until 2024.
A spokesperson for the NWSL told the Guardian: The 2021 policy is not in effect and has not been since Commissioner [Jessica] Berman was hired in March of 2022.
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the senior co-host for the 2026 World Cup, does not have a policy on transgender players for national teams.
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