NWSL Championship 2025: CBS Sports To Deploy Two-Point FlyCam for Match Coverage at PayPal Park

The fully onsite production is designed to provide a ‘bigger look and feel’ than last year’s

The NWSL puts a bow on its 2025 season tomorrow night. Featuring the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC competing at San Jose, CA’s PayPal Park, the NWSL Championship airs in primetime on CBS.

“Showcasing the NWSL Championship in primetime on CBS is a point of pride for all of us at CBS Sports,” says CBS Sports Senior Coordinating Producer Julie Keryc. “We are committed to covering women’s sports at the highest level, which is what these athletes deserve. For me, this game is the culmination of an entire season of collaboration with the NWSL — a relationship that is not only strong between us but a lot of fun to be a part of.”

Pregame coverage — led by host Poppy Miller and analysts Darian Jenkins, Kelley O’Hara, and Ali Riley — begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on the CBS Sports Golazo Network and YouTube and continues at 7:30 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+.

The match — featuring play-by-play announcer Kate Scott, analyst Lori Lindsey, sideline reporter Claudia Pagán, and rules analyst Christina Unkel — is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.

Coverage of Saturday’s NWSL Championship match on CBS begins at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The pre/postmatch shows will be on the field at PayPal Park, “giving fans the opportunity to get close to the action through the lens of celebrities, players, and coaches at the biggest event in women’s soccer,” says Keryc.

“We want viewers to feel like they have the best seat in the house to watch the greatest women’s soccer players perform at the top of their game,” she adds. “We have high standards for our broadcasts and have built a strong reputation in the soccer world, so fans should expect quality coverage from a production team who are just as passionate about this league as they are.”

The onsite CBS compound houses NEP TS2 A/B units for game production and NEP M15 for the studio show.

CBS Sports Senior Director, Remote Technical Operations, Jenna McKeon notes “some nuances that will give the show a bigger look and feel” compared with last year’s championship in Kansas City. A major upgrade to the studio set includes a new desk, which was designed this year and has been a staple on CBS studio remote shows for NFL and college football.

“Our fully onsite production model,” she says, “allows us to focus on some of the championship’s enhancements this week and have a close collaboration in San Jose between game and studio teams for the best shows possible.”

The newest enhancement for this year’s championship broadcast is the two-point FlyCam. CBS Sports collaborated with FlyCam to incorporate its “Sparrow” system into the network’s coverage.

“We are thrilled to bring it to life for the first time in a soccer broadcast,” McKeon says. “It will provide an angle into the game that viewers haven’t yet seen. It has the ability to track quickly and to seamlessly follow all the action above the near sideline with a closer viewpoint than traditional game cameras.”

To cover the event, 22 cameras — 17 for game production alone — will be deployed around PayPal Park. The cameras include four super-slo-mos, two Sony P50 robos behind the goal, an RF ATLAS shallow-depth camera, and the RF FlyCam. The studio for the pre/postmatch shows has four cameras, including an RF Steadicam.

“Our team has also been building toward this moment to once again shine in primetime,” says Keryc. “I’m excited for soccer fans across the country to see the results of all the hard work that has gone into putting the reputation of CBS Sports behind this incredible game.”

The CBS Sports team producing the championship include Senior Coordinating Producer, Golazo Network, Mike Nastri; Pregame Producer Jennifer Calhoun; Pregame Director Bryan Kozlowski; Game Producer Carlo Gennarini; Game Director Matt Plundo; and Tease Producer Alanna Campbell. Leading the effort are CBS Sports SVP, Remote Technical Operations, Jason Cohen; VP, Remote Engineering Craig Stevens; Remote Engineer Jeremy Thelen; VP, Operations and Production Management, Krissi Florian; and Director, Remote Operations, Marc Magnotta.

RF video is supported by NEP Specialty Capture (formerly BSI); goal robotics are provided by NEP Specialty Capture (formerly Fletcher). CP Communications supports game RF audio. A crew of more than 115 is deployed in San Jose.