2020 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Television
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports renewed its broadcast rights to the NFL under a five-year deal, marking its 25th season of coverage. It also announced that it would devote its multiplex channel Sky Sports Action exclusively to NFL programming and coverage during the season, temporarily rebranding it as Sky Sports NFL. It marks the first time that the NFL has partnered on a league-oriented channel in an international market. ViacomCBS-owned free-to-air channel Channel 5 also acquired rights to air Monday Night Football, marking the league's return to the network for the first time since 2009, with a Los Angeles-based studio show featuring Maurice Jones-Drew, and a weekly magazine show, NFL End Zone, hosted by Cori Yarckin.


2020 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Digital
On April 29, Amazon renewed its digital rights to Thursday Night Football through the 2022 season, maintaining the existing arrangement to simulcast the 11 games aired by Fox on Amazon Prime Video and for free on Twitch, and offer alternative broadcasts of the games on the two services. It also added exclusive worldwide rights to one late-season game per-season, which was produced by CBS and simulcast on over-the-air stations in the two teams' home markets. Amazon also acquired rights to simulcast one NFC Wild Card game assigned to CBS.


2020 NFL season, Media, Broadcast rights, Digital
This season, the TNF games included a new "Scout's Feed" broadcast featuring extended play analysis by Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah, and a new "NFL Next Live" feed on Twitch hosted by Cari Champion and Andrew Hawkins which featured viewer interactivity. The British English broadcasts were dropped this season. For supplemental content, Amazon is expanding its Tuesday-night studio program NFL Next, and introducing two new interactive programs on Twitch — the Hawkins and Kyle Long-hosted NFL Comment Box, and the Chad Johnson and Kyle Long-hosted The NFL Machine, which features presentations of content from the NFL Films archives.


2020 NFL season, Media, Personnel
Tony Romo, CBS' lead color commentator, renewed his contract in a long-term, $17 million per-year deal, the most lucrative contract for a commentator in NFL history.


2020 NFL season, Media, Personnel
CBS parted ways with #2 commentator Dan Fouts and replaced him with Fox's #2 commentator Charles Davis. Fox utilized Daryl Johnston in this spot.


2020 NFL season, Media, Personnel
To reduce his workload and travel, NBC Sunday Night Football lead commentator Al Michaels took several games off in favor of Mike Tirico.


2020 NFL season, Media, Personnel
ESPN replaced its former Monday Night Football commentator team of Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland with Steve Levy, Brian Griese, and Louis Riddick. Levy and Griese had been a broadcast team for ESPN's college football coverage prior to their Monday Night Football assignment, Levy also served as ESPN's lead XFL play-by-play voice. Fellow college football announcing duo Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit called the first game of the Week 1 MNF doubleheader. Herbstreit also worked the ESPN2 Monday Night Megacast broadcast with Rece Davis during the Week 2 MNF game.


2020 NFL season, Media, Personnel
After using a homophobic slur during a Cincinnati Reds game, Thom Brennaman was removed from Fox's NFL broadcasts for 2020. Brennaman, who also worked for the Reds, was suspended from doing games "until further notice". He later resigned from that role. Kevin Kugler replaced Brennaman.


2020 NFL season, Media, Personnel
This was the final season for Chris Spielman at Fox. Before Week 14, he left Fox to take a front office position with the Detroit Lions, effective immediately. #6 Brock Huard, who was a new addition to Fox's Sunday commentator roster, would move up to the #5 slot with Kevin Kugler to replace Spielman.


2020 NFL season, Media, Personnel
This was also the final season for long-time announcer Dick Stockton, who announced his retirement on March 25, 2021. Stockton, whose broadcasting resume spanned over five decades, called NFL games for CBS and Fox during his career.


2020 NFL season, Media, Impact of COVID-19 on production
Broadcasters were limited to 46 staff members at each game. Sideline reporters were not allowed on the field. CBS, Fox, and NBC had commentators on-site, but some production was conducted remotely from the networks' headquarters. The NFL required personnel returning from outside of the United States to quarantine for 14 days before returning to work.


2020 NFL season, Media, Impact of COVID-19 on production
The league provided an enhanced artificial crowd noise track to be used by its broadcasters, separate from the crowd noise that is used at stadiums below 2,500 in attendance. The soundtrack uses crowd audio collected by NFL Films from past games involving the home team, including general ambience, team-specific chants, and contextual reactions. It is mixed by a local sound engineer at the stadium in synchronization with the game. Fox had explored the possibility of masking empty stands with CGI crowds.


2020 NFL season, Media, Impact of COVID-19 on production
Fox introduced such a system on-air for its Major League Baseball broadcasts, and later announced that it would use the technology for selected NFL games. NBC ruled out virtual fans, citing the large number of camera angles that would have to be configured. NBC added a 180-degree 8K resolution camera to the Skycam unit for "intimate" overhead views, supplanting wide-angle shots that would expose stands with little to no spectators. At games played with no spectators, CBS allowed its Skycam to be in positions over the stands that are not generally allowed in order to provide new angles.


2020 NFL season, Media, Impact of COVID-19 on production
The pandemic also affected pre-game shows: ESPN's Monday Night Countdown and NFL Network's NFL GameDay were broadcast from their respective networks' studios, rather than traveling to game sites. Fox NFL Sunday panelist Jimmy Johnson contributed from his home in Florida, rather than join the rest of the panel at the Fox studio in Los Angeles. As a precautionary measure, the normal panelists for Fox NFL Kickoff and Fox NFL Sunday did not appear in-studio for Week 11, with Chris Myers, Reggie Bush, and Charles Woodson replacing them, and the regular personnel appearing remotely.


2020 NFL season, Media, Impact of COVID-19 on production
Two commentators were unable to pass their network's COVID-19 protocols and each had to miss one game: Al Michaels for NBC in Week 15 and Tony Romo for CBS in Week 17.


2020 NFL season, Media, Most watched regular season games
*Note — Late DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were shown to the largest percentage of the market.


2020 NHK Trophy
The 2020 NHK Trophy was the sixth event in the 2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Osaka Prefectural Kadoma Sports Center (Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome) in Osaka, Japan on November 27–29. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and ice dance.


2020 NHK Trophy
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of modifications were made to the Grand Prix structure. The competitors consisted only of skaters from the home country, skaters already training in the host nation, and skaters assigned to that event for geographic reasons. As a result, there were no entrants for the pair skating segment of the competition.


2020 NHK Trophy, Entries
The International Skating Union announced the preliminary assignments on October 1, 2020.


2020 NHK Trophy, Results, Men
Mitsuki Sumoto withdrew prior to the short program due to a fever.


2020 NHL Entry Draft
The 2020 NHL Entry Draft was the 58th NHL Entry Draft, held from October 6–7, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled for June 26–27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was held in a remote format, with teams convening via videoconferencing, and Commissioner Gary Bettman announcing the selections in the opening round and deputy commissioner Bill Daly in all subsequent rounds from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.


2020 NHL Entry Draft
The first three selections were Alexis Lafrenière going to the New York Rangers, Quinton Byfield being selected by the Los Angeles Kings, and Tim Stützle being picked by the Ottawa Senators.


2020 NHL Entry Draft, Eligibility
Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2000, and September 15, 2002, were eligible for selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Additionally, un-drafted, non-North American players born in 1999 were eligible for the draft; and those players who were drafted in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 30, 2000, were also eligible to re-enter the draft.


2020 NHL Entry Draft, Draft lottery, First phase
The first three picks overall in this draft were awarded by lottery. Since the 2012–13 NHL season all teams not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs have a "weighted" chance at winning the first overall selection. Beginning with the 2014–15 NHL season the NHL changed the weighting system that was used in previous years. Under the new system the odds of winning the draft lottery for the four lowest finishing teams in the league decreased, while the odds for the other non-playoff teams increased.


2020 NHL Entry Draft, Draft lottery, First phase
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019–20 regular season was cut short after it was suspended on March 12, 2020. The league then implemented a special 24-team format for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs that included an additional Qualifying Round. The NHL also wanted to hold the draft lottery before the playoffs began on August 1, 2020, while at the same time keeping its 15-team draft lottery system. It was decided that the draft lottery would include the seven teams that did not qualify for the playoffs, and eight placeholders representing the yet-to-be-determined clubs eliminated in the Qualifying Round.


2020 NHL Entry Draft, Draft lottery, First phase
The first phase of the draft lottery was held on June 26, 2020. The first overall pick was won by "Team E", one of the placeholders. As a result, the league conducted a second draft lottery on August 10, 2020, while the Los Angeles Kings moved up two spots and the Ottawa Senators (previously acquired from San Jose) remained at third overall. In the process, the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators moved down three spots from first and second overall, respectively, while the Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres each dropped one spot.


2020 NHL Entry Draft, Draft lottery, Second phase
Because a placeholder team won the initial draft lottery, a second lottery took place on August 10. The second phase of the lottery gave all eight teams eliminated in the Qualifying Round of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs an equal chance to win the first overall pick. This guaranteed that a team that made the playoffs would select first overall in draft for the first time since 1983. Each eliminated team had one lottery ball; the seven teams that did not win the second draft lottery were assigned picks nine through fifteen based on inverse order of points percentage. The New York Rangers won phase two of the draft lottery and moved up nine spots in the draft order to earn the first selection in the draft.


2020 NHL Entry Draft, Selections by round
The order of the 2020 Entry Draft is listed below.


2020 NHL Stadium Series
The 2020 NHL Stadium Series was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Stadium Series of games that took place on February 15, 2020. The game featured the Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche at Falcon Stadium, located on the campus of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Kings defeated the Avalanche by a score of 3–1. This was the only game in the Stadium Series that has been scheduled so far for the 2019–20 season (as opposed to multiple games in 2014 and 2016).


2020 NHL Stadium Series
The United States Air Force Academy's a cappella group In The Stairwell performed the anthem prior to puck drop.


2020 NHL Stadium Series, Background
This was the second time the Avalanche have hosted the Stadium Series, as they last hosted the event in 2016 at Coors Field, as well as the second time a military academy has hosted the Stadium Series, after Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium hosted the 2018 event. Also, this was the Kings' third NHL outdoor regular season game, following the 2014 and 2015 Stadium Series. This  marks their second as the visiting team.


2020 NHL Stadium Series, Traffic issues
Due to traffic issues getting into Falcon Stadium during that day, a number of fans ended up missing large portions of the game. Both the league and the Air Force Academy had sent out traffic advisories throughout the week beforehand. But several accidents, weather conditions, and lane closures on Interstate 25 combined with delays getting through security at the academy's two main gates turned what is normally about a 45-minute drive from Denver to over four hours. A fatal accident then occurred after the game at the north gate, causing all vehicles to be rerouted through the south gate. The academy later issued a statement saying that it did all it could to ease the congestion, but "despite our best efforts, all of these, added to the already challenging traffic conditions along the I-25 corridor, combined and unfortunately impacted some fans travelling to the game".


2020 NHL Stadium Series, Game summary
The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3–1, with Kings forward Tyler Toffoli recording the first hat trick in an NHL outdoor game. Toffoli opened up the scoring at 14:01 of the first period. Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard tied the game less than a minute left in the second period. Toffoli then scored the game-winning goal with 55 seconds left and then added an empty-net goal with five seconds remaining. Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick made 32 saves in the win. Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer made 14 saves before leaving the game with an injury in the third period, while backup goalie Pavel Francouz made six saves.


2020 NHL Winter Classic
The 2020 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Winter Classic series, that was played on January 1, 2020, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas Stars defeated the Nashville Predators by a score of 4–2. This was the first NHL outdoor game for both teams. With a sold-out crowd of 85,630, it was the second-most attended game in NHL history.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Background
The league announced on January 1, 2019 that the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas would be the site of the game, with the Dallas Stars as the host team. The league then announced on January 25, 2019 that the Nashville Predators would be the visiting team.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Background
The Cotton Bowl has been the home of the First Responder Bowl, a college football bowl game played on or near New Year's Day, since 2011; to accommodate the Winter Classic, the December 30, 2019 edition of the First Responder Bowl was moved to Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas. The Cotton Bowl previously hosted the Cotton Bowl Classic, another New Year's bowl game, from 1937 to 2009. The stadium has been used for other college football special events such as the State Fair Classic and the Red River Showdown.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Background
On April 23, 2019, the day tickets went on sale to the general public, the event officially sold out, becoming the second-fastest Winter Classic in history to sell out. The crowd of 85,630 became the second-most attended game in NHL history, behind only the 105,491 attendance set at the 2014 NHL Winter Classic.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
The Dallas Stars defeated the Nashville Predators 4–2 after overcoming a 2–0 deficit. Stars forward Corey Perry received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for elbowing Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis in the head at 2:44 into the first period. Ellis did not return for the rest of the game. The league would later give Perry a five-game suspension.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
After Dallas forward Blake Comeau's delay of game penalty at 4:22 gave the Predators a 5-on-3 advantage, forward Matt Duchene scored the icebreaker at 5:46, then defenseman Dante Fabbro gave Nashville a 2–0 lead at 7:36 moments before Perry's five-minute major expired.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
The Stars would then score four unanswered goals en route to the win. Comeau would give Dallas its first goal with 1:08 remaining in the second period. Then after forward Colin Blackwell was called for delay of game at 19:11 of the second, forward Mattias Janmark scored the equalizer on the ensuing power play 58 seconds into the third. Forward Alexander Radulov scored a power play goal at 5:06 to give the Stars their first lead, and defenseman Andrej Sekera added his team's fourth goal at 6:35.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
Both goaltenders, Ben Bishop of the Stars and Pekka Rinne of the Predators, made 31 saves.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Entertainment
The country music group Midland performed before the teams took the ice. Jake Hoot, the winner of season 17 of the talent competition The Voice, sang the national anthem. The pop music duo Dan + Shay performed during the first intermission. The second intermission entertainment was a tribute to the State Fair of Texas, featuring the SMU Mustangs and Texas A&M Aggies dance teams and a rodeo show.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Television
NBC broadcast the game in the U.S., as it has done since the Winter Classic's first game in 2008. In Canada, Sportsnet televised the game in English, while TVA Sports broadcast it in French. Due to the postponement of the following year’s Winter Classic, and then losing their NHL rights to ESPN/ABC and Turner Sports following the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, this wound up being NBC’s last Winter Classic. TBS/TNT picked up the rights to the Winter Classic.


2020 NHL Winter Classic, Television, Ratings
The 2020 Winter Classic was the least-watched game in the event's history, drawing only 1.97 million viewers. An error in the Nielsen reporting counted the hour-long pregame show as part of the game itself, which appears to be the primary factor in the ratings drop, as the game's primary competition—college football bowl games on ESPN and ABC—also saw lower cumulative viewership (though the two bowls scheduled opposite the Winter Classic individually had higher ratings than the year before, when there were three bowls in the slot). WGRZ in Buffalo, New York was the highest-rated local station, ahead of even Nashville (WSMV) and Dallas (KXAS), both of which set market records for NHL viewership with the contest.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series
The 2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series was announced on May 14, 2019.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series
It was the 65th season of the National Hot Rod Association's top drag racing competition. On September 2, 2020, the schedule was revised after the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be 11 Top Fuel and Funny Car events, 10 NHRA Pro Stock events (with three Non-Championship Mountain Motor Formula events), and 10 Pro Stock Motorcycle events.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series
The season began under the title sponsorship of The Coca-Cola Company, as it had been since 2002. Coca-Cola’s Mello Yello brand was once again promoted, as it had been for the previous few years. However, in September 2020 Coca-Cola, which had withheld a sponsorship payment during the NHRA shutdown, announced that it was ending its sponsorship of the series immediately. Since the agreement between the two sides was to run into 2023, the NHRA filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series
On October 4, 2020, the NHRA and Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis announced the two sides had struck a deal for Camping World to immediately assume title sponsorship of the NHRA’s top series. This marks the second motorsport series for which Camping World serves as title sponsor, after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Schedule
Schedule released originally on June 2, 2019, but the finalised schedule was released September 2, 2020.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Schedule
All races scheduled starting July 9 (when the season is scheduled to return after the COVID-19 pandemic) will be held with only two rounds of qualifying, except Lucas Oil Raceway 4 for selected Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers only, which will have three rounds for drivers who had advanced to the final of the abandoned Lucas Oil Raceway 2 event, and Ennis will have up to four rounds for Pro Stock Car and Motorcycle participants only to replace the abandoned Madison, IL event.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Schedule
There will be two finals held at the fourth Lucas Oil Raceway round (U.S. Nationals). The first will be held during the third qualifying round Saturday, and only for Top Fuel and Funny Car. Similarly, the Ennis round will have two finals held, and there will be up to three qualifying rounds Saturday for those Pro Stock Car and Motorcycle entries.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Schedule
MM Pro Stock Car at this event is a non-championship race featuring the Mountain Motor formula, which has no engine displacement limit, can use carburetors or electronic fuel injection, and weighs a minimum of 2,450 pounds, compared to the NHRA Pro Stock formula that features electronic fuel injection, a 500ci (8193cc) engine displacement limit, and 2,350 pounds weight. All two-lane Mountain Motor races will feature eight-car fields.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Schedule, Additional rules for specially marked races
GVL:  Event started March 12 with some classes finishing on the 14th. Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Stock, Stock, and Competition Eliminator classes, which had started, were allowed to finish behind closed doors. The NHRA postponed the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Modified, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and Factory Stock Showdown classes to September 25–27.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Schedule, Additional rules for specially marked races
MM:  Pro Stock Car at this event is a non-championship race with the Mountain Motor formula. At St. Louis, both NHRA Formula and Mountain Motor will race.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Removed and merged events
The NHRA removed three races from and merged two races from the original NHRA schedule when the season was suspended during the Gainesville Raceway event as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These events include the following:


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Removed and merged events, Merged
Two venues with two events each had their schedules reduced to one race.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Removed and merged events, Cancelled
Thirteen venues lost their NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events entirely during the 2020 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dates listed in original order.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Removed and merged events, Event changes
Races in Charlotte and St. Louis have switched weekends for this year. Scheduling changes made primarily to avoid NASCAR events in some markets.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Removed and merged events, Event changes
The only race that does not feature Pro Stock Car will be Indianapolis 2. Last year, Atlanta did not feature either Pro Stock formula. The three rounds that will feature Mountain Motor but not the NHRA Pro Stock class are Denver, Brainerd and Atlanta. St. Louis will feature both NHRA Formula and Mountain Motor.


2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series, Removed and merged events, Event changes
The NHRA also cancelled the Countdown format owing to the fewer races in 2020.


2020 NLEX Road Warriors season
The 2020 NLEX Road Warriors season is the 6th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2020 NLL season
The 2020 National Lacrosse League season, formally known as the 2019–2020 season, was the 34th in the history of the NLL. The season began on November 29, 2019 and was scheduled to end with the NLL final in late spring of 2020. However due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was suspended on March 12, 2020. On April 8, the league made a further public statement announcing the cancellation of the remaining games of the 2020 season and that they would be exploring options for playoffs once it was safe to resume play.


2020 NLL season
This season was the inaugural season for the expansion Knighthawks and Riptide. The former Rochester Knighthawks under owner Curt Styres relocated to Halifax for this season while Pegula Sports and Entertainment took over the Knighthawks moniker with a new expansion team.


2020 NLL season, Regular season
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2020 NPF Draft
The 2020 NPF College Draft was to have been the 17th annual collegiate draft for the National Pro Fastpitch. It was scheduled to take place on March 30, 2020 in Rosemont, Illinois, however, on March 16, 2020, the draft was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.


2020 NPF Draft
The Canadian Wild opted not to participate in the draft, preferring to play with only their players who will be on their Olympic softball team. As an expansion team, California Commotion has been granted the first draft pick in each round, and an extra, fifth pick in each of the fourth and fifth rounds.


2020 NPF Draft, Draft Selections
Position key: C = catcher; INF = infielder; SS = shortstop; OF = outfielder; UT = Utility infielder; P = pitcher; RHP = right-handed pitcher; LHP = left-handed pitcherPositions will be listed as combined for those who can play multiple positions.


2020 NPSL season
The 2020 National Premier Soccer League season was part of the 108th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and the 18th season of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Miami FC, the defending league champions, left in the off-season and joined the National Independent Soccer Association and later the USL Championship.


2020 NPSL season
On March 26, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 NPSL season, Changes from 2019
Multiple changes were made to the league's conferences ahead of the season. The Northeast Region was renamed to the "East Region." The Southeast Conference was moved from the South Region to the East Region and the Midwest Region's East Conference was renamed the “Rust Belt Conference.”


2020 NPSL season, Changes from 2019
A new conference, the Gulf Coast Conference, was announced on November 12, 2019. It would include new teams, mostly from the Gulf Coast Premier League, Jacksonville Armada U-23 from the Sunshine Conference, and the returning New Orleans Jesters.


2020 NPSL season, Standings and results
Only two of the three West Region conferences had begun play prior to the season being cancelled.


2020 NPSL season, Members Cup
The league intends to hold the second edition of its Members Cup tournament in autumn 2020, beginning in mid-August and concluding with the 2020 NPSL Members Cup Final in November. On July 16, the league announced a four team tournament hosted by Erie Commodores FC, and including 2019 National Semifinalist Cleveland SC, along with FC Buffalo and Pittsburgh Hotspurs. Pittsburgh won the "Rust Belt Group" on July 29 with a win over the Commodores.


2020 NPSL season, Members Cup
In addition, the July 29 match between Buffalo and Cleveland also served as a group stage game for the 2020 NISA Independent Cup, which both teams were also taking part in alongside former NPSL member Detroit City FC in that tournament's "Great Lakes Region".


2020 NRL Finals Series
The 2020 National Rugby League finals series was a tournament staged to determine the winner of the 2020 Telstra Premiership season. The series was played over four weekends in October, culminating in the 2020 NRL Grand Final on 25 October 2020 at ANZ Stadium. The Grand Final was ultimately won by the second-placed Melbourne Storm, who defeated the minor premiers the Penrith Panthers 26–20.


2020 NRL Finals Series
The top eight teams from the 2020 NRL season qualify for the finals series. NRL finals series have been played under the current format since 2012.


2020 NRL Finals Series, Venues and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
For the 2020 NRL Finals Series, the stadia will be permitted to hold up to 50% of capacity under New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland government guidelines. For the preliminary finals Lang Park's permitted capacity was increased to 75%.


2020 NRL Finals Series, Venues and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, the Melbourne Storm will play their home finals at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane rather than their regular home ground of AAMI Park in Melbourne. Suncorp will hold two games, Canberra's GIO Stadium will host one match and Sydney will host the remaining six matches, between ANZ Stadium, Bankwest Stadium, Panthers Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground.


2020 NRL Finals Series, Finals structure
The system used for the 2020 NRL finals series is a final eight system. The top four teams in the eight receive the "double chance" when they play in week-one qualifying finals, such that if a top-four team loses in the first week it still remains in the finals, playing a semi-final the next week against the winner of an elimination final. The bottom four of the eight play knock-out games – only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home ground advantage goes to the team with the higher ladder position in the first two weeks and to the qualifying final winners in the third week.


2020 NRL Finals Series, Finals structure
In the second week, the winners of the qualifying finals receive a bye to the third week. The losers of the qualifying final plays the elimination finals winners in a semi-final. In the third week, the winners of the semi-finals from week two play the winners of the qualifying finals in the first week. The winners of those matches move on to the Grand Final.


2020 NRL Grand Final
The 2020 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2020 National Rugby League season held at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on October 25. The match was contested between minor premiers Penrith Panthers and second-placed Melbourne Storm. The Storm led the game 22–0 at half time before holding off a late Panthers comeback to win 26–20, claiming their fourth premiership title. Melbourne fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the official man of the match.


2020 NRL Grand Final
The match was attended by 37,303 spectators due to an enforced limit to stadium capacity by the NSW government as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. The game would be the last for Melbourne hooker and captain Cameron Smith after announcing his retirement in the following year, making him the most-capped player in the NRL with 430 games, and the most for a single club.


2020 NRL Grand Final
The match was preceded by the 2020 NRL Women's Premiership Grand Final, where the Brisbane Broncos defeated the Sydney Roosters 20–10 to win their third premiership title in succession, and their second Grand Final win against the Roosters after the teams met in the inaugural NRLW Grand Final in 2018.


2020 NRL Grand Final
Pre -match entertainment was headlined by Australian indie pop singer Amy Shark. The match was broadcast live throughout Australia by the Nine Network.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Background
It was the first time the Penrith Panthers and the Melbourne Storm met in an NRL Grand Final, and in a finals match in general. The Panthers were awarded the minor premiership for the third time in the club's history, and were aiming to secure a third premiership; the Panthers having secured both titles in 1991 and 2003. It was Ivan Cleary's second Grand Final appearance as a coach, having led the New Zealand Warriors to a 10–24 loss against Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 2011. It was the Storm's fourth Grand Final appearance in five years, winning the 2017 premiership and runners-up in 2016 and 2018.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Background
Penrith and Melbourne finished first and second respectively on the regular season ladder. The two sides previously met at Campbelltown Stadium in round 6, with the Panthers defeating the Storm 21–14. As a result of restrictions imposed by the Victorian Government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the Storm were forced to play the remainder of the season outside their home state, with the club winning their home games at Kogarah Oval and Suncorp Stadium, before playing their remaining six home games at Sunshine Coast Stadium, which all resulted in wins.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Background
Both sides won their respective Qualifying Finals: the Panthers narrowly defeated the reigning premiers Sydney Roosters 29–28 at Panthers Stadium, and the Storm beating Parramatta Eels 36–24 at Suncorp Stadium. In the subsequent Preliminary Finals, the Storm would go on to defeat 2019 runners-up Canberra Raiders 30–10 at Suncorp Stadium, with the Panthers defeating the South Sydney Rabbitohs 20–16 at ANZ Stadium.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Teams
James Tamou, Apisai Koroisau, and Zane Tetevano are the only players in the Panthers line-up to have had previous NRL grand final experience after winning premiership titles for the North Queensland Cowboys in 2015, South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2014, and Sydney Roosters in 2018 respectively. Halfback Nathan Cleary played his 100th first-grade match.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Teams
Ryan Papenhuyzen, Brenko Lee, Justin Olam, Jahrome Hughes, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, and Nicho Hynes were the only Storm players to make their NRL grand final debut (although Hynes spent the entire match on the bench), while Cameron Smith, Suliasi Vunivalu, Cameron Munster, Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich, and Dale Finucane played in each of the Storm's last three grand final appearances. Only Cameron Smith and Jesse Bromwich have played in further grand finals for Melbourne.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, First half
The first score came when Storm’s Justin Olam attempted to score in the fourth minute. The referee ruled “no try”, but a video review showed that Penrith’s Tyrone May had kicked the ball out and ordered a penalty try. Cameron Smith converted. In the seventh minute Josh Mansour appeared to have scored for the Panthers, but it was disallowed for a Stephen Crichton obstruction. The Panthers made errors twice and Smith took advantage with two penalty goals. Later Nathan Cleary misdirected a pass which Suliasi Vunivalu intercepted, running 80 meters for a length of field try. With a minute remaining, Smith scored his first grand final try, right in front of the goal posts. It was initially called “no try”, until replays showed Apisai Koroisau knocking it from his hands. Smith hit the conversion, the half finishing 22–0 in favour of the Storm.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, Second half
Five minutes into the second half, Ryan Papenhuyzen ran 70 metres to score from a scrum, this turned out to be Storm’s last score for the night. When all looked lost for the Panthers, Isaah Yeo kicked and Brian To'o scored in the corner in the 53rd minute. There was controversy over the legality of it, but the try stood. In the 67th minute Papenhuyzen leapt over the touchline to knock a Panther’s penalty kick back into play. Two minutes later, Lee passed to Stephen Crichton, who scored, bringing the score to 12–26.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, Second half
In the 71st minute, Viliame Kikau ran into Jahrome Hughes in attempt to score a try. The referee ruled a professional foul and Hughes was removed from the field. Two minutes later, Jarome Luai threw a long ball to Josh Mansour who scored bringing the scores to 16–26 with seven minutes left. Nathan Cleary missed the conversion. With just over a minute left in the match Brandon Smith was sinbinned for a professional foul, reducing the Storm’s men to 11, Penrith took advantage and scored with a fast try to Cleary.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, Second half
With the clock ticking down and about 20 seconds remaining, Cleary declined the conversion, knowing that this move would give the Panthers extra time to try to draw level on the last play, if he elected to kick the remaining time on the clock would have been eaten up, by the conversion attempt. Shortly after the kick-off, the siren sounded, and with the ball still live, Penrith players passed desperately, but it was eventually intercepted by Melbourne Storm's Felise Kaufusi, ending the game.


2020 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, Second half
Ryan Papenhuyzen was judged best afield, winning his first Clive Churchill Medal. This is only the 2nd ever Grand Final in which 20 or more points were scored in both halves, the first being the 2001 NRL Grand Final. On both occasions the side which ultimately won had established a score of greater than 20 points to 0 in the first half and held on against a 20 or more points comeback by the opposition in the second half.


2020 NRL Nines
The 2020 NRL Nines was the fifth edition of the NRL Nines rugby league nines and the first one hosted outside of Auckland. It was played at HBF Park, Perth on 14–15 February 2020. Just like previous tournaments, it was contested by all 16 National Rugby League teams, but for the first time, the four NRL Women's Premiership teams played as well, as opposed to the Jillaroos and Kiwi Ferns like in former editions.


2020 NRL Nines
The men's tournament was split into four pools of four teams (1, 2, 3 & 4) and then into two groups of two teams in each pool (A & B). Each side was initially to play two games, against the teams from the other group of their pool. The top two teams in each pool then played off in a knockout-style tournament. The women's tournament, meanwhile, was a round-robin with each team playing three games, one against each of the others, before the top two teams met in the final. The tournament was drawn on 6 December 2019.


2020 NRL Nines
The Cowboys took out the men's title, beating the Dragons 23–14 in the final. Meanwhile, the Dragons won the women's title, with a 28–4 victory over the Broncos.


2020 NRL Nines, Men's Tournament, Pool 1
Viliame Kikau 0'Brent Naden 4'Josh Mansour 7'Viliame Kikau 9'Api Koroisau 13'Nathan Cleary 17'


2020 NRL Nines, Men's Tournament, Pool 1
Mason Lino 4'Starford To'a 7'Brodie Jones 10'Sione Mata'utia 11'Tex Hoy 14'Matthew Soper-Lawler 17'


2020 NRL Nines, Men's Tournament, Pool 2
Josh Kerr 5'Tyrell Fuimaono 7'Cameron McInnes 11'Tristan Sailor 13'Josh Kerr 16'


2020 NRL Nines, Men's Tournament, Pool 2
Ronaldo Mulitalo 3'Connor Tracey 5'Josh Morris 6'Josh Morris 8'Josh Morris 16'


2020 NRL Nines, Men's Tournament, Pool 3
Greg Leleisiuao 4'Michael Gordon 5'Anthony Don 9'Jonus Pearson 12'Jonus Pearson 14'


2020 NRL Nines, Men's Tournament, Pool 3
Joshua Cook 6'Blake Taaffe 7'Lachlan Ilias 9'Campbell Graham 13'Dane Gagai 14'Bryson Goodwin 17'


2020 NRL Nines, Men's Tournament, Finals, Quarter Finals
Jai Arrow 1'Phillip Sami 4'Phillip Sami 6'Jonus Pearson 8'Mitch Rein 11'Anthony Don 16'


2020 NRL Nines, Women's Tournament, Pool Stage
Isabelle Kelly 0'Keeley Davis 4'Sam Bremner 10'Brittany Breayley 15'Botille Vette-Welsh 17'


2020 NRL Nines, Women's Tournament, Grand Final
Isabelle Kelly 1'Aaliyah Fasavalu-Fa'amausili 6'Kezie Apps 8'Jessica Sergis 11'Maddison Weatherall 16'


2020 NRL Women's season
The 2020 NRL Women's Premiership was the third season of professional women's rugby league in Australia.


2020 NRL Women's season, Regular season
The season operated under a round-robin format, with games played as curtain-raisers to the 2020 NRL Finals Series. The top two finishing teams then contested the Grand Final, which was played before the men's Grand Final on 25 October.


2020 NRL Women's season results
The 2020 NRL Women's Premiership is the third season of professional women's rugby league in Australia. The competition will be coinciding with the 2020 NRL Finals Series.


2020 NRL season
The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League.


2020 NRL season, Teams
The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year.


2020 NRL season, Pre-season
The pre-season featured a returning Nines competition held at HBF Park in Perth on 14 & 15 February, replacing the competition previously held in Auckland. The All Stars match was played on 22 February at Cbus Super Stadium, returning to the contest's original venue. The 2020 World Club Challenge saw the NRL premiers Sydney Roosters defeat the Super League champions St. Helens, making them the first club to win consecutive World Club Challenges.


2020 NRL season, Regular season
The NRL had announced that the Grand Final would be hosted at the Sydney Cricket Ground while the main venue for the decider, ANZ Stadium, underwent an $810m redevelopment. This would have been the first Grand Final to be played at the SCG since 1987. The redevelopment was however scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that the Grand Final would be again played at ANZ Stadium.


2020 NRL season, Regular season
State of Origin was played in Adelaide for the first time, with Game 1 of the 2020 series played at Adelaide Oval.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
The 2020 season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was formally declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, one day prior to the scheduled start of the premiership season. Restrictions imposed by the different state governments related to social distancing, lockdowns of non-essential services which lasted for three months across the country, and border controls for interstate and international travel, all had significant effects on the completion of the 2020 season.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fixture
Prior to the recommencement of the season, the NRL announced the fixture would be shortened from 24 matches per team to 20 (including the two rounds already played prior to the season suspension), which each team playing each other once, and an additional five teams for a second time. The season had commenced on 12 March as originally scheduled; but as restrictions, followed for periods of formal quarantine, were introduced on interstate travel, the season was suspended after round two.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fixture
The round two match between the Sydney Roosters and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, which was originally meant to be played at Central Coast Stadium, was shifted to Leichhardt Oval.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fixture
The new draw was released on 21 May, with just six venues used between Rounds 3 to 7. The Warriors moved to Gosford to play at Central Coast Stadium, the Titans played home games at Suncorp Stadium with the Broncos, and the NSW teams and Canberra were divided between Bankwest Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium, and Central Coast Stadium in a way that no stadium hosts more than one match in a day. The Cowboys and Storm continued to host games at their normal home grounds, Queensland Country Bank Stadium and AAMI Park respectively.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fixture
From round eight, all teams bar the Storm and Warriors were permitted to return to their home grounds; in the Storm's case, a second wave of COVID-19 cases in Victoria forced the team to evacuate the state and set up camp on the Sunshine Coast, the home of their netball sister side the Sunshine Coast Lightning, for an indefinite period.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Opening round
The first round of play continued almost unimpeded, although crowd numbers were impacted by fears surrounding the virus.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Opening round
International restrictions on travel made in New Zealand, whereby all arrivals would be required to self-isolate for two weeks, resulted in the New Zealand Warriors temporarily setting up base in Kingscliff, New South Wales, having already come to Australia to play their Round 1 match. Their Round 2 game against Canberra was played at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast, instead of at the Warriors' home ground in Auckland.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crowds
Government restrictions on gatherings meant that, starting in Round 2, crowds were locked out of senior NRL matches for the first time in the code's history. State governments gradually allowed crowds, often small and restricted in size, into games, starting immediately from Round 5 in New South Wales, and from Round 6 in Queensland.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season suspension
During Round 2, speculation that the season would be suspended, if not cancelled, grew. Circumstances surrounding the virus were evolving at a rapid rate, and the future beyond Round 2 was unknown. Many ideas to ensure the season could continue, including moving all players and matches to a single location in Central Queensland where they could continue to play in self-isolation.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season suspension
On 23 March, the NRL suspended the season indefinitely for the first time in the competition's history, in response to tightening government restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19. In the following weeks, matches that were scheduled to be played at regional venues were cancelled, as was the Magic Round.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season resumption
On 9 April, the NRL announced its intentions to restart the competition on 28 May, with most details still to be determined. The decision was one of three recommendations to come out of Project Apollo, which was created by the NRL's innovations committee to analyse potential solutions to restart the season. The other recommendations included ensuring that a full State of Origin series be played, and keeping with a one-match grand final. However, the NRL required Federal and State governments, as well as broadcasters Fox and Nine, on board with the plan. The structure of the restarted season would also largely depend on what government restrictions were in place by the end of May.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season resumption
By 22 April, the NRL had obtained government approval to restart the season on 28 May. On 28 April 2020, the NRL announced that the competition would be a 20-round competition, which would allow each team to play each other once with 5 extra fixtures. Points earned in the first two rounds were still counted. State of Origin was played in November after the season's conclusion, while the Grand Final was played on 25 October at ANZ Stadium.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season resumption
During late April and early May, general government restrictions began to ease in Australia due to successful efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Queensland State Government allowed the three Queensland-based sides to train and play at home; this meant they did not have to base themselves in New South Wales. The Melbourne Storm were forced to move to Albury in NSW to begin their training, with Victoria's government waiting longer to begin easing restrictions, but were able to return to AAMI Park the following week.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season resumption
On 2 May, the New Zealand Warriors were permitted by both Federal governments to enter Australia the following day. They entered two weeks of self-isolation in the regional city of Tamworth, where they were permitted to train to avoid any unfair disadvantage.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season resumption
International travel restrictions meant the side had to remain in Australia for an indefinite period of time, however talks of a Trans-Tasman 'bubble', in which travel between Australia and New Zealand would be exclusively permitted, left the possibility open for the Warriors to return to New Zealand and play home matches there later in the season; however, this did not eventuate.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season resumption
Despite the border between New South Wales and Queensland remaining closed to the public for most of the season, all NRL teams were exempt from the travel ban for the purpose of playing matches, with the New South Wales-based teams plus the Canberra Raiders and New Zealand Warriors travelling to and from Queensland on game day instead of staying overnight, and the three Queensland-based clubs plus the Melbourne Storm making the same trip in reverse (that is, travelling to and from Sydney or Canberra on game day).


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season resumption
In late June, the Melbourne Storm were forced to relocate away from Victoria after a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the state. Their round seven match against the New Zealand Warriors was played at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney; the match was notable as following the game Cameron Smith, Craig Bellamy and Ryan Hoffman all went into the Warriors' rooms to thank and acknowledge the sacrifices they made by moving to Australia during the COVID pandemic.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Season resumption
Following that, the Storm relocated to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where they played their remaining home games out of Suncorp Stadium and Sunshine Coast Stadium, as well as finals at the former venue. By the time the Storm won the Premiership, they had been away from their home in Victoria for four months.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Club medical restrictions
During the pandemic, the NRL brought in strict new biosecurity measures to protect those in the game, including a code-wide request that players be vaccinated against the common flu, as "any player that has any respiratory illness... potentially will take the whole team out." The NSW Government did not enforce the compulsory vaccination agreement, whereas the Queensland Government stood by the vaccination measures previously agreed to by the NRL that 100% of players would be flu-vaccinated prior to the competition restarting. Only players who had been vaccinated, or had genuine medical grounds exempting them, were permitted to play or train in Queensland.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rule changes
It was announced that the remainder of the games would be played with just one referee. The referees threatened to strike as a result of this. However, an agreement was reached on 22 May for the one-ref system to be used.


2020 NRL season, Regular season, Results
Bold – Home gameX – Bye* – Golden point gameOpponent for round listed above margin


2020 NRL season, Player statistics and records
The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 20.


2020 NRL season results
The 2020 NRL season was the 113th  of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League.


2020 NRL season results
As of 3 May 2020, the season was shortened from 25 rounds to 20, and the finals series and State of Origin pushed back, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first two rounds were played before the season was suspended on 23 March, and premiership points earned from the earlier rounds are still counted. The season resumed on 28 May. After playing the first two rounds with 2 referees, the decision was made to play the remaining rounds with one referee. To accommodate this, a number of other rules changes were introduced.


2020 NRL season results, Regular season
All times are in AEDT (UTC+11:00) up until the 5th of April and AEST (UTC+10:00) from then on.


2020 NRL season results, Notes
a From round 2 to round 4, all matches were played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 NTT Pro Cycling season
The 2020 season for the NTT Pro Cycling cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under.


2020 NWHL Draft
The 2020 NWHL Draft took place on April 28–29, 2020. The Boston Pride selected Sammy Davis with the 1st overall pick, having made a trade with the yet unnamed Toronto expansion team. Davis becomes the third Terriers hockey player to go first overall in a professional hockey draft, following Kayla Tutino in the 2016 CWHL Draft, and Rick DiPietro in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.


2020 NWHL Draft
A total of 30 players were drafted, of which 16 are American, 13 are Canadian, and one is Czech. The draft included players who have already finished their college eligibility for the first time.


2020 NWHL Draft
The draft took place remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletes from the WNBA and the National Lacrosse League presented the draft, as well as HC Bern general manager Florence Schelling, UFC contestant Roxanne Modafferi, and former NHL player Pat LaFontaine. That model has been cited as potential inspiration for other leagues in holding virtual drafts.


2020 NWHL Draft
Autumn MacDougall, who skated for the University of Alberta Pandas women's ice hockey program, became the first player in the history of U Sports women's ice hockey to be selected in the NWHL Draft. Taken with the 14th overall pick, MacDougall was followed by another U Sports skater, as Erin Locke, a forward with the York Lions women's ice hockey, was taken by the Toronto expansion team 15th overall.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup
The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup was a tournament during the 2020 National Women's Soccer League season to mark the league's return to action from the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first professional team sports event to return to play in United States.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup
Originally planned as a one-off tournament, the NWSL announced that the Challenge Cup will return in the 2021 NWSL season as a league cup competition.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Format
The Challenge Cup was originally planned as a 25-game tournament featuring all nine NWSL clubs. However, on June 22, the Orlando Pride withdrew following six positive COVID-19 tests among players and four more among non-playing staff. On June 23, the NWSL released the revised schedule of an 8-team, 23-game tournament.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Format
On June 22, the NWSL announced the full rules and regulations for the tournament. Each team would play four games in a preliminary round, with eight teams advancing to a single-elimination knockout bracket. Teams would be ranked by points in the preliminary round, with three points for a win and one for a draw, and the rankings used to determine seeding in the knockout bracket.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Format, Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
To lessen the impact of fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, NWSL clubs were permitted to roster up to 28 players (a temporary increase by two), to have the full roster available for substitutions during a game, and to make up to five substitutions in accordance with temporary rules and regulations from the International Football Association Board. There would be no extra time; any games in the knockout round that were tied after regulation would go straight to a penalty shoot-out. Final tournament rosters had to be submitted by June 21.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Format, Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
In order to hold the tournament as safely as possible, all games were held behind closed doors in two stadiums near Salt Lake City, Utah. All teams were quarantined during the entirety of the tournament in a so-called "NWSL village" with all housing provided by Dell Loy Hansen, owner of Utah Royals FC. All players, officials, and essential staff members were tested for the coronavirus 48 hours before departure for Utah and remained subject to regular testing, temperature reading, and symptom review throughout the tournament.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Squads
NWSL teams were required to submit finalized rosters to participate in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup on June 21. Roster sizes were required to be a minimum of 22 players and maximum of 28 players (24 senior players + 4 supplemental players) and contain at least three goalkeepers. Only players listed on that final roster are permitted to participate in the tournament. International players already under contract by NWSL teams but not participating in the tournament do not count towards the roster limit. Furthermore, teams could sign a maximum of 4 players they had the rights to but were not yet under contract to short-term contracts lasting the duration of the tournament. Short-term loans from teams outside the NWSL were also permissible.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Squads
Player participation for the tournament was optional. The league allowed players to opt out without being in breach of contract, keeping all contracts, housing, insurance and other benefits guaranteed regardless of participation in the tournament.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Squads
Squads were announced on June 23. OL Reign announced that United States international Megan Rapinoe had decided to opt out, while Julia Ashley and Leah Pruitt were unavailable due to long-term injuries. Two more U.S. internationals, Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC) and Christen Press (Utah Royals FC), announced their decisions to opt out. Sky Blue FC omitted U.S. internationals Carli Lloyd and Mallory Pugh, as well as Caprice Dydasco, all recovering from injuries.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Squads
Merritt Mathias was unavailable due to a long-term injury for the North Carolina Courage, while Chicago Red Stars were missing Alyssa Mautz and Arin Wright due to a long-term injury and maternity leave respectively. All of the remaining teams — including the Orlando Pride, who withdrew from the tournament — named their full rosters.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Preliminary round, Draw
The draw for the preliminary round was held on June 1, 2020, 12:00 ET, and streamed live on CBS Sports HQ. The nine NWSL teams were drawn randomly into nine slots, which determined each team's four-game schedule for the preliminary round. After the draw concluded, the NWSL released the full schedule of the preliminary round to be played at Zions Bank Stadium.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Preliminary round, Draw
The Orlando Pride withdrew from the tournament on June 22, 2020, after receiving multiple positive COVID-19 test results among the team's players and staff. One day later, the NWSL accordingly released a revised tournament schedule.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Preliminary round, Standings, Tiebreakers
The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings is most points earned, with three points earned for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams are equal on points after completion of the preliminary round, the following criteria shall be applied to determine team rankings:


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Knockout round
In the knockout round, if a game was level at the end of 90 minutes of normal playing time, there would be no extra time and the winners would be determined by a penalty shoot-out.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Statistics, Goalscorers
There were 36 goals scored in 23 matches, for an average of 1.57 goals per match.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Statistics, Discipline
A player would be automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Statistics, Awards
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament: The MVP (most outstanding player as voted by the media and sponsored by Budweiser), Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Glove (best goalkeeper as voted by the media and sponsored by Verizon), NWSL Future Legend (the top-performing player in their first season with the NWSL), and Best XI (the best 11-players as voted by the players, media, fans, and GMs/coaches, and presented by Google).


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Broadcasting
In accordance with the broadcast deals signed by the NWSL at the start of the 2020 season, both the tournament opener and final aired on CBS. All other games were broadcast live on the CBS All Access subscription service in the U.S. and Canada and re-aired on CBS Sports Network. International fans were able to stream the full tournament on Twitch.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship
The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship was a soccer match held on July 26, 2020, at the Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. It was the final match of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, a one-off competition marking the resumption of the 2020 National Women's Soccer League season following the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The match was played behind closed doors due to the pandemic and was broadcast on CBS beginning at 12:30 ET.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship
Houston Dash won the match 2–0 against Chicago Red Stars to win the tournament.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship, Road to the final
The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup was a one-off tournament during the 2020 NWSL season to mark the league's return to action from the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight National Women's Soccer League teams participated in the tournament. The tournament, played behind closed doors in the Salt Lake City area, began on June 27 with a preliminary round, followed by a knockout round.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship, Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship, Match, Details
Woman of the Match:Shea Groom, HOUAssistant referees:Jennifer GarnerTiffini TurpinFourth official:Tori Penso


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship, Broadcasting
The match aired on CBS and CBS All Access in the United States and Canada, and on Twitch internationally. Jenn Hildreth and Lori Lindsey served as play-by-play announcer and analyst respectively on CBS, while Mike Watts and Jen Cooper did the same on Twitch. Marisa Pilla was the on-field reporter.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship, Broadcasting
CBS Sports soccer reporter Sandra Herrera and studio host Sherree Burruss hosted the pre- and post-game shows on CBS Sports HQ along with Aly Wagner. Alex Morgan also joined the pregame show.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads
The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup was a one-off tournament during the 2020 National Women's Soccer League season to mark the league's return to action from the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads
NWSL teams were required to submit finalized rosters to participate in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup on June 21. Roster sizes were required to be a minimum of 22 players and maximum of 28 players (24 senior players + 4 supplemental players) and contain at least three goalkeepers. Only players listed on that final roster will be permitted to participate in the tournament. Furthermore, teams could sign a maximum of 4 players they had the rights to but were not yet under contract to short-term contracts lasting the duration of the tournament. Short-term loans from teams outside the NWSL were also permissible.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads
Squads were announced on June 23, 2020. 22 of the 32 federation players were included in the squads.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads
The age listed is as of June 27, 2020, the first day of the tournament. Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads, Chicago Red Stars
The final 28-player roster was announced on June 23, 2020.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads, Houston Dash
The final 24-player roster was announced on June 23, 2020.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads, North Carolina Courage
The final 25-player roster was announced on June 23, 2020.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads, OL Reign
The final 28-player roster was announced on June 23, 2020.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads, Portland Thorns FC
The final 25-player roster was announced on June 23, 2020.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads, Sky Blue FC
The final 26-player roster was announced on June 23, 2020.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads, Utah Royals FC
The final 28-player roster was announced on June 23, 2020.


2020 NWSL Challenge Cup squads, Washington Spirit
The final 26-player roster was announced on June 23, 2020.


2020 NWSL College Draft
The 2020 NWSL College Draft was the 8th annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select newly eligible college players for the 2020 NWSL season. It was held on January 16, 2020 in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.


2020 NWSL Expansion Draft
The 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft was a special draft held on November 12, 2020, by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) for Racing Louisville FC, an expansion team, to select players from existing teams in the league. Louisville would be able to select up to 18 players from a list of unprotected players provided by the existing nine NWSL teams.


2020 NWSL Expansion Draft
On October 26, 2020, the NWSL announced that Chicago Red Stars would receive full roster protection after executing a trade with Racing Louisville FC.


2020 NWSL Expansion Draft, Format
Each of the NWSL's nine current teams could protect 11 players, with a limit of two United States federation players. Racing Louisville FC could select a maximum of two players (or one United States federation players) per team; they could only select a maximum of two United States federation players in total. All players currently under contract, on loan, or whose NWSL rights are held by an NWSL team (e.g., draft picks, waiver claims, retired players) were eligible for selection unless included on the protected list; only unsigned players who are on an NWSL team's discovery list were exempt.


2020 NWSL Expansion Draft, Format
The timeline for the Expansion Draft process was as follows:


2020 NWSL Expansion Draft, Draft results
Racing Louisville FC selected 14 players on November 12, 2020.


2020 NWSL Expansion Draft, Protected lists by team
After Chicago Red Stars traded for full roster protection, the remaining eight current NWSL teams released their respective protected lists on November 5, 2020.


2020 Nadeshiko League
The 2020 Nadeshiko League was the 32nd season of the Nadeshiko League, the main league for women's association football in Japan. It was also the 16th season in its current format.


2020 Nadeshiko League
The league was originally scheduled to begin on 2 May 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league was finally re-scheduled to begin on 18 July 2020 with the first two rounds of matches played behind closed doors.


2020 Nadeshiko League, Division 1
The season started on 18 July 2020 and ended on November 2020 with the play-offs to be held days later. Prior to the league start date, PCR were carried out on all the players and staffs of the teams participating in the leagues to check their health conditions, almost all test cases came out negative


2020 Nadeshiko League, Division 1
Urawa Reds Ladies won their fourth Nadeshiko League title and therefore will earn the right to participate in the 2021 AFC Women's Club Championship.


2020 Nadeshiko League, Division 1
This is its final year as the highest division of the Japan women's football league system as the WE League is set to commence next year. Similar to the men's J. League in 1992 and the English women's FA WSL in 2011, not all Division 1 clubs will be admitted to the new league.


2020 Nadeshiko League, Division 1, Teams
The league was contested by 10 teams, debutants Ehime winners of the 2019 Nadeshiko League Division 2 and runners up Cerezo Osaka replaced Nittidai and AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies, who were relegated from the 2019 Nadeshiko League Division 1.


2020 Nadeshiko League, Division 2, Teams and format
10 teams contested the league, Jumonji Ventus were promoted while Shizuoka Sangyo were relegated from the previous season, additionally Nittaidai and Nagano Parceiro Ladies also joined from the Nadeshiko League Division 1.


2020 Nadeshiko League, Challenge League
12 teams contested the third tier, divided into two groups of 6 each for East and West. Newly promoted clubs were Shizuoka SSU Asregina (formerly Iwata Bonita) and Fukuoka J. Anclas, both returning to the national tiers, and Cerezo Osaka Sakai Girls, Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies's B-team.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement
The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement is an armistice agreement that ended the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. It was signed on 9 November by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and ended all hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region from 00:00, 10 November 2020 Moscow time. The president of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, also agreed to an end of hostilities.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Background
Renewed hostilities between Azerbaijan and Artsakh together with Armenia began on 27 September 2020. Azerbaijan recovered many of its territories during the following six weeks which culminated in the capture of the strategically important town Shusha and prompted the two sides to agree to a ceasefire deal on 9 November 2020.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Overview
According to the agreement, both belligerent parties agreed to exchange prisoners of war and the dead. The Armenian forces were to withdraw from Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh by 1 December 2020. An approximately 2,000-strong Russian peacekeeping force from the Russian Ground Forces was to be deployed to the region for a minimum of five years, one of its task being protection of the Lachin corridor, the only remaining passage between Armenia and Republic of Artsakh. Additionally, Armenia undertook to "guarantee safety" of transport links between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave. Russian FSB′s Border Troops would exercise control over the transport communication.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
1. A complete ceasefire and termination of all hostilities in the area of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is declared starting 12:00 am (midnight) Moscow time on November 10, 2020. The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, hereinafter referred to as the “Parties,” shall stop in their current positions.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
2. The Agdam District shall be returned to the Republic of Azerbaijan by November 20, 2020.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
3. The peacemaking forces of the Russian Federation, namely, 1,960 troops armed with firearms, 90 armoured vehicles and 380 motor vehicles and units of special equipment, shall be deployed along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin Corridor.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
4. The peacemaking forces of the Russian Federation shall be deployed concurrently with the withdrawal of the Armenian troops. The peacemaking forces of the Russian Federation will be deployed for five years, a term to be automatically extended for subsequent five-year terms unless either Party notifies about its intention to terminate this clause six months before the expiration of the current term.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
5. For more efficient monitoring of the Parties’ fulfilment of the agreements, a peacemaking centre shall be established to oversee the ceasefire.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
6. The Republic of Armenia shall return the Kalbajar District to the Republic of Azerbaijan by November 15, 2020, and the Lachin District by December 1, 2020. The Lachin Corridor (5 km wide), which will provide a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia while not passing through the territory of Shusha, shall remain under the control of the Russian Federation peacemaking forces.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
As agreed by the Parties, within the next three years, a plan will be outlined for the construction of a new route via the Lachin Corridor, to provide a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, and the Russian peacemaking forces shall be subsequently relocated to protect the route.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
The Republic of Azerbaijan shall guarantee the security of persons, vehicles and cargo moving along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
7. Internally displaced persons and refugees shall return to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas under the supervision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
8. The Parties shall exchange prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons, and dead bodies.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
9. All economic and transport connections in the region shall be unblocked. The Republic of Armenia shall guarantee the security of transport connections between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in order to arrange unobstructed movement of persons, vehicles and cargo in both directions. The Border Guard Service of the Russian Federal Security Service shall be responsible for overseeing the transport connections.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Terms of the agreement
As agreed by the Parties, new transport links shall be built to connect the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the western regions of Azerbaijan.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Reactions, Armenia
After signing the agreement, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said, "This is not a victory, but there is not defeat until you consider yourself defeated, we will never consider ourselves defeated and this shall become a new start of an era of our national unity and rebirth." Violent protests erupted in Yerevan following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement. The speaker of the Parliament of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, was beaten by an angry mob who stormed the Parliament after the peace deal was announced. Pashinyan has indicated, however, that Mirzoyan's life is "not under threat" and he had undergone surgery.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Reactions, Azerbaijan
The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev reacted to the agreement by saying, "This statement constitutes Armenia's capitulation. This statement puts an end to the years-long occupation." Large-scale celebrations erupted throughout Azerbaijan, most notably in its capital city of Baku when news of the agreement was announced.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Aftermath, Armenian evacuation
Since 13 November, Armenians in Kalbajar, a district that was mostly inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis before the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and was settled by Armenian citizens after it, started to burn their homes and cut trees before leaving for Armenia, to avoid them being reinhabited by the Azerbaijanis. Some Armenians also took their dead relatives' remains with them, while others were carting off everything they could as trucks nearby loaded up with household possessions and cut down trees. Agence France-Presse reported that in Charektar, at least six houses were set on fire.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Aftermath, Armenian evacuation
On 15 November, at Armenia's request, Azerbaijan extended the deadline for Armenians to fully vacate Kalbajar District by 10 days, until 25 November. Azerbaijan's Presidential Office stated that they took the worsening weather and the fact that there only one road to Armenia into consideration when agreeing to extend the deadline. Azerbaijani authorities also denounced civilians and de-mobilized soldiers leaving the area for burning houses and committing what they called "ecological terror".


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Aftermath, Deployment of Russian peacekeepers
As early as on 10 November 2020, Russian troops and armour that were to constitute a peacekeeping force under the agreement, were reported to be moving into in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The force was reported to have been transported to Armenia by air before the agreement was signed. By 12 November, the Russian force consisted mostly of the personnel of the 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade had entered Stepanakert and begun deploying observation posts across the region.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Aftermath, Exchange of POWs
On December 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan have begun exchanging groups of prisoners of war mediated by Russia. As of February 2021, 63 prisoners, including civilians, returned to Armenia, and 15 were returned to Azerbaijan. In March 2021, Human Rights Watch (HRW), reported that Azerbaijan has repatriated 69 POWs. On 14 April 2021, a global campaign was launched among the Armenian diaspora to demand the release of Armenian POWs and other detainees held in Azerbaijan. Protests were held in 14 cities around the world, including Toronto, Paris, Rome, Houston, Sacramento, Montréal, New York, Los Angeles, Warsaw, Berlin, Hamburg and Moscow.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Aftermath, Exchange of POWs
According to Armenian authorities, as of April 2021, over 200 Armenian POWs are currently being held captive by Azerbaijan. On 20 May 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally release all the Armenian prisoners, both military and civilian, detained during or after the conflict. In June the Armenian substitute member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Aftermath, Exchange of POWs
Tatevik Hayrapetyan raised concern of the situation of the Armenian POWs in the PACE, as in a discussion between the Ilham Aliyev and Emine Erdoğan, the first lady of Turkey where both appeared to be pleased by the fact that there exist Armenian POWs and the latter suggested a release of them in several stages. In July 13 Armenian service men were sentenced to 6 years imprisonment and charged with "terrorism" and "illegally entering Azerbaijan".


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Aftermath, Exchange of POWs
On 22 September 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Amendment, demanding Azerbaijan's immediate release of about 200 Armenian POWs, hostages and detained persons, "misrepresenting their status in an attempt to justify their continued captivity". According to Human Rights Watch, Azerbaijani armed forces mistreated ethnic Armenian POWs and subjected them to ‘‘physical abuse and humiliation’’.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Aftermath, Turkish troops' role
Following the signing of the agreement and the deployment of the Russian peacekeepers, a memorandum on establishing a joint Russian-Turkish monitoring centre in Azerbaijan was signed by Russian and Turkish defence ministers. Russia, however, insisted that Turkey’s involvement would be limited to operating remotely from the monitoring centre on Azerbaijani soil outside of Nagorno-Karabakh, and that Turkish peacekeepers would not go to Nagorno-Karabakh.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Aftermath, Article 9 implementation
As of late 2021, the meaning of "transport connections" is still undetermined. A working group including Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia had been established in January, but significant progress wasn't made, while Azerbaijan keeps insisting on it's "Zangezur corridor" interpretation of the agreement provision. In May 2021, Pashinyan said that while Armenia is not willing to discuss 'corridor logic’, it is keen on opening transport links as means of direct railway communication with Iran and Russia. The dispute has been cited as one of the reasons for the 2021 Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis. In October 2021, Azerbaijan unilaterally began using Armenia's airspace, conducting flights to it's Nakhchivan enclave.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war was an armed conflict in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories. The main combatants were Azerbaijan, with support from Turkey and foreign militia groups, on one side and the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh and Armenia on the other side. It was the latest escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but partially governed by Artsakh, a breakaway state with an Armenian ethnic majority.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
Clashes began on the morning of 27 September 2020 along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact, which had been established in the aftermath of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988–1994). In response, Armenia and Artsakh introduced martial law and total mobilization, while Azerbaijan introduced martial law, a curfew and partial mobilization. Turkey provided military support to Azerbaijan, although the extent of this support has been disputed. Turkey's involvement is thought to have been an attempt to extend its sphere of influence, both by increasing the standing of Azerbaijan in the conflict and by marginalizing Russia's influence over the region.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
The fighting began with an Azerbaijani offensive, with the primary goal of reclaiming the less mountainous districts of southern Nagorno-Karabakh, which were easier to take than the region's well-fortified interior. The war was marked by the deployment of drones, sensors, long-range heavy artillery and missile strikes, as well as by state propaganda and the use of official social media accounts in online information warfare. In particular, Azerbaijan's widespread use of drones was seen as crucial in determining the conflict's outcome. Numerous countries and the United Nations strongly condemned the fighting and called on both sides to de-escalate tensions and resume meaningful negotiations without delay. Three ceasefires brokered by Russia, France, and the United States failed to stop the conflict.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
Following the capture of Shusha, the second-largest settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ending all hostilities in the area from 00:00, 10 November 2020 Moscow Time. The President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, also agreed to end the hostilities. Under the agreement, the warring sides kept control of the areas they held within Nagorno-Karabakh at the time of the ceasefire, while Armenia returned the surrounding territories it occupied in 1994 to Azerbaijan.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
Azerbaijan will also gain transport communication to its Nakhchivan exclave bordering Turkey and Iran. Approximately 2,000 Russian soldiers have been deployed as peacekeeping forces along the Lachin corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, for a mandate of at least five years. Following the end of the war, an unconfirmed number of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) were held captive in Azerbaijan, and there were reports of mistreatment. Despite calls for their immediate release by the EU and international organizations, Azerbaijan has filed criminal charges against them.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Naming
The war has been referred to as the "Second Nagorno-Karabakh War", and has been called the "Forty-Four Day War" in both Armenia and Azerbaijan.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Naming
In Armenia and Artsakh, it has been called the "Second Artsakh War" (Armenian: Արցախյան երկրորդ պատերազմ, romanized:  Arts'akhyan yerkrord paterazm), "Patriotic War" and the "Fight for Survival" (Armenian: Գոյամարտ, romanized: Goyamart).


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Naming
In Azerbaijan, it has been called the "Second Karabakh War" (Azerbaijani: İkinci Qarabağ müharibəsi) and "Patriotic War". The Azerbaijani government referred to it as an "operation for peace enforcement" and "counter-offensive operation". It later announced it had initiated military operations under the code-name "Operation Iron Fist" (Azerbaijani: Dəmir Yumruq əməliyyatı).


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Background
The territorial ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh is fiercely contested between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. The current conflict has its roots in events following World War I and today the region is de jure part of Azerbaijan, although large parts are de facto held by the internationally unrecognised Republic of Artsakh, which is supported by Armenia.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Background, Soviet era
During the Soviet era, the predominantly Armenian-populated region was governed as an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan SSR. As the Soviet Union began to disintegrate during the late 1980s the question of Nagorno-Karabakh's status re-emerged, and on 20 February 1988 the parliament of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast passed a resolution requesting transfer of the oblast from the Azerbaijan SSR to the Armenian SSR. Azerbaijan rejected the request several times, and ethnic violence began shortly thereafter with a series of pogroms between 1988 and 1990 against Armenians in Sumgait, Ganja and Baku, and against Azerbaijanis in Gugark and Stepanakert.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Background, Soviet era
Following the revocation of Nagorno-Karabakh's autonomous status, an independence referendum was held in the region on 10 December 1991. The referendum was boycotted by the Azerbaijani population, which then constituted around 22.8% of the region's population; 99.8% of participants voted in favor. In early 1992, following the Soviet Union's collapse, the region descended into outright war.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Background, First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War resulted in the displacement of approximately 725,000 Azerbaijanis and 300,000–500,000 Armenians from both Azerbaijan and Armenia. The 1994 Bishkek Protocol brought the fighting to an end and resulted in significant Armenian territorial gains: in addition to controlling most of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Republic of Artsakh also occupied the surrounding Azerbaijani-populated districts of Agdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Kalbajar, Qubadli, Lachin and Zangilan.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Background, First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The terms of the Bishkek agreement produced a frozen conflict, and long-standing international mediation attempts to create a peace process were initiated by the OSCE Minsk Group in 1994, with the interrupted Madrid Principles being the most recent iteration prior to the 2020 war. The United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions in 1993 calling for the withdrawal of "occupying forces" from the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh,and in 2008 the General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of Armenian occupying forces, although the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and USA, voted against it.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Background, Frozen conflict
For three decades multiple violations of the ceasefire occurred, the most serious being the four-day 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Surveys indicated that the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh did not want to be part of Azerbaijan and in 2020 the Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan announced plans to make Shusha, a city of historical and cultural significance to both Armenians and Azerbaijanis, Artsakh's new capital. In August of the same year the government of Artsakh moved the country's parliament to Shusha, escalating tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Further skirmishes occurred on the border between the two countries in July 2020.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Background, Frozen conflict
Thousands of Azerbaijanis demonstrated for war against Armenia in response, and Turkey voiced its firm support for Azerbaijan. On 29 July 2020, Azerbaijan conducted a series of military exercises that lasted from 29 July to 10 August 2020, followed by further exercises in early September with the involvement of Turkey. Prior to the resumption of hostilities, allegations emerged that Turkey had facilitated the transfer of hundreds of Syrian National Army members from the Hamza Division to Azerbaijan. The government of Azerbaijan denied the involvement of foreign fighters.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
The conflict was characterized by the widespread use of combat drones, particularly by Azerbaijan, as well as heavy artillery barrages, rocket attacks and trench warfare. Throughout the campaign, Azerbaijan relied heavily on drone strikes against Armenian/Artsakh forces, inflicting heavy losses against Armenian tanks, artillery, air defense systems and military personnel, although some Azerbaijani drones were shot down. It also featured the deployment of cluster munitions, which are banned by the majority of the international community but not by Armenia or Azerbaijan. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan used cluster munitions against civilian areas outside of the conflict zone. A series of missile attacks on Ganja, Azerbaijan inflicted mass civilian casualties, as did artillery strikes on Stepanakert, Artsakh's capital. Much of Stepanakert's population fled during the course of the fighting. The conflict was accompanied by coordinated attempts to spread misleading content and disinformation via social media and the internet.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
The conflict began with an Azerbaijani ground offensive that included armored formations, supported by artillery and drones, including loitering munitions. Armenian and Artsakh troops were forced back from their first line of defense in Artsakh's southeast and northern regions, but inflicted significant losses on Azerbaijani armored formations with anti-tank guided missiles and artillery, destroying dozens of vehicles. Azerbaijan made heavy use of drones in strikes against Armenian air defenses, taking out 13 short-range surface-to-air missile systems. Azerbaijani forces used drones to systematically isolate and destroy Armenian/Artsakh positions.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
Reconnaissance drones would locate a military position on the front lines and the placement of reserve forces, after which the position would be shelled along with roads and bridges that could potentially be used by the reserves to reach the position. After the Armenian/Artsakh position had been extensively shelled and cut off from reinforcement, the Azerbaijanis would move in superior forces to overwhelm it. This tactic was repeatedly used to gradually overrun Armenian and Artsakh positions. Azerbaijani troops managed to make limited gains in the south in the first three days of the conflict.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
For the next three days, both sides largely exchanged fire from fixed positions. In the north, Armenian/Artsakh forces counterattacked, managing to retake some ground. Their largest counterattack took place on the fourth day, but incurred heavy losses when their armor and artillery units were exposed to Azerbaijani attack drones, loitering munitions, and reconnaissance drones spotting for Azerbaijani artillery as they maneuvered in the open.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
Azerbaijan targeted infrastructure throughout Artsakh starting on the first day of the war, including the use of rocket artillery and cluster munitions against Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, and a missile strike against a bridge in the Lachin Corridor linking Armenia with Artsakh. On the 6th day of the war, Armenia/Artsakh targeted Ganja for the first of four times with ballistic missiles, nominally targeting the military portion of Ganja International Airport but instead hitting residential areas. On the morning of the seventh day, Azerbaijan launched a major offensive. The Azerbaijani Army's First, Second, and Third Army Corps, reinforced by reservists from the Fourth Army Corps, began an advance in the north, making some territorial gains, but the Azerbaijani advance stalled.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
Most of the fighting subsequently shifted to the south, in terrain that is relatively flat and underpopulated as compared to the mountainous north. Azerbaijani forces launched offensives toward Jabrayil and Füzuli, managing to break through the multi-layered Armenian/Artsakh defensive lines and recapture a stretch of territory held by Armenian troops as a buffer zone, but the fighting subsequently stalled.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
After the shelling of  Martuni, Artsakh authorities began mobilizing civilians. Just before 04:00 (00:00 UTC) on 10 October 2020, Russia reported that both Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed on a humanitarian ceasefire after ten hours of talks in Moscow (the Moscow Statement) and announced that both would enter "substantive" talks. After the declared ceasefire, the President of Artsakh admitted Azerbaijan had been able to achieve some success, moving the front deep into Artsakh territory; the Armenian Prime Minister announced that Armenian forces had conducted a "partial retreat".


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
The ceasefire quickly broke down and the Azerbaijani advance continued. Within days Azerbaijan announced the capture of dozens of villages on the southern front. A second ceasefire attempt midnight 17 October 2020 was also ignored. Azerbaijan announced the capture of Jabrayil on 9 October 2020 and Füzuli on 17 October 2020. Azerbaijani troops also captured the Khoda Afarin Dam and Khodaafarin Bridges. Azerbaijan announced that the border area with Iran was fully secured with the capture of Agbend on 22 October 2020.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
Azerbaijani forces then turned northwest, advancing towards the Lachin corridor, the sole highway between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, putting it within artillery range. According to Artsakh, a counterattack repelled forward elements of the Azerbaijani force and pushed them back. Armenian/Artsakh resistance had managed to halt the Azerbaijani advance to within 25 kilometers of the Lachin corridor by 26 October 2020. Artsakh troops who had retreated into the mountains and forests began launching small-unit attacks against exposed Azerbaijani infantry and armor, and Armenian forces launched a counteroffensive near the far southwestern border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
On 26 October 2020, a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect, but fighting resumed within minutes. Three days later, the Artsakh authorities stated that the Azerbaijani forces were 5 km (3.1 mi) from Shusha. On 8 November 2020, Azerbaijani forces seized Shusha, the second-largest city in Artsakh before the war, located 15 kilometers from Stepanakert, the republic's capital.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Overview
Although the amount of territory contested was relatively restricted, the conflict impacted the wider region, in part due to the type of munitions deployed. Shells and rockets landed in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, although no damage was reported, and Iran reported that several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had been downed or had crashed within its territory. Georgia stated that two UAVs had crashed in its Kakheti Province.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Ceasefire agreement
On 9 November 2020, in the aftermath of the capture of Shusha, a ceasefire agreement was signed by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ending all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from 10 November 2020, 00:00 Moscow time. The President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, also agreed to end the hostilities.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Ceasefire agreement
Under the terms of the deal, both belligerent parties were to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of the fallen. Furthermore, Armenian forces were to withdraw from Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh by 1 December 2020, while a peacekeeping force, provided by the Russian Ground Forces and led by Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, of just under 2,000 soldiers would be deployed for a minimum of five years along the line of contact and the Lachin corridor linking Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Additionally, Armenia undertook to "guarantee safety" of transport communication between Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave and mainland Azerbaijan in both directions, while Russia's border troops (under the Federal Security Service) were to "exercise control over the transport communication".


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Ceasefire agreement
On 15 December 2020, after several weeks of cease fire, the sides finally exchanged prisoners of war. 44 Armenian and 12 Azeri prisoners were exchanged. It is unclear whether more prisoners remain in captivity on either side.


2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Course of the conflict, Non-military actions taken by Armenia and Azerbaijan
Since the beginning of the conflict, both Armenia and Azerbaijan declared martial law, limiting the freedom of speech. Meanwhile, a new law came into effect since October 2020 in Armenia, which prohibits negative coverage of the situation at the front. Restrictions have been reported on the work of international journalists in Azerbaijan, with no corresponding restrictions reported in Nagorno-Karabakh.