The NWSL season is heating up, and with every team still in contention, the race to finish above the playoff line has become particularly intense.
Four teams — NJ/NY Gotham FC, Portland Thorns, San Diego Wave and Seattle Reign — are tied for third place on 30 points, while the defending champion Orlando Pride are just one point further back. Three points separate Racing Louisville (currently holding the eighth and final playoff position with 26 points) from 11th-place Angel City FC. The NWSL views its parity as a strength, and it’s looking like the 2025 season at the peak of women’s soccer will come down to the wire.
At the top of the table, the Kansas City Current could end the weekend as regular-season champions, while the Washington Spirit could secure a postseason berth with a win Thursday night coupled with an awful lot of help around the weekend. At the bottom, the Chicago Stars and Utah Royals need to maintain their improved recent form to keep their narrow hopes alive.
Here are kickoff times and how to watch this weekend’s NWSL games, as well as a breakdown of playoff clinching scenarios:
NWSL Matchday 21: Weekend schedule, times, how to watch
All times Eastern. Home teams listed first.
Thursday, Sept. 18
Angel City FC vs. Washington Spirit, 10:30 p.m. | CBS Sports Network, Fubo
Watch Angel City vs. Spirit on Fubo (free trial)
Friday, Sept. 19
Houston Dash vs. Chicago Stars, 8 p.m. | NWSL+
Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. | Prime Video
Utah Royals vs. Racing Louisville, 10 p.m. | Paramount+
Watch Orlando Pride vs. NC Courage on Prime Video
Saturday, Sept. 20
Kansas City Current vs. Seattle Reign, 7:30 p.m. | Ion
Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave, 10 p.m. | Ion
Sunday, Sept. 21
Bay FC vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 8:30 p.m. | ESPN2, ESPN+
Watch Bay FC vs. Gotham FC on ESPN+
What is the NWSL playoff schedule?
The NWSL regular season will end on Sunday, Nov. 2, with all 14 teams playing. After that, the postseason will play out on the following schedule:
Nov. 7-9: Quarterfinals
Nov. 14-16: Semifinals
Nov. 22: NWSL Championship
NWSL playoffs format explained
The NWSL playoffs will see eight teams qualify, with an easy-to-follow format in place. In the quarterfinal round, the top four teams in the regular-season standings will host the other four teams that qualify for the postseason.
The four winning teams move onto the semifinals, with the higher-seeded team on each side of the bracket hosting. The NWSL playoffs do not re-seed after the quarterfinals. Finally, the two surviving teams will play in the 2025 NWSL Championship final.
All games will follow the norms of the sport: If scores are tied after 90 minutes, a given playoff game will go to a 30-minute extra time period (divided into 15-minute halves, with no ‘golden goal’ rule). Should the scores still be even after that, the teams will endure the tension of a penalty-kick tiebreaker.
NWSL playoff picture: If the season ended today …
We’re a long way from settling the NWSL playoff bracket, but if the postseason began today, this is what we’d see:
Home teams listed first.
Quarterfinals
Quarterfinal 1: Kansas City Current (1) vs. Racing Louisville (8)
Quarterfinal 2: Washington Spirit (2) vs. Orlando Pride (7)
Quarterfinal 3: NJ/NY Gotham FC (3) vs. Seattle Reign (6)
Quarterfinal 4: Portland Thorns (4) vs. San Diego Wave (5)
Semifinals
Semifinal 1: Quarterfinal 1 winner vs. Quarterfinal 4 winner (higher seed hosts)
Semifinal 2: Quarterfinal 2 winner vs. Quarterfinal 3 winner (higher seed hosts)
Final
Final: Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner (final at PayPal Park in San Jose, California)
Who has clinched an NWSL playoff spot?
The Kansas City Current clinched a playoff spot in August and can finish no lower than second. After holding their closest challenge, the Washington Spirit, to a 0-0 draw last week, it’s a matter of when, not if, they’ll claim the NWSL Shield as 2025 regular-season champions.
If the Spirit (36 points) fail to defeat Angel City FC Thursday night, the Current (50) could be ready for a trophy lift Saturday evening at CPKC Stadium. If Washington were to tie or lose in Los Angeles, a Current win over the Seattle Reign this weekend would clinch the Shield for the runaway league leaders.
As for the Spirit, a win in LA could clinch a playoff spot, but only with a lot of help. Washington would need the Courage, Racing, and Dash to all lose later on the weekend to seal the deal. As North Carolina and Louisville face each other on Oct. 4, this set of results would guarantee the Spirit finish somewhere in the top eight.
2025 NWSL Playoffs: Who has been eliminated from contention?
NWSL’s bottom two teams, the Chicago Stars and Utah Royals, both avoided defeat last weekend. Both have 15 points, and while the playoff line is currently held by Racing Louisville (26), there are still 18 points on the table for all teams.
As such, neither is in danger of being eliminated from the postseason race this week, though a loss for either side in this 21st round of games could put them on the brink of mathematical elimination.