The NWSL’s playoff push is coming down to the wire, with the NWSL Shield and two postseason spots still on the line heading into the final weekend of competition.

The Portland Thorns, OL Reign, Kansas City Current and San Diego Wave all have clinched playoff berths, while the Houston Dash, North Carolina Courage, Chicago Red Stars and Angel City FC are in contention for the remaining two postseason slots.

The Thorns, OL Reign and Current, meanwhile, will be battling it out at the top of the standings for the NWSL Shield.

San Diego Wave FC vs. North Carolina Courage

10 p.m. ET Friday on Paramount+

The Courage hold their playoff fate in their own hands. A win against the Wave would be enough to send them to the postseason.

If the matchup between the Courage and the Wave ends in a draw, then North Carolina would need the Red Stars to lose or tie their game against Angel City FC in order to clinch a playoff berth.

For San Diego, which has already clinched a postseason spot, a No. 2 seed is on the line.

If the Wave win and OL Reign and Kansas City both lose or tie, then San Diego would secure a bye to the semifinals.

NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Portland Thorns

6 p.m. ET Saturday on Paramount+

The Thorns enter Saturday’s matchup against Gotham FC in first place, one point clear of OL Reign.

A win, which appears likely over Gotham, a team riding a 12-game losing streak and 488-minute scoring drought, would clinch the NWSL Shield for Portland

Should the Thorns lose or tie, the club would have to wait on the results of the Current’s and OL Reign’s matches to know their fate.

Portland, however, is guaranteed at least a top-three finish, with its league-leading goal differential of plus-25.

Washington Spirit vs. Houston Dash

7 p.m. ET Saturday on Paramount+

The Dash can secure a playoff spot with a win or draw against the Washington Spirit. If the Dash lose, they could still squeak into the postseason if the Red Stars win but fail to make up their goal-differential discrepancy with Houston. Entering the weekend, Houston is plus-7, while Chicago is plus-4.

The Spirit, on the other hand, are out of playoff contention and may rest players set to join the U.S. women’s national team on its European swing next week.

Kansas City Current vs. Racing Louisville

7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on Twitch

Kansas City will look to pull off a worst-to-first jump, with the NWSL Shield in reach just one season after the club finished last in the league.

The Current have a difficult path, however, needing a win against 10th-place Racing Louisville as well as a Thorns loss and an OL Reign loss or draw.

At third in the NWSL standings, Kansas City will also be looking to maintain their ranking to lock up a home postseason opener. If the Current lose, the club could fall as far as fifth with a San Diego win or tie and a Houston win.

OL Reign vs. Orlando Pride

10 p.m. ET Saturday on Twitch

OL Reign has its sights set on the Shield but will need some help. The Seattle club would lock up the league title with a win coupled with a Thorns loss or draw.

Riding a five-game unbeaten streak, OL Reign’s chances against the Orlando Pride, who already have been eliminated from playoff contention, look promising.

No matter what happens through the final weekend of competition, OL Reign is guaranteed to finish in the top four.

Chicago Red Stars vs. Angel City FC

6 p.m. ET Sunday on Paramount+

Depending on how Friday and Saturday’s games go, both the Red Stars and Angel City may be eliminated from playoff contention ahead of their Sunday matchup.

ACFC will rely on a North Carolina loss to stay alive. If the Courage fall, Angel City can advance to the postseason with a win.

Should North Carolina lose or play to a draw with the Wave, the Red Stars can secure a playoff spot with a win. If Houston loses, the Red Stars also could advance with a win depending on goal differential.

Sidelined Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally is still down for the count, with the 27-year-old set to miss the 2026 season tip-off of Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball as she continues to recover from lingering concussion symptoms.

Sabally suffered the head injury in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Finals on October 8th, requiring assistance in exiting the matchup after visibly swaying upon standing.

The concussion forced Sabally to sit out the remainder of the postseason series against the eventual 2025 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.

Both Sabally and Unrivaled planned her return to Phantom BC for the league's second season, with the German national impressing in the offseason venture's debut run by averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.

Sabally is under a multi-year contract with the upstart, with Unrivaled promising that while the forward will be out "indefinitely," medical personnel will reevaluate her fitness "at a later date" as both parties hope to see her on the 3×3 court this season.

In her stead, Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes — who suited up for Unrivaled's Laces BC last season — will join Phantom BC as Sabally's replacement.

The second season of Unrivaled 3x3 Basketball will tip off in Miami on January 5th, 2026.

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is running it back, with the 23-year-old confirming plans to return to the Windy City for the 2026 WNBA season while participating in a USA Basketball training camp over the weekend.

"I'm under contract, so yes, I plan on returning to the Sky," Reese told reporters. "[I'm] continuing to talk to [head coach] Tyler [Marsh], and building that relationship with [GM] Jeff [Pagliocca] and Tyler."

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Her future with the Sky came into question in September, after the front office suspended Reese for half a game for making comments deemed "detrimental to the team" in a Chicago Tribune interview — comments she later apologized for, both publicly and privately.

Drafted by the Sky as the overall No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the LSU alum remains under a rookie contract through 2026, with an option to extend through the 2027 season.

After leading the WNBA in both double-doubles (23) rebounds-per-game (12.6) in the 2025 season, Reese's late-season availability waned due to a back injury — though the forward now reports a full recovery from the knock.

"Angel is an ascending young talent in this league who's had two very, very good seasons here in Chicago," said Pagliocca after September's suspension. "Obviously, we went through what we did. I feel like we closed the chapter on it."

Overall No. 1-seed Nebraska's perfect season is officially over, after No. 3-seed Texas A&M volleyball ousted the Huskers in a five-set Elite Eight thriller on Sunday, booking the Aggies a program-first trip to the Final Four.

Undaunted by Nebraska's 33-0 record, the Aggies jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Huskers stormed back to force a fifth-set tiebreaker — which A&M won 15-13, stunning a home crowd that hasn't seen a Cornhusker loss in Lincoln in more than three years.

"A lot of us are seniors, and we've been doing this for a really long time," said Aggie senior opposite Logan Lednicky. "And I think all the newbies came in ready to work, ready to grind."

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Though Nebraska boasts five national titles — good for third on the all-time NCAA volleyball championship list — the Huskers haven't won an NCAA volleyball tournament since 2017, falling three times in the final and once in the semifinals in recent years.

With fellow No. 3-seed Wisconsin's Sunday Elite Eight upset win over four-time champ No. 1 Texas, the 2025 Final Four will now feature two squads — A&M and No. 1-seed Pitt — hunting a first-ever title.

Meanwhile, No. 1-seed Kentucky and the Badgers will be aiming for a second national trophy after earning their debut Division I championships in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball Final Four

Texas A&M will kick off the 2025 Final Four against Pitt at 6:30 PM ET on Thursday, before Kentucky takes on Wisconsin at 9 PM ET.

Both semifinals will air live on ESPN.

The WSL appears to have a serious 2025/26 title race on its hands, after No. 1 Manchester City cemented their six-point lead on six-time reigning champs No. 2 Chelsea with Sunday's lopsided 6-1 win over No. 8 Aston Villa.

City striker Bunny Shaw scored four times in the victory, bringing her all-time club tally to 103 goals — and becoming the first woman to reach the century scoring mark in the team's modern era.

"Coming into this game, I knew that if I scored it would have been a really good milestone for me," she told BBC Radio.

Manchester City have been perfect since dropping their 2025/26 season opener — a 2-1 loss to six-time champions Chelsea — with the Citizens now carrying a 10-match WSL winning streak into 2026.

While Chelsea and No. 3 Arsenal have ample ground to make up on the WSL table, both managed to keep pace by snagging their own multi-goal wins over the weekend.

After No. 10 Everton snapped the Blues' 34-game WSL unbeaten streak last week, goals by France international Sandy Baltimore and USWNT star Alyssa Thompson shot Chelsea past No. 7 Brighton 3-0 on Sunday.

Arsenal is also back to their winning ways, taking down Everton 3-1 on Saturday to hold off No. 4 Manchester United as captain Leah Williamson returned from injury.

How to watch the WSL in 2026

Now on holiday break, the WSL will return at 7:30 AM ET on January 10th, when Arsenal will kick off 2026 play against Manchester United at Emirates Stadium, airing live on ESPN+.