10. Kansas City — 

Kansas City now has two wins under their belt and are as close as they’ve ever been to escaping the bottom of the table. Kristen Hamilton has been a fantastic addition and has completely energized this team.

9. Racing Louisville — 

Every week it feels like there’s a new NWSL controversy and this week, Louisville is providing the drama. Christy Holly is out as coach, and the momentum the team had after winning the Women’s Cup feels all but gone. How they will respond is anyone’s guess.

8. Gotham FC (-4)

Four losses and a tie in their last five matches. Add that to the premature departure of head coach Freya Coombe, and this team will have to hope a new staff and fresh energy will reignite a squad that for a while looked like a playoff lock. 

7. Houston Dash (+1)

The Dash look great one game and then falter the next. Their inconsistency is keeping them just outside the playoff picture, but with a few tweaks, and they’ll be back in the conversation. Kristie Mewis, Rachel Daly and Shea Groom are still looking for that steady spark they had in last year’s Challenge Cup.

6. Chicago Red Stars — 

The Red Stars are settling in to a comfortable role in the middle of the table. They aren’t the best team in the league, but they also aren’t the worst. “Own Goal” hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet in a few games, so the team will hope that Kealia Watt and Mallory Pugh can continue to find the back of the net. 

5. Washington Spirit — 

The Spirit have two tough games coming up against OL Reign and the Thorns. If they can get results in either of those, they’ll move up this list. The defense and goalkeeping has been fairly sound, and Ashley Sanchez has had an impressive run. She still needs some production help up top, however.

Ashley Sanchez hit the late winner for @WashSpirit in style 🚀

(via @NWSL)pic.twitter.com/s9lGJhuc2J

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 23, 2021

4. Orlando Pride (-1)

The Pride seem to be back on the up under Becky Burleigh. They’re finding goals from lots of different players and the Jodie Taylor signing has paid off quickly. Ashlyn Harris also broke the NWSL save record on a 3-point preserving block on Carli Lloyd, continuing her fantastic form on the season. 

3. NC Courage (-1)

A-ROD seems to have finally settled in, and the defense has cleaned up its act. They’ll no doubt miss Sam Mewis as she recovers from surgery, especially as the midfield still feels a bit shaky, but the team is in good form heading into their game against KC WoSo.

2. Portland Thorns (-1)

A bit harsh to drop the Thorns down a notch considering they still top the table and have only lost one match in their last five. And they won the ICC Cup. But they’ve now lost twice to OL Reign this season. And they can’t afford to let their latest stepback derail them. 

1. OL Reign (+6)

These are power rankings for a reason, and no team is hotter right now than OL Reign. They set the NWSL attendance record all while beating their rivals at home. Then they went on the road three days later and beat the Dash. Could all that star power finally be clicking? And more importantly, can it last? 

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The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is ushering in a blockbuster new class, announcing a list of its 2026 inductees this week with honorees spanning four players, two coaches, an ESPN contributor, and a posthumous veteran standout.

Two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker (LA Sparks, Chicago Sky, Las Vegas Aces) headlines the player lineup, with the three-time WNBA champion joined by 2019 WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky, Washington Mystics) and French standout Isabelle Fijalkowski (Cleveland Rockers), as well as three-time WNBA champ with the Houston Comets Amaya Valdemoro.

Minnesota Lynx manager and four-time WNBA Coach of the Year Cheryl Reeve also received a nod alongside nine-time national championship-winning Kirkwood Community College head coach Kim Muhl and former Clemson great Barbara Kennedy-Dixon, while ESPN analyst Doris Burke snagged an honor for her decades-long coverage.

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Calling the Class of 2026 "eight distinguished legends of this exceptional sport," Hall of Fame president Dana Hart said in Friday’s release that "They exemplify the highest standards in women's basketball and have made substantial contributions to the sport, along with shaping the game's historical trajectory."

The formal induction ceremony of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will take place at Knoxville's Tennessee Theatre on June 27th.

The season two roster for Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is officially complete, with the offseason league announcing its final three players on Thursday — and revealing that some big names from the venture's inaugural campaign will not feature on the 2026 court.

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese will not return for Unrivaled's second season, though league EVP and GM Clare Duwelius told The Athletic this week that they had "lots of conversations" with the players.

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DiJonai Carrington will miss the 2026 campaign as well, as a mid-foot sprain suffered during September's WNBA Playoffs forced the Minnesota Lynx guard to withdraw from next year's competition.

With Carrington leaving the eight-team league's final open roster spots at three, Unrivaled rounded out their 2026 numbers with Chicago Sky guard Rebecca Allen, Indiana Fever guard Aari McDonald, and Seattle Storm center and 2025 WNBA Draft overall No. 2 pick Dominique Malonga.

Malonga joins the 3×3 upstart after abruptly terminating her overseas contract with Turkish club Fenerbahçe following a post-WNBA season wrist surgery.

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Unrivaled also dropped the list of their 2026 head coaches this week, with returning managers Nola Henry and Teresa Weatherspoon joined by fresh faces including ex-Storm boss Noelle Quinn.

How to watch Unrivaled in 2026

Unrivaled will tip off its expanded 2026 season on January 5th, with live coverage airing on TNT.

NWSL Decision Day is just around the corner, as the final 2025 regular-season weekend puts the last playoff slot — and perhaps a bit of Racing Louisville history — on the line.

With seven of the eight spots in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs secured, No. 8 Louisville can punch a franchise-first postseason ticket with a win over No. 13 Bay FC on Sunday.

"I think it's an incredible position that we're in," Racing manager Bev Yanez said last week. "It's a privilege to be in this position, and I think the reality is we still control our destiny, and that needs to be the focus for us."

If Racing's match ends in a loss or a draw, however, the No. 9 North Carolina Courage can sneak in with a win — leaving Louisville out of contention.

Louisville's playoff hopes could very well rest on the blazing form of USWNT rising star Emma Sears, after the 24-year-old forward registered a hat trick against New Zealand in a full 90-minute performance on Wednesday.

"She's got an instinct inside the box and a desire to score goals that you can't teach," USWNT manager Emma Hayes said of Sears.

Racing Louisville has finished the regular season in ninth place every year since the 2021 expansion team's exception, with Sunday offering the chance to change their fate.

How to watch Racing Louisville vs. Bay FC on NWSL Decision Day

No. 8 Racing Louisville will host No. 9 Bay FC in the 2025 NWSL season's playoff-clinching finale at 5 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on NWSL+.

Most NWSL teams have something to play for this weekend, as Sunday's Decision Day finale will determine crucial seeding going into the 2025 Playoffs.

Bucking the trend are the No. 1 Kansas City Current and No. 2 Washington Spirit, who have already locked in home-field advantage — leaving every other team above the cutoff line battling for seeding this weekend.

The No. 3 Orlando Pride and No. 4 Seattle Reign will face each other with the third seed on the line, while the No. 5 San Diego Wave, No. 6 Portland Thorns, and No. 7 Gotham FC could all contend for a home playoff match depending on the day's full results.

Gotham will take on the No. 9 North Carolina in their 2025 regular-season closer, as the Courage push to leap above the playoff line while the Bats aim to avoid a difficult path forward.

Whichever team clinches the No. 8 seed — likely either Gotham, Racing Louisville, or North Carolina — will travel to Kansas City to take on the record-breaking Shield-winners in next week's quarterfinal.

Boosting the Courage on NWSL Decision Day will be a sell-out crowd — North Carolina's second sell-out match of the 2025 season.

How to watch NWSL Decision Day 2025

No. 1 Kansas City and No. 5 San Diego will kick off the 2025 NWSL season's Decision Day at 3 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ESPN.

The six remaining matches on the weekend's slate will start simultaneously at 5 PM ET, with live coverage on either ESPN or NWSL+.