The NWSL Challenge Cup playoffs are set, with the league releasing the official bracket Monday.

No. 1 seed OL Reign will take on the No. 4 seed Washington Spirit, while the No. 2 seed Kansas City Current will face off against the No. 3 seed North Carolina Courage, with both matches set for May 4.

Semifinals Set ✅

Details, locations, and times for the #NWSLChallengeCup semifinals are here:

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 25, 2022

Due to a scheduling conflict, the top-seeded OL Reign will go on the road to face the Spirit at Segra Field in Leesburg, Va. OL Reign was awarded home-field advantage, but the Seattle Sounders are using Lumen Field on the same date as the Challenge Cup semifinal, which left OL Reign without a venue.

The match between the Spirit and OL Reign will kick off at 8 p.m. ET and will air on CBS Sports Network.

The Current and the Courage will play at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City at 8:30 p.m. ET, with the match to be streamed live on Paramount+.

The winners will advance to the Challenge Cup final on Saturday, May 7. The NWSL did not specify a start time for the final in their latest news release. The league initially set the championship game for 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET, and that time remains on the league’s official schedule.

OL Reign’s Bethany Balcer has been outspoken about the early start time for the final, making her thoughts known Thursday via Twitter.

i would love to see someone look into an NWSL player’s eyes and tell them they have to eat pregame meal between 6-7am for a 9/10am kickoff for a PROFESSIONAL WOMENS GAME

— Bethany Balcer (@bethanybalcer) April 21, 2022

“If you really cared about women’s sports you would actually put us at prime time,” Balcer tweeted at the NWSL and at CBS, which will televise the championship. “Thanks in advance!”

According to the club, should OL Reign win its semifinal match, the Challenge Cup title game will be played at Lumen Field.

Adding to the scheduling woes surrounding the preseason tournament, the Week 2 regular-season games for the Challenge Cup finalists will need to be rescheduled.

Balcer also criticized the overlap between the Challenge Cup and the regular season on her social media account.

“Where is the COMMON SENSE,” Balcer tweeted. “Now your reward for making the Challenge Cup final is having to play three games in seven days… I cannot sit idly by as the well being of the player’s is put in jeopardy by bogus kickoff times and high physical demand. Let’s be better.”

The NWSL faced a similar line of criticism last year, with players protesting the league championship’s 9 a.m. PT kickoff at Providence Park. The game was eventually moved to Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, with a noon start time.

WNBA All-Star Weekend is returning to the Windy City, with the league announcing Thursday that it will hold the 2026 All-Star Game in Chicago next summer.

The game will tip off on Saturday, July 25th, inside the 20,917-seat United Center, while the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will take place the night before at the 10,380-capacity Wintrust Arena, home to the Chicago Sky.

"The WNBA is thrilled to bring AT&T WNBA All-Star back to Chicago, which will undoubtedly deliver unforgettable competition and community outreach," said commissioner Cathy Engelbert in Thursday's statement. "Together with the Chicago Sky, we look forward to celebrating the game's brightest stars, engaging WNBA fans around the world, and showcasing the energy of one of basketball's most iconic cities."

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will mark Chicago's second time hosting the midseason event after the 2022 edition landed in the Windy City.

"We can't wait to build on the success of the previous All-Star Game and celebrate the explosive growth of the league by showcasing the WNBA's biggest stars on a world-class stage," Chicago Sky CEO and president Adam Fox said.

While the first All-Star Game in Chicago took place at Wintrust Arena, next year's stage includes a significant venue upgrade to the United Center.

The Sky played their first-ever games at the Bulls' NBA arena this past season, taking on the Indiana Fever for two regular-season 2025 WNBA matchups.

"We're ecstatic to host the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game and build on the two sell-out Chicago Sky games played at the United Center this year," said United Center VP of booking Jerry Goldman.

The WNBA will be eager to showcase its growth since its last All-Star visit, as investment — both internal and external — remains a hot topic heading into the league's 2026 season.

USWNT and Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman has been sidelined, with the forward set to miss the rest of the 2025 NWSL season after exiting her club's 4-0 2025/26 Concacaf W Champions Cup win over Monterrey with a knee injury on Wednesday — hours after earning her first national team call-up since April.

The Athletic reported on Thursday that Rodman will be off the pitch for at least three weeks — encompassing the final NWSL regular-season matches as well as October's USWNT friendlies — though Thursday's scans showed she avoided long-term injury and could return to compete in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs.

Washington head coach Adrián González further clarified Rodman's status on Friday, confirming that the Spirit winger has a low-grade MCL sprain — a result the manager called "the best scenario."

Rodman's knock interrupts a strong run of play for the 23-year-old, who registered five goals and two assists since recovering from a lingering back injury in August.

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Sitting second in the NWSL standings, the Spirit already secured home field advantage for the upcoming playoffs, but the 2024 runners-up will see a potential postseason preview against a resurgent Orlando Pride this weekend.

The reigning NWSL champions earned two wins in their last three matches, rising to No. 3 on the league table after going winless through nine straight NWSL games.

"I think home field advantage is massive," Pride head coach Seb Hines said last week. "We experienced that last year. So if we can finish as high as possible, we can play here in front of our own fans."

How to watch the Washington Spirit vs. Orlando Pride this weekend

The No. 2 Spirit will host the No. 3 Pride at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on CBS.

As NWSL teams race towards November 2nd's Decision Day with 2025 playoff positioning on the line, a single result on Friday could determine multiple postseason fates.

Sitting four points outside of contention, No. 9 North Carolina will visit No. 13 Bay FC on Friday night, with a Courage loss clinching playoff berths for No. 4 Gotham, No. 5 Seattle, No. 6 San Diego, and No. 7 Portland.

A North Carolina loss would also put No. 10 Angel City and the No. 11 Houston Dash in must-win scenarios in order to remain in contention for the final playoff spot with No. 8 Racing Louisville.

Following 2023's dramatic final matchday results, the NWSL reintroduced the league's simultaneous-kickoff Decision Day format this year, but the 2025 season's slim margins plus a few scheduling idiosyncrasies could see the postseason door swing shut prematurely.

North Carolina needs at least a draw plus a Gotham win to survive elimination, while the five teams currently above the postseason cutoff line — except Gotham and Louisville, who will play each other on Sunday — only need a win to secure their destiny regardless of Friday's outcome, while Houston and ACFC drop out of play.

While supporters of each club will hope for clarity before next week's international break, fans of NWSL chaos will be rooting for a high-stakes 2025 Decision Day finale on Sunday, November 2nd.

How to watch Bay FC vs. NC Courage on Friday

The potentially decisive match between the North Carolina Courage and Bay FC will kick off at 10 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on Prime.

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is hitting the links again, returning to The Annika Pro-Am to show off her golf game on the 2025 LPGA Tour following a WNBA season rife with injuries.

The annual event will take place at the Pelican Golf Club in Tampa on Wednesday, November 12th, and will be open to the public.

"I had an amazing time at The Annika last November and participating in the Pro-Am alongside Nelly Korda and Annika Sörenstam, two of the best in the game," Clark said in a Thursday press release.

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One of Clark's sponsors, Gainbridge, also backs the annual competition, with The Annika serving as the penultimate stop in a parity-filled, up-and-down 2025 LPGA season.

"[Clark] added such a great dynamic to our event [last year], and her passion for golf and competitiveness were fun to witness firsthand," the tournament's namesake, retired Swedish golf pro Annika Sörenstam, said of the 23-year-old basketball star. "I look forward to having her back and continuing to introduce the great game of golf to the next generation."

How to buy tickets to The Annika Pro-Am

Fans can watch the WNBA star tee off at the 2025 edition of The Annika Pro-Am in Tampa on Wednesday, November 12th.

Tickets to the event are on sale now at TheAnnika.com.