On Sunday, the NWSL will hold its first-ever Decision Day, where the final six matches of the regular season will be played simultaneously. With eight teams vying for four remaining playoff spots, the timing for the move couldn’t be better.

It might be tricky to follow six games at once, but here are a few reasons why this weekend’s NWSL match day might be one of the most exciting in league history.

Superstars at the top

In the last few weeks, the biggest game-changers have been some of the biggest stars in the league, where hype and quality are coinciding. The USWNT’s Trinity Rodman grabbed all three points for the Spirit in a crucial 2-1 win in September, while Alex Morgan broke out of her scoring drought to give San Diego a top-of-the-table win over Portland. Megan Rapinoe continues to register assists in the waning days of her professional career, and Alyssa Thompson kept Angel City’s playoff hopes alive this past weekend with a key equalizer off the bench.

But Decision Day will likely come down to the other side of the pitch, as teams with quality defenses lock down opponents desperate to score. This should favor Naomi Girma and the Wave backline, which has been excellent again this season. The Thorns are bolstered by the return of Becky Sauerbrunn and arguably the best defensive midfielder in the league in Sam Coffey. Two-time World Cup champion Ali Krieger is thriving for Gotham before she heads off into retirement, while Sarah Gorden holds down Angel City’s backline.

Unsung heroes are at the heart of every league, but in a World Cup year, it’s no surprise that the league’s stars are stepping up when it counts. With playoff glory on the line, expect no different on Sunday.

Historic levels of parity

The NWSL’s parity has been praised as one of its greatest strengths, and its case for the most competitive league in the world has never been stronger. Eight teams still have a shot at the four remaining playoff spots, with every match looking like a must-win. Going into the final weekend, 10 teams are still in competitive positioning; whereas in 2022, the season ended with a three-team race for the sixth and final playoff spot (ultimately earned by Chicago).

Other indicators of next-level parity as compared to 2022 are the point totals at the bottom of the NWSL table. Gotham FC finished last season with just 13 points in 24 games and were barely beaten out by Washington, who finished with 19 points. This season, the Kansas City Current and Chicago Red Stars are the only two teams already eliminated from playoff contention, but both teams will far exceed last year’s basement dwellers in two fewer games. No. 12 Chicago suffered major blowouts for a rough minus-19 goal differential, but also earned seven wins to sit on 24 points in 21 games. Kansas City similarly struggled, but will go into the final weekend on 25 points.

You can also see the parity reflected in individual totals, as represented by the NWSL Golden Boot race. Reigning MVP Sophia Smith has produced a ridiculous goal per 90 rate, registering 11 goals (10 non-penalty) and five assists in just 16 appearances. Despite missing a number of matches due to international duty and injury, Smith can only lose the scoring title if Kerolin scores a brace or Debinha or Ashley Hatch notch a hat trick.

Parity is a blessing and a curse, and will likely deliver on Decision Day. No team has an easy match ahead of them, even the two teams playing against sides that have already been eliminated. One dropped result could mean a squad above the playoff line gets leapfrogged in real time.

New NWSL standings just dropped 💯 pic.twitter.com/wZszXu9ar2

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 9, 2023

Save the date

It’s then naturally fitting that each of these games will be played at the same time, as difficult as it might be for fans to catch all of the action. In 2022, Portland’s final draw with Gotham FC gave OL Reign an opening to snatch the Shield. But Portland’s draw came earlier in the weekend, so the Reign knew exactly what they needed to do before their match even began.

A Decision Day format reserves all suspense for the same 90 minutes, adding to the drama of a close race to the finish. The Thorns are again in pole position for the Shield, but should they drop points against Angel City, they won’t know the outcome of challenger San Diego’s game until theirs is finished. This energy will carry into the live playoff table, as teams push for results to give themselves a shot at the postseason.

Most teams know they need a win to have a chance at advancing — with matchups like Washington vs. North Carolina and Orlando vs. Houston, some results will be obvious even without knowledge of other games. For viewers wanting more contextualized information, CBS Sports will be broadcasting the league’s first-ever whiparound show on Sunday, giving fans the programming depth they’ve long been craving.

The frantic race to the finish will drive momentum toward the championship game. Now all that’s left is for the action to live up to the moment.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

The 2025 College Cup locked in its finalists last Friday, with the NCAA soccer tournament's overall No. 1-seed Stanford and No. 3-seed Florida State advancing past the competition in the semifinals to book an all-ACC championship match for the third straight year.

Stanford kept to their winning ways by ousting No. 2-seed Duke 1-0 on Friday, with senior midfielder Jasmine Aikey burying a 10th-minute free kick to take down the Blue Devils with her 21st goal of the season.

Florida State similarly landed a single strike to end the championship run of No. 2-seed TCU in their semifinal, benefitting from a second-half breakthrough from sophomore forward Wrianna Hudson in the game's 73rd minute.

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A full half of the last 14 NCAA titles have gone to either the Seminoles or the Cardinal, with Florida State edging Stanford 4-3 in national trophies thus far.

On Monday, the Cardinal will hunt their first national title since their epic penalty shootout victory in 2019, when Stanford narrowly defeated NCAA women's soccer dynasty North Carolina 5-4 from the spot after a 0-0 draw.

Florida State, on the other hand, won the 2023 title with a 5-1 thrashing of the Cardinal.

Stanford arguably holds the advantage over their ACC rivals entering Monday's match, having handed FSU a 2-1 defeat on their own Tallahassee pitch less than two months ago.

How to watch the 2025 College Cup final

No. 1 Stanford will face No. 3 Florida State for the 2025 NCAA women's soccer championship at 7 PM ET on Monday, airing live on ESPNU.

The NWSL may be forcing Washington Spirit superstar Trinity Rodman to "look elsewhere" for her next contract, after the league vetoed a multi-million dollar offer from her current squad last week, Rodman's agent told CBS Mornings last Friday.

"We worked really hard to put together an agreement that we felt complied with the CBA and would keep Trinity in the league for the foreseeable future," said Rodman's rep Mike Senkowski.

"With no certain way to get her fair market value within the NWSL, naturally, that forces you and encourages you to look elsewhere," he continued.

While the fight to keep Rodman Stateside is not over, with the NWSLPA filing a grievance last week arguing that the league office's mandate to reject the Spirit's back-loaded contract — worth more than $1 million per year — is a free agency violation, the NWSL appears unwilling to budge.

In a weekend clarification to The Athletic, an NWSL source noted that commissioner Jessica Berman contests that the Spirit's offer to raise Rodman's compensation in the contract's later years would pull Washington out of salary cap compliance in 2028, with the league disagreeing with the club regarding the potential cap growth under a new broadcast deal.

The league source also noted that the offer has a built-in buyout clause, which the NWSL believes signals an admission of possible salary cap circumvention.

As the Washington Spirit and NWSL fans hope for a win from the union's grievance, the door to recruit Rodman elsewhere seems to be wide open for overseas clubs — particularly those with deep pockets.

The San Diego Wave are closing out 2025 with a title, defeating Liga MX Femenil side Tigres UANL 3-0 to lift the World Sevens Football (W7F) trophy on Sunday.

Wave attacker Makenzy Robbe opened the scoring in the 7v7 venture's championship match, before forward Adriana Leon tacked on a second-half brace to put the game out of reach — and secure the $2 million winner's share of the $5 million prize pool for the NWSL side.

"I think in sevens it's a lot more emphasis on the individual, and so I think players who maybe don't play [as much in NWSL matches]...get to show their creative side," noted Robbe. "It was definitely an element to this, which was really fun."

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In a showcase of club talent across the Americas, the San Diego Wave finished the second-ever W7F tournament undefeated, scoring 14 goals while only conceding three en route to becoming the champion of the competition's first-ever North American iteration.

"It was so fun, and honestly, I would love to be back again," said San Diego goalkeeper and the tournament's golden Glove winner DiDi Haračić. "And we got the bag."

Wave midfielder Gia Corley took home the Breakout Player award, and while Tigres fell just short of the trophy, forward María Sánchez earned the competition's Golden Ball and Golden Boot with her six goals and two assists.

Club América of Liga MX Femenil earned a third-place finish, winning $700,000 in prize money as the bronze medal winners.

Two years after her breakout NCAA tournament performance as a freshman, No. 10 Iowa State center Audi Crooks has become an unstoppable force for the Cyclones as they look to better their first-round exit from last year's postseason.

The junior is leading the nation in scoring with a career-high 27.3 points per game, all while smashing her own Iowa State single-game scoring record with a 47-point performance against Indiana on November 30th.

"These scoring records are really team records, especially for me as a post," Crooks told the Des Moines Register after the Cyclones' 106-95 win over the Hoosiers. "I don't bring the ball up. Somebody else does that and I don't pass the ball in the paint. Somebody else does that."

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Crooks, who will turn 21 years old this Saturday, continued her scoring pace with a 30-point game against Northern Illinois on Sunday — registered in only 19 minutes of playing time during the 105-52 blowout win.

Her efficiency has been on full display in the young 2025/26 NCAA season, with Crooks currently sitting first in field goal percentage at 73.8% while averaging only 25.3 minutes of playing time per game.

"It's always fun to watch her cook. When you get the ball to her hands and it's going in, it's Audi-matic,"  said Iowa State guard Reagan Wilson following Sunday's victory.

How to watch Crooks and Iowa State in action this week

Crooks and the No. 10 Cyclones will take on their season's biggest test yet on Wednesday, when they'll host in-state rival No. 12 Iowa.

The two unbeaten programs will clash at 7 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.