The NWSL postseason is taking shape. No. 7 Portland’s 1-0 Friday win over No. 9 North Carolina sent the Thorns, No. 6 Utah, No. 5 Angel City, and No. 4 Kansas City through to the 2026 NWSL playoffs.
Now, only one playoff ticket remains. No. 8 Seattle, No. 10 Denver, and the Courage will all fight for survival in Sunday’s regular-season finale.
“It’s not in our hands anymore,” said NC manager Mak Lind. “We need to make sure everything we got — all energy, focus — needs to be addressed to the next game.”
Meanwhile, the Shield also comes down to Decision Day. No. 2 San Diego has a chance to overtake No. 1 Gotham’s three-point grip on the regular-season trophy.
The Bats can clinch with a result against the Royals, but the Wave can upset with a Gotham loss and goal-differential erasing win over No. 14 Bay FC.
“We put ourselves in a good position to be able to be in control, so it’s less about what else is going on,” said Gotham assistant coach Shaun Harris. “If we do what we need to do, then the job will be done.”
Decision Day kicks off on Sunday at 5 PM ET (ESPN).
