The NWSL playoffs kicked off on Oct. 16. The league’s top two teams earned byes, while the remaining four playoff teams faced off in the first round for the two other spots in the semifinals.

The postseason continues with the championship match on Oct. 29, as the Portland Thorns face the Kansas City Current at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

NWSL playoff seeds

1. OL Reign

OL Reign punched their ticket to the postseason with a 2-0 win over the Houston Dash on Sept. 24.

“I don’t think it was very pretty at times but to win on the road in this league, sometimes it is that way,” OL Reign coach Laura Harvey said after her team’s playoff-clinching win. “To get nine points on this three-game road trip just says a lot about this group of players and their mentality. They showed again tonight just how much they are willing to give to try to get somewhere this season.”

OL Reign capped off an impressive regular season, clinching the NWSL Shield following an emphatic 3-0 win over the Orlando Pride. The Seattle club’s No. 1 seed earns OL Reign a first-round bye and home-field advantage for their semifinal matchup.

2. Portland Thorns

With a 3-0 win over Racing Louisville on Sept. 21, the Portland Thorns became the first team to clinch a spot in the NWSL playoffs.

Portland fell to second in the standings following a 3-3 draw with Gotham FC in the club’s season finale, leaving the door open for OL Reign to claim the NWSL Shield. The Thorns, despite losing the Shield, salvaged a second-place finish to clinch a first-round bye and a home semifinal.

3. San Diego Wave FC

San Diego made history, becoming the first expansion club in NWSL history to clinch a playoff spot in its inaugural season with its 2-2 draw against Orlando.

“We’re in mixed emotions at the moment,” Wave coach Casey Stoney said following the draw. “I had to remind the team the point took us to the playoffs. We set such high standards and we want to maintain such high standards that, to come in here and perform like that and not get all three points is the disappointment. I’m sure when the dust has settled and we get back to San Diego and we reflect on what we’ve been able to do, I’m sure there’ll be a moment of pride.

“But I have to be extremely proud of how far we’ve come in a short space of time.”

4. Houston Dash

The Houston Dash clinched its first NWSL playoff berth in club history, locking up its postseason spot behind the San Diego Wave’s Sept. 30 scoreless draw with the North Carolina Courage.

“These players have left everything day in and day out, believing in the staff, in order to create unforgettable memories for our fans and make the city of Houston proud,” Houston Dash interim head coach Juan Carlos Amoros said in a Twitter post following the news.

The Dash have been dominant on the road all year, logging seven away victories to secure a gritty 10-6-6 regular-season record.

5. Kansas City Current

With a 3-0 win over the Washington Spirit on Sept. 25, the Kansas City Current clinched their spot in the NWSL playoffs.

It’s a huge turnaround for the club, which finished last in the NWSL standings a year ago and is now headed to the postseason for the first time in franchise history.

6. Chicago Red Stars

The Chicago Red Stars clinched the sixth and final playoff spot in the last matchup of the NWSL regular season.

Chicago downed Angel City FC 2-0 to move on point clear of the North Carolina Courage in the standings, to secure a postseason spot for the seventh straight year.

NWSL playoff schedule

Sunday, Oct. 16

• No. 5 Kansas City Current 2, No. 4 Houston Dash 1
• No. 3 San Diego Wave 2, No. 6 Chicago Red Stars 1 (extra time)

Sunday, Oct. 23

• No. 2 Portland Thorns 2, No. 3 San Diego Wave 1
• No. 5 Kansas City Current 2, No. 1 OL Reign 0

Sunday, Oct 29 

• NWSL Championship, 8 p.m. ET on CBS

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is staying busy, announcing yet another high-profile partnership as she gears up to become the first-ever professional athlete to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show next week.

The WNBA star will take to the lingerie company's catwalk in New York on Tuesday, October 15th.

"Stepping into a dream: From Angel to a Victoria Secret ANGEL," Reese posted to Instagram on Thursday. "I'm finally getting my wings — I'll be walking the Victoria's Secret 2025 runway show for the first time, and it feels like destiny. Wings on, heels ready."

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Hitting the runway is just the latest entry on Reese's growing resume, with the 23-year-old most recently stepping in as the new face of Juicy Couture and launching a signature shoe with Reebok while becoming the cover star of the WNBA edition of NBA 2K26.

Even more, she'll soon make her feature film debut, playing herself in a cameo in the upcoming political thriller A House of Dynamite, which drops on Netflix on October 24th.

But first, Reese will make Victoria's Secret Fashion Show history.

"Angel Reese, welcome to the runway," Victoria's Secret wrote in a promotional post on Thursday. "The first professional athlete angel... major is an understatement."

How to watch Angel Reese in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

The 2025 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will air live on at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, October 15th on Prime.

Two of women's soccer's biggest stars are teaming up, with retired USWNT icons Alex Morgan and Mia Hamm joining forces to launch The Goal Cup, a new celebrity charity soccer match benefitting both the Alex Morgan Foundation and the Mia Hamm Foundation.

Billed as "two star-studded teams...coming together to benefit [the two] foundations through a day of competition, entertainment, and community impact," The Goal Cup will see Hamm and Morgan captain the rival squads in an "LA vs. San Diego" showdown at USC Rawlinson Stadium in Los Angeles on January 17th, 2026.

The charity match will boost both Morgan's and Hamm's foundations — nonprofits that work to increase opportunities and access for women and girls in sports, among other core tenets.

"The Goal Cup is about celebrating the game we love while creating real impact for girls and women," Morgan said in a statement. "I'm proud to team up with Mia, to launch the SoCal rivalry, and ensure soccer continues to be a force for good beyond the field."

How to attend Hamm and Morgan's The Goal Cup

Pre-sale access to the January 17th charity match opens at 1 PM ET on Tuesday before tickets become available to the general public on Wednesday.

Fans can sign up for early access and pricing at The Goal Cup.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is back like she never left, following up her brief post-US Open championship recovery break and booking a spot in the 2025 Wuhan Open semifinals by blowing past the tournament's competition with a straight-set victory over No. 9 Elena Rybakina on Friday morning.

With the last three Wuhan Open titles under her belt — 2018, 2019, and 2024 — Sabalenka extended her career tournament record to 20-0 on Friday, as she gears up to take on US star No. 6 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals early Saturday morning.

"Honestly, that's just crazy," Sabalenka said of her success at the WTA 1000 event. "I feel a really great connection with the Chinese fans, I guess. I feel like at home playing in this stadium."

Sabalenka and Pegula aren't the only big names advancing this week, as No. 3 Coco Gauff cruised past unseeded Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-0 to book her own semifinal appearance on Friday.

While the US star had little trouble dispelling her quarterfinals opponent, Polish phenom No. 2 Iga Świątek wasn't so lucky, falling to Italy's No. 8 Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 6-2 to set up a tight Saturday semifinals clash between Gauff and Paolini.

Sabalenka and Pegula's semi could also go the distance — Pegula is coming off six straight three-set matches dating back to the 2025 China Open, emerging victorious from five of them.

How to watch the 2025 Wuhan Open semifinals

Gauff and Paolini will kick off the 2025 Wuhan Open semifinals at 5 AM ET on Saturday, with Sabalenka taking on Pegula shortly after the first match.

The semifinal winners will then battle for the championship trophy on Sunday.

Live coverage of the semifinals and final will air on the Tennis Channel.

As No. 7 Racing Louisville zeroes in on a franchise-first berth to the NWSL Playoffs, the 2021 expansion team locked down a big part of their future on Thursday when they signed USWNT forward Emma Sears to a new contract through 2028.

"I'm so proud to be continuing my career with Racing Louisville FC — a club and city that have truly become home for me," Sears said in Thursday's team statement. "We've built something special here."

Drafted out of Ohio State by Louisville in 2024, Sears claimed the club's rookie scoring record with five goals last season before setting a new single-season scoring record for Racing this year, with the 24-year-old registering 10 goals so far in 2025.

"In her two years here in Louisville, Emma has quickly become a foundational player for this club, and she's only scratching the surface of her potential," said Racing GM Caitlyn Flores Milby.

With their star secured, Louisville's full focus is on climbing further above the postseason cutoff line, with Racing aiming to keep their current momentum going against the No. 14 Chicago Stars on Friday night.

Entering the weekend on a two-match winning streak, Louisville holds the edge over Chicago and the Stars' four-game winless run.

Even more, every point helps the narrow race to the 2025 NWSL Playoffs, as only four points separate Nos. 3 through 8 in the NWSL standings — with all but two postseason tickets still on the table.

How to watch Racing Louisville vs. the Chicago Stars on Friday

No. 7 Louisville will host No. 14 Chicago at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage streaming on NWSL+.