The NWSL playoffs headline this weekend in women’s sports, with four teams facing off for a spot in the league championship.

The LPGA and WTA are also back in action as both Tours cap off their 2021 seasons.

Here’s what to watch this weekend in women’s sports:

NWSL: OL Reign vs. Washington Spirit

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

No. 2 OL Reign will host the Washington Spirit in the weekend’s first semifinal matchup, with the Spirit entering Sunday’s game after a thrilling 1-0 quarterfinal victory against the North Carolina Courage. The well-rested OL Reign have lost just one of their last ten games, falling to Washington 2-0 back in October.

NWSL: Portland Thorns vs. Chicago Red Stars

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

The Chicago Red Stars will travel to Providence Park on Sunday to take on the Portland Thorns for a place in the NWSL championship. The Thorns are the heavy favorites to take the title after winning the 2021 Challenge Cup and NWSL Shield but will first face a surging Chicago team that has won their last four contests.

WTA Finals

Wednesday, Nov. 10 — Wednesday, Nov. 17 on the Tennis Channel

The world’s top eight singles players and doubles teams will face off in a week-long, year-end competition in the Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara, competing for a total prize pool of $5 million. The weekend will begin with a round-robin stage of competition, with the knockout stages beginning on Tuesday.

LPGA: Pelican Women’s Championship

Thursday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET on Golf Channel

Friday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET on Golf Channel

Saturday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel

Nelly Korda and Ko Jin-Young have been battling it out for the World No. 1 spot all season long. Taking over the top spot on Monday, Korda will look to hold on to the top ranking as the Tour heads into the final two tournaments of the year.

PHF: Boston Pride vs. Connecticut Whale

Saturday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+

The Boston Pride enter their Saturday matchup against Connecticut Whale with two wins under their belt from the PHF’s opening weekend. Katie Burt has been sensational in net for the Pride, posting a 27-save shutout in the team’s Sunday game against Minnesota.

PHF: Boston Pride vs. Connecticut Whale

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+

The Connecticut Whale will look for a win against Boston after dropping a game to the Riveters in the team’s opening weekend. Alyssa Wohlfeiler has been dominant for Connecticut, recording three goals and an assist in the Whale’s first two games.

Division 1 Feminine: Olympique Lyonnais vs. Paris Saint-Germain

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET on atafootball.com and nbcsports.com

Lyon and PSG will battle it out for the top of the Division 1 Feminine table on Sunday, in the league’s greatest and longest-lasting rivalry. Both clubs enter the matchup undefeated and tied in points.

FAWSL: Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Saturday, Nov. 13 at 8:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN

Arsenal looks to hold onto their undefeated record as the club faces off against third-ranked Tottenham. The two teams last met in September when Arsenal downed Tottenham 5-1 in the FA Cup quarterfinal.

NCAAW: No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 22 Arizona

Friday, Nov. 12 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU

Senior Kianna Smith and sophomores Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Cochran are ready to lead Louisville after a 2020 Elite Eight run. Their opening matchup against Arizona will be a tough initial test for the title contenders.

NCAAW: No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 25 Texas

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN

Reigning NCAA Champions Stanford are back in action, taking on a top-25 Texas squad in their first regular-season matchup. With four starters returning from last year’s title-clinching team, Stanford is once again a heavy favorite to lift the trophy at the end of the season.

NCAAW: No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 13 Kentucky 

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m ET on ESPN

Indiana enters the season with a stacked roster, as all five starters from last year’s Elite Eight run return to the Hoosiers. Their first game will be a test, facing a Rhyne Howard-led Kentucky.

On Thursday, US Soccer announced that the USWNT will cap off its 2024 campaign with a December 3rd friendly against the Netherlands in The Hague — the team's 23rd game this year.

The match comes three days after the US side's previously announced meeting with 2022 European champions and 2023 World Cup finalists England at London's iconic Wembley Stadium. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

To stay the best, the USWNT will play the best

Following their gold medal-winning run at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the USWNT reclaimed their world No. 1 ranking. In order to stay there, head coach Emma Hayes noted, the team must seek out matches against other top international foes.

"It was a fantastic summer for our team, and we’re going to take a lot of great lessons and memories from our time in France, but now we are looking forward to continuing our process,” said Hayes.

"In order for our team to keep learning and growing, and for the coaching staff to continue to evaluate players, we need to play the best teams possible. Playing matches in Europe against some of the world’s top teams will be an important part of our journey."

With England sitting at No. 2 in the world and the Dutch at No. 11, this final 2024 road trip is exactly what the US boss ordered.

The Dutch are a familiar friendly foe

In their 11 previous meetings with the Netherlands, the USWNT has only lost once: a 4-3 defeat in their first-ever matchup in 1991. In the years since, the States have had the upper hand, logging eight wins and two draws.

The duo has ramped up the drama in their matches, though, facing each other in world championships in three of their last four bouts.

The USWNT's 2019 World Cup final win is arguably the team's most meaningful Dutch defeat, though recent tilts have appeared significantly tougher. While the US walked away with the win in the pair's 2021 Olympic quarterfinal, they needed penalty kicks to do so. And in the States's admittedly disappointing 2023 World Cup run, they played the Netherlands to a 1-1- draw in the group stage.

How to watch the USWNT's European friendlies

The US will take on England on November 30th at 12:20 PM ET. Their meeting with the Netherlands will kick off at 2:45 PM ET on December 3rd.

Both friendlies will air live on TNT, or you can stream the games via Max and Peacock.

The NWSL, in collaboration with Tiffany & Co., dropped revamped Shield and regular-season MVP trophies on Wednesday.

The bold new hardware is part of a plan to “set a new standard for recognition in women’s sports” by giving the Tiffany treatment to all NWSL end-of-season awards. This year's two additions join the redesigned Championship and Championship MVP awards that kicked off the league’s partnership with the jewelry company last year.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

An NWSL Shield worthy of superheroes

Both awards are handcrafted by Tiffany & Co. The refreshed MVP award includes a silver soccer ball atop a tall base.

"The best players in the world play here at the NWSL, and it is only fitting that we work with Tiffany to honor the best of the best," said NWSL chief marketing and commercial officer Julie Haddon in the league's announcement. “It has been a long time coming to create a suite of awards that are as extraordinary as our athletes."

Inspired by ancient Greco-Roman armor, the 24K gold and sterling silver Shield features a unique, interactive design. It is equipped with a handle so it can be removed from its base and held like "a true shield." 

Orlando poised to handle the new hardware

As the still-undefeated league leaders, the Orlando Pride are the clear frontrunners to claim the redesigned NWSL Shield.

The second-place Washington Spirit, third-place Gotham FC, and fourth-place KC Current are technically still in the running. However, with four matchdays left, Orlando can clinch the Shield outright by either defeating the Spirit this Sunday or winning two other remaining matches.

The regular-season MVP award race is tighter. Though Golden Boot leader Temwa Chawinga (KC) and the league's next top scorer Barbra Banda (Orlando) have pulled away from the pack.

And if Banda snags the honor, both new trophies will likely be bound for Florida.

Two games into the best-of-five 2024 WNBA semifinals, and the back-to-back defending champion Aces are staring down elimination while the Lynx evened the score last night.

With Friday's Game 3 offering a venue change, Las Vegas will need every ounce of their home-court advantage to continue their playoff run, while Minnesota's aim will be to silence the Connecticut crowd.

Aces on the brink of elimination after Game 2 loss

Tuesday's second-straight loss, an 88-84 defeat by the No. 1 seed Liberty in Brooklyn, has No. 4 seed Las Vegas on the brink of playoff elimination. The Aces are now the first reigning champions to ever fall to a 0-2 deficit in a WNBA playoff series.

Las Vegas has yet to conquer the Liberty this season, falling a franchise record-tying five straight times to same opponent, all after defeating New York in the 2023 WNBA Finals.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

New York's Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas's A'ja Wilson led their teams in scoring with 24 points each, while Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot provided a crucial spark off the bench. 

Should Las Vegas turn things around when the series moves back to Nevada on Friday, they'd become the first team to ever bounce back from 0-2 to reach the WNBA Finals.

Aces guard Chelsea Gray put a positive spin on the challenge, saying "I love being in the history books, so might as well try to start there. That's going to be our mentality."

Lynx level up with Game 2 semifinal win in Minnesota

No. 2 seed Minnesota evened their semifinal score with No. 3 seed Connecticut on Tuesday, earning a 77-70 win in Minneapolis to send the series back East at one victory apiece.

Courtney Williams led the Lynx in scoring with 17 points, while a physical Minnesota defense held the Sun to less than 40% shooting from the field.

In the loss, Sun forward DeWanna Bonner became the third all-time leading scorer in WNBA postseason history. She also inked her name into the league record books as the player with the most appearances in playoff history at 83 games and counting.

Friday kicks off a guaranteed two-game run in Connecticut, with the home side on a mission to reach the Finals for the first time since 2022.

How to watch Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals

Las Vegas and Minnesota will look to pick up critical wins in Friday's Game 3, with the Aces facing a must-win scenario in front of what promises to be a rocking home crowd.

The Lynx will travel to Connecticut for a 7:30 PM ET tip off on Friday, October 4th, followed by a Liberty vs. Aces showdown in Las Vegas at 9:30 PM ET. Both games are scheduled to air on ESPN2.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins takes a look at the first games of the 2024 WNBA semifinals, discussion whether or not Aces and Lynx fans can find the silver lining in their teams' respective shortcomings heading into Game 2.

Then, she shouts out the big winners and losers of this weekend's NWSL's slate, including this season's historic Golden Boot race and the competition to clinch one of the final playoff spots.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

Subscribe to The Late Sub to never miss an episode.