The 2025 NWSL Playoffs are set, with Sunday's Decision Day mayhem finalizing the postseason bracket prior to next weekend's quarterfinals.
The No. 3 Portland Thorns took all three points while the No. 4 Orlando Pride eked out a draw to claim the remaining home-field advantage positions available, joining the No. 1 Kansas City Current and No. 2 Washington Spirit in securing hosting rights.
Hitting the road in next weekend's quarterfinals are the No. 5 Seattle Reign, No. 6 San Diego Wave, and No. 7 Racing Louisville, with Gotham also slipping in despite a tumble down to No. 8 — just above the postseason cutoff line.
Gotham falters while Louisville claims club history
Gotham and No. 9 North Carolina took Sunday's simultaneous kickoff down to the wire, with the Courage ultimately prevailing 3-2 to send the Bats skidding down the standings — though North Carolina ultimately fell short of their own postseason push.
"Going into the playoffs, we can't afford those kinds of lapses," Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said postgame. "We need to deliver consistent, top performances, and I honestly believe this group is ready to do that."
Meanwhile in Kentucky, Racing Louisville made franchise history, securing a club-first playoff berth with a 1-0 Decision Day win over No. 13 Bay FC.
Louisville winger Ella Hase notched the game-winner early in the second half — the NWSL rookie's first-ever professional goal — propelling Racing up the table and avoiding a fifth consecutive ninth-place finish for the 2021 expansion team.
"I'm so proud of this group, they deserve it so much," said Louisville manager Bev Yanez. "As a club, as a whole, and all the staff, all the work that they've put in all season, all the work that the players have put in, they bought into it."
How to watch the 2025 NWSL Playoffs
The 2025 NWSL Playoffs will kick off its quarterfinal round on Friday, when No. 4 Orlando hosts No. 5 Seattle at 8 PM ET, airing on Prime.
No. 2 Washington will then take on No. 7 Louisville at 12 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage on CBS.
The quarterfinals will conclude with a Sunday doubleheader on ABC, as No. 1 Kansas City hosts No. 8 Gotham at 12:30 PM ET before No. 3 Portland welcomes No. 6 San Diego at 3 PM ET.
NWSL Decision Day is just around the corner, as the final 2025 regular-season weekend puts the last playoff slot — and perhaps a bit of Racing Louisville history — on the line.
With seven of the eight spots in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs secured, No. 8 Louisville can punch a franchise-first postseason ticket with a win over No. 13 Bay FC on Sunday.
"I think it's an incredible position that we're in," Racing manager Bev Yanez said last week. "It's a privilege to be in this position, and I think the reality is we still control our destiny, and that needs to be the focus for us."
If Racing's match ends in a loss or a draw, however, the No. 9 North Carolina Courage can sneak in with a win — leaving Louisville out of contention.
Louisville's playoff hopes could very well rest on the blazing form of USWNT rising star Emma Sears, after the 24-year-old forward registered a hat trick against New Zealand in a full 90-minute performance on Wednesday.
"She's got an instinct inside the box and a desire to score goals that you can't teach," USWNT manager Emma Hayes said of Sears.
Racing Louisville has finished the regular season in ninth place every year since the 2021 expansion team's exception, with Sunday offering the chance to change their fate.
How to watch Racing Louisville vs. Bay FC on NWSL Decision Day
No. 8 Racing Louisville will host No. 9 Bay FC in the 2025 NWSL season's playoff-clinching finale at 5 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on NWSL+.
Most NWSL teams have something to play for this weekend, as Sunday's Decision Day finale will determine crucial seeding going into the 2025 Playoffs.
Bucking the trend are the No. 1 Kansas City Current and No. 2 Washington Spirit, who have already locked in home-field advantage — leaving every other team above the cutoff line battling for seeding this weekend.
The No. 3 Orlando Pride and No. 4 Seattle Reign will face each other with the third seed on the line, while the No. 5 San Diego Wave, No. 6 Portland Thorns, and No. 7 Gotham FC could all contend for a home playoff match depending on the day's full results.
Gotham will take on the No. 9 North Carolina in their 2025 regular-season closer, as the Courage push to leap above the playoff line while the Bats aim to avoid a difficult path forward.
Whichever team clinches the No. 8 seed — likely either Gotham, Racing Louisville, or North Carolina — will travel to Kansas City to take on the record-breaking Shield-winners in next week's quarterfinal.
Boosting the Courage on NWSL Decision Day will be a sell-out crowd — North Carolina's second sell-out match of the 2025 season.
How to watch NWSL Decision Day 2025
No. 1 Kansas City and No. 5 San Diego will kick off the 2025 NWSL season's Decision Day at 3 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ESPN.
The six remaining matches on the weekend's slate will start simultaneously at 5 PM ET, with live coverage on either ESPN or NWSL+.
Just one ticket to the 2025 NWSL Playoffs remains unpunched after four different clubs clinched postseason berths over the weekend.
The No. 4 Seattle Reign clinched with a 2-1 win over the No. 12 Utah Royals on Friday before the No. 5 San Diego Wave emphatically slammed the door with a 6-1 Saturday drubbing of the No. 14 Chicago Stars, while the No. 6 Portland Thorns joined the postseason party with a 2-0 Sunday win over No. 11 Angel City.
As for No. 7 Gotham FC, a tense 2-2 draw with No. 8 Louisville propelled the Bats to their third consecutive postseason appearance on Sunday, leaving Racing still poised to earn a club-first playoff spot with a post-international break win.
The newly clinched quartet will join the previously postseason-bound No. 1 Kansas City Current, No. 2 Washington Spirit, and No. 3 Orlando Pride in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs.
Only one team — No. 9 North Carolina — can challenge Louisville for the eighth and final berth, as weekend results saw both the No. 10 Houston Dash and No. 11 Angel City eliminated while the Courage took down No. 13 Bay FC 4-1 on Friday to remain in contention.
In order to snag that eighth spot, however, North Carolina will need a 2025 Decision Day win over Gotham — plus a Louisville loss or draw against Bay FC.
"The reality is, we are still in control of our destiny with one game to go," Racing captain Janine Sonis said on Sunday. "[It's] not like us to not to keep things interesting."
With one postseason spot and the majority of the 2025 Playoffs seeding still up for grabs, the NWSL is gearing up for yet another game-changing Decision Day on November 2nd.
The No. 1 Kansas City Current hit an unexpected skid on Saturday, when the 2025 NWSL Shield-winners suffered a 1-0 upset loss to the No. 10 Houston Dash — and lost their star striker, Temwa Chawinga, to injury along the way.
Despite leading the match in shots, shots on goal, and possession, the defeat snapped the Current's 17-game unbeaten streak, leaving the club one result short of setting a new franchise record.
"Sometimes things like this will happen," Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski said postgame. "You're going to dominate, you're going to do everything well, but you're not going to score a goal…. I'm glad it happened now and not two games from now."
The loss stings, but with the top postseason berth already secured, Kansas City's concern turns to their 2024 MVP after Chawinga exited the match with a non-contact injury.
A knock to the upper right leg saw the Malawi international wheeled off the pitch in the 29th minute, with Andonovski later clarifying that it was not a knee injury.
Considered a frontrunner to repeat as both NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner, the 27-year-old leads the league in scoring this season with 15 goals over 23 appearances.
While Kansas City is still awaiting a specific diagnosis for their star striker, time could be on the Current's side, as this week's international break gives Chawinga a moment to rest before her club closes out their 2025 NWSL regular season — and, more importantly, takes aim at a championship run.
How to watch the next Kansas City Current match
The league-leading Current will be back in action on NWSL Decision Day, with Kansas City closing out their 2025 regular-season campaign by hosting the No. 5 San Diego Wave on Sunday, November 2nd.
The time and broadcast details for the 2025 season's Decision Day will drop at a later date at NWSLSoccer.com.
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.
With just three matchdays left in the regular season, Racing Louisville FC is on the brink of franchise history, launching themselves into contention for a 2025 NWSL Playoffs berth at No. 7 on the table behind a 3-1 win over the No. 9 North Carolina Courage on Saturday.
Louisville forward and USWNT rising star Emma Sears notched a brace while midfielder Kayla Fischer — Sears's collegiate teammate — also found the back of the net in the victory, with the Ohio State alums helping lift Racing to sit four points above the postseason cutoff line.
"I'm so proud of this group," Louisville head coach Bev Yanez said post-game. "I think that's a very big win in a very crucial time."
Joining the league as a 2021 expansion team, Racing Louisville is still searching for a first-ever ticket to the NWSL Playoffs, with an October 19th clash against a surging No. 3 Gotham FC marking the club's toughest test still to come in the 2025 campaign.
Notably, No. 8 San Diego's ongoing skid helped Louisville climb the standings, with the Wave suffering their seventh consecutive winless match in a 2-1 loss to the postseason-bound No. 2 Washington Spirit on Sunday.
All in all, the battle for both spots and seeding in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs is tighter than ever, as only four points separate Nos. 3 and 8 on the table — meaning competition will only heat up as the league races toward Decision Day on November 2nd.
The NWSL is expanding its footprint across ESPN, with the broadcaster signing on to carry 16 additional regular-season games in both the 2026 and 2027 seasons, upping the platform's total to 33 matches per year.
ESPN will also introduce a season-long "Match of the Week" centerpiece series, as well as live coverage of NWSL Decision Day, when eight concurrent matches will close out the season on the same day.
"The NWSL showcases some of the best athletes in the world," ESPN EVP of programming and acquisitions Rosalyn Durant said in a press release. "We are proud to increase our commitment on ABC and ESPN, and to further elevate women's sports and the athlete stories."
This media rights extension builds on the league's ongoing blockbuster four-year, $240 million TV deal with ESPN, adding inventory for the final two seasons of the November 2023 agreement.
The deal expansion comes in light of the league's significant growth this season, with the NWSL seeing gains across both attendance and viewership, including a 72% year-over-year ratings rise on ESPN.
"This supplemental agreement underscores the growing demand for women's soccer and ensures our players and clubs receive the visibility they deserve on some of the most prominent sports platforms," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a statement.
The NWSL released its full 2025 schedule on Wednesday morning, locking in 190 league contests across all competitions.
The 2025 Challenge Cup will set the stage on Friday, March 7th with a 2024 NWSL Championship rematch between the title-winning Orlando Pride and runners-up Washington Spirit.
One week later, the official 2025 NWSL Kickoff weekend will see all 14 teams in action as the 182-game regular season gets underway. Each club will play a total of 26 regular-season matches, split equally between home and away contests, before the league's eight top teams will battle through seven playoff games in November.
A mid-summer break begins in late June with a CBA-mandated week-off. The pause extends one month through July to allow for international play. That's when certain national team players will compete for their countries in confederation tournaments while clubs will be free to schedule friendlies. No additional NWSL tournaments will occur during that window.
In one minor adjustment from the league's earlier calendar announcement, the 2025 regular season will be played over 26 weeks (rather than 25) to mitigate the need for midweek games.
The shift also accommodates for the return of Decision Day, which is making a comeback for the first time since 2023. In the popular format, all teams will compete simultaneously to close out the regular season on Sunday, November 2nd.
Moves up season excitement
With playoff positioning often coming down to the wire, capping the regular season with a Decision Day can dramatically up the stakes and increase excitement for the impending playoffs.
In another move to capitalize on fandom enthusiasm, the NWSL has added a dedicated rivalry weekend to its 2025 calendar. From August 8th through 10th, old feuds like the Portland Thorns and Seattle Reign's Cascadia Clash will share the spotlight with newer grudges like Angel City and San Diego's SoCal Classic.
How to watch the 2025 NWSL season
Entering the second year of the league's blockbuster broadcast deal, 160 total games will air across Prime Video, ION, ESPN, and CBS platforms this season, with the remaining 30 matches streaming on NWSL+. International distribution is still in negotiations.
Starting the NWSL's 2025 action is the Challenge Cup between Orlando and Washington, which begins at 8 PM ET on Friday, March 7th, streaming live on Prime Video.
Two concurrent matches will kick off the 2025 regular season at 8 PM ET on Friday, March 14th: Houston will face Washington on NWSL+, while Orlando takes on the newly branded Chicago Stars FC on Prime Video.