NWSL Playoff Preview: Orlando Pride continue historic season as top NWSL teams launch playoff runs
With the regular season now complete, eight teams will face off in next weekend's quarterfinals en route to the NWSL Championship
The 2024 NWSL regular season has come to a close, with all 14 teams playing their season finales this past weekend. After completing the final slate of games, eight teams have advanced to the playoffs, with a chance to vie for the NWSL Championship on November 23.
This upcoming weekend will see a busy set of quarterfinal matchups to kick off the postseason. Here's everything you need to know about the NWSL playoffs.
The playoffs bracket is set 😤
2024 NWSL Playoffs presented by @madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/19v24dokPi— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 3, 2024
Who's in the NWSL playoffs?
The regular season resulted in one of the most uneven final standings in recent memory. Nearly all of the playoff spots were set heading into this weekend, with some teams securing a postseason berth a month ago. (Compare this to last season, when the table was so tight heading into the final regular season games that there was significant movement on Decision Day.)
In the top seed is the Orlando Pride, who wrapped up a historic season with a win over Seattle Reign FC to win the NWSL Shield with 60 points. Orlando clinched the regular season title in early October off 23 straight unbeaten games, before getting their first loss of the season one game later against the Portland Thorns. The Pride have been strong on both ends of the field this season, boasting a league-high goal differential (26, tied with Kansas City) after allowing only 20 goals this season (tied with Gotham for the lowest in the league).
Washington Spirit and Gotham FC are next in the standings with 56 points each — a number that, in any other season, would have clinched the Shield. (In the 2023 season, the San Diego Wave earned the Shield with just 37 points.) Although the Spirit sneaked just ahead of Gotham on goal differential, both teams are strong contenders with stacked rosters and the potential to make a real run for the NWSL championship.
Kansas City Current holds the fourth spot and will also host a playoff game. With 57 goals, the Current have scored the most in the league, led by powerhouse and NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga. In her first season in the league, Chawinga finished the season with 20 goals, an NWSL single-season record.
The North Carolina Courage are next, finishing with a 12W-3D-11L record. The Courage's 39 points represent a huge dropoff between the top four seeds and the second four; the fourth-place Current ended the season with 55 points.
The Portland Thorns and Bay FC secured the sixth and seventh seeds, respectively, after wins over Angel City FC and the Houston Dash this weekend. Both teams sit at 34 points, with Portland getting a slight edge due to goal differential. The Thorns will try to create a storybook ending for Canadian legend Christine Sinclair, who is retiring at the end of the season. Bay, meanwhile, makes the playoffs in its inaugural season — an achievement that should not be overlooked, regardless of the final outcome.
The Chicago Red Stars, who were already guaranteed a playoff berth, own the eighth and final spot after losing 3-1 to the Current on Sunday. Although the team has star USWNT forward Mallory Swanson and keeper Alyssa Naeher, the team has struggled toward the end of the season. Chicago lost its last three games, with all three losses coming against playoff teams by two-goal margins. The Red Stars will need to get some confidence back before traveling to face Orlando on Friday.
Outside looking in: Racing Louisville, who could have advanced to the postseason with a Portland or Bay loss this weekend, instead finishes in ninth place.
Playoff format
There are two major changes to the NWSL playoff format this season, with the main one being the expansion of the postseason field. The top eight teams, rather than the top six, advance to the playoffs — a product of the league expanding to 14 teams this year. As a result, every team will participate in a single-elimination quarterfinal round.
This marks a change from the past three seasons, where the top two seeds got a bye to the semifinal round. Counterintuitively, getting rid of byes is likely to benefit the top seeds: Across those three seasons, only one top-two seed — the 2022 Portland Thorns — has won a semifinal game after getting a bye. (Portland also went on to win its third NWSL Championship that season.) Now, all teams will be on equal footing — and equal playing time — throughout the postseason.
Following the four quarterfinals, the winners of those matchups will meet for two semifinal games the weekend of November 16. The timing of those games will depend on the host and the potential scheduling issues for shared stadiums.
The NWSL Final will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Kansas City's CPKC stadium, the first stadium built specifically for a women's professional sports team.
Full NWSL playoff schedule
Quarterfinals
Orlando Pride (1) vs. Chicago Red Stars (8), Friday, Nov. 8, 5 p.m. PT
Kansas City Current (4) vs. North Carolina Courage (5), Saturday, Nov. 9, 9 a.m. PT
Washington Spirit (2) vs. Bay FC (7), Sunday, Nov. 10, 9:30 a.m. PT
NJ/NY Gotham FC (3) vs. Portland Thorns (6), Sunday, Nov. 10, 12:00 p.m. PT
Semifinals
Winner of ORL/CHI vs. winner of KC/NC, Nov. 16 or 17, time/location TBD
Winner of WAS/BAY vs. winner of GFC/POR, Nov. 16 or 17, time/location TBD
Final
Saturday, Nov. 23 at 5:00 p.m. PT in CPKC Stadium
