Gotham FC and Seattle Reign Face Decisive Matches as NWSL Season Ends
Eight simultaneous games will determine the league's regular season champion and the final playoff berth on Sunday.
By Fatou Kim ·
Gotham FC holds the position to secure its first NWSL Shield on Sunday, a day that will also decide the final spot in the postseason. The league has scheduled eight matches to kick off at 5 p.m. ET on the ESPN family of networks, creating a synchronized end to the 2026 campaign. Every result carries weight for playoff seeding, but the top of the table and the bottom of the playoff race offer the most dramatic stakes.
Gotham enters the final day with a 17-5-7 record and 58 points. The team has led the standings for the past 11 match weeks. A win or a draw against the Utah Royals at home guarantees the Shield. San Diego Wave is the only other contender, sitting at 55 points. San Diego must beat Bay FC and see Gotham lose to clinch the award. If that occurs, the teams will be tied on points, and the decision will fall to goal difference. Gotham currently holds a +14 margin, while San Diego is at +13. A San Diego victory and Gotham loss would flip that tiebreaker in favor of the Wave.
The race for the eighth and final playoff seat involves three teams. Seattle Reign sits in eighth place with 44 points. North Carolina Courage trails with 42 points, and Denver Summit FC has 41. Seattle can secure a ninth playoff appearance in 13 seasons with a victory over Orlando Pride. A draw is also sufficient if North Carolina loses to Denver. North Carolina requires a win against Denver and help from other results to advance. Denver, an expansion team in its first season, needs a victory over North Carolina and a Seattle loss to qualify. Denver has scored 53 goals this season, the most in the league.
Midfielder Jess Fishlock plays her final season with Seattle Reign. She is the only player still with her original team from the 2013 inaugural season. Fishlock announced her retirement following this season. Her presence adds historical weight to the Reign’s attempt to win their first NWSL Championship despite holding three Shields.
North Carolina forward Ashley Sanchez enters the day with 20 goals, tied for the single-season record set by Temwa Chawinga in 2024. Sanchez will play her 30th match in what is the longest NWSL season to date. She has not scored in her last three games. Orlando forward Barbra Banda, the next closest scorer with 17 goals, will sit out due to CDC restrictions following an international match in Uganda on Oct. 8. This leaves Sanchez virtually guaranteed to win the NWSL Golden Boot.
Seeding for the quarterfinals is also determined by these results. Washington Spirit and Kansas City Current currently occupy third and fourth place. Washington can finish second with a win and a San Diego loss. Kansas City cannot move above third but can fall out of the top four if they lose or draw against Racing Louisville while Angel City defeats Boston Legacy. Home field advantage is a major factor for Kansas City, which has lost only one regular season game since opening CPKC Stadium in March 2024.
Utah Royals face a complex path to hosting a quarterfinal match. They must defeat Gotham and rely on specific results in the Kansas City and Angel City games. Angel City can clinch home field with a win over Boston and a loss by Washington or Kansas City. Neither Angel City nor Utah has hosted a playoff game before. The simultaneous start of the eight matches ensures that all these scenarios resolve at the same time.
