The NWSL's first-ever 16-team regular season has about 10 weeks left to run before it wraps up November 1, with the playoffs following November 6–21. After a mid-season break for the World Cup and the league's new CBA, the race for the eight playoff spots — and the Golden Boot — is as tight as it's been all year.
The playoff picture
NJ/NY Gotham FC has separated itself at the top of the table, built on the league's stingiest defense. Behind them, six teams are within seven points of each other for the rest of the top-eight bracket, setting up a genuine scramble over the season's final stretch.
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 20 | 13 | 4 | 3 | +13 | 43 |
| 2 | Washington Spirit | 20 | 11 | 4 | 5 | +12 | 37 |
| 3 | Utah Royals FC | 21 | 11 | 3 | 7 | +10 | 36 |
| 4 | San Diego Wave FC | 21 | 11 | 3 | 7 | +6 | 36 |
| 5 | Portland Thorns | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | +5 | 34 |
| 6 | North Carolina Courage | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | +5 | 30 |
| 7 | Kansas City Current | 20 | 9 | 3 | 8 | +3 | 30 |
| 8 | Seattle Reign | 19 | 8 | 3 | 8 | -1 | 27 |
Standings as of August 23, 2026. Top eight advance to the playoffs; Kansas City and Seattle currently hold the final two spots with several clubs on the outside looking in.
The Golden Boot race
Only three goals separate the top of the scoring table heading into Matchweek 17. Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda has taken the lead since returning from Zambia's WAFCON campaign, with North Carolina Courage's Ashley Sanchez right behind her.
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Barbra Banda | Orlando Pride | 12 |
| Ashley Sanchez | North Carolina Courage | 11 |
| Trinity Rodman | Washington Spirit | 9 |
| Temwa Chawinga | Kansas City Current | 9 |
| Evelyn Ijeh | North Carolina Courage | 9 |
| Sophia Wilson | Portland Thorns | 9 |
Standout players — including the ones stopping the ball
Gotham FC's run to first place has been a goalkeeping story as much as anything: Ann-Katrin Berger has anchored the league's best defense and its most clean sheets, giving Gotham a wall behind an attack that doesn't even need to carry the team. She's not alone in a strong year for the position — Washington's Sandy MacIver (an NWSL Best XI selection in April), Portland's Mackenzie Arnold, and Denver Summit's Abby Smith (a 71.4% save rate and a Save of the Week honor this season) have all kept their clubs in the mix with the position's best save percentages and goals-against numbers of the year.
On the attacking side, Washington's Trinity Rodman is doing more than scoring — she's tied for the league lead in assists to go with her nine goals, making her arguably the most complete two-way threat in the league heading down the stretch. And with Banda, Sanchez, and four players tied at nine goals apiece, the Golden Boot race looks like it will go down to the season's final matchweek.
Ten weeks, eight playoff spots up for grabs, and a scoring race with six players inside three goals of the lead — the NWSL's stretch run is shaping up to be one of the closest in the league's history.
← Back to the Blog