Football

NWSL playoffs scenarios, schedule: Three spots up for grabs with just three games to go in regular season

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1m ago

Oct 11, 2024 / 5027 Views

Evan Walker

More than half of the NWSL's playoff field may be set, but with eight teams still competing for three spots, the 2024 regular season is slated for a competitive finish.

Five teams have already booked a spot in the postseason, while the Orlando Pride won the NWSL Shield last week and will be the top-seeded team in the playoffs. The Houston Dash are the only ones out of the running for the postseason, which means most of the NWSL's teams are still in the hunt though some have less wiggle room than others. Only one team can clinch a postseason berth this week, while four run the risk of being eliminated from contention if results do not favor them this weekend.

Ahead of this weekend's NWSL action, here's a look at the playoff scenarios.

NWSL table

TEAM	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD	PTS
Orlando Pride*	17	0	6	42	13	+29	57
Washington Spirit*	15	6	2	44	27	+17	47
NJ/NY Gotham FC*	14	4	5	32	18	+14	47
Kansas City Current*	13	2	7	49	29	+20	46
North Carolina Courage*	12	9	2	33	25	+8	38
Chicago Red Stars	10	11	2	30	31	-1	32
Portland Thorns	8	11	4	32	34	-2	28
Bay FC	9	13	1	27	38	-11	28
Racing Louisville	6	10	7	30	32	-2	25
San Diego Wave	5	11	7	20	28	-8	22
Angel City	7	12	4	27	37	-10	22
Utah Royals	6	14	3	17	35	-18	21
Seattle Reign	5	13	5	13	27	-14	20
Houston Dash**	4	14	5	15	37	-22	17

*qualified for the playoffs
**eliminated from playoff contention

Playoff qualification scenarios

Chicago Red Stars (32 points, 10-11-2)

Can clinch a playoff berth with

Win over NJ/NY Gotham FC OR
Racing Louisville loss to Washington Spirit OR
Draw against NJ/NY Gotham FC AND Portland Thorns draw with Orlando Pride OR Racing Louisville draw with the Washington Spirit OR
Portland Thorns loss to Orlando Pride AND Racing Louisville draw with Washington Spirit

Playoff elimination scenarios

Seattle Reign (20 points, 5-13-5)

Will be eliminated from playoff contention with

Loss or draw to Utah Royals OR
Portland Thorns win over Orlando Pride AND Bay FC win over Kansas City Current OR
Portland Thorns draw with Orlando Pride AND Bay FC win over Kansas City Current AND Racing Louisville win over Washington Spirit

Utah Royals (21 points, 6-14-3)

Will be eliminated from playoff contention with

Loss to Seattle Reign OR
Portland Thorns win over Orlando Pride AND Bay FC win over Kansas City Current OR
Draw with Seattle Reign AND Portland win or draw with Orlando Pride AND Bay win or draw over Kansas City Current OR
Draw with Seattle Reign AND Racing Louisville win or draw with Washington Spirit AND Bay FC win or draw over Kansas City Current

Angel City (22 points, 7-12-4)

Will be eliminated from playoff contention with

Loss to North Carolina Courage AND Portland Thorns win or draw with Orlando Pride AND Bay FC win or draw with Kansas City Current OR
Loss to North Carolina Courage AND Racing Louisville win or draw with Washington SpiritAND Bay FC win or draw with Kansas City Current OR
Draw with North Carolina Courage AND Portland Thorns win over Orlando Pride AND Bay FC win over Kansas City Current OR
Draw with North Carolina Courage AND Portland Thorns draw with Orlando Pride AND Bay FC win over Kansas City Current AND Racing Louisville win over Washington Spirit

San Diego Wave (22 points, 5-11-7)

Will be eliminated from playoff contention with

Loss to Houston Dash AND Portland Thorns win or draw with Orlando Pride AND Bay FC win or draw with Kansas City Current OR
Loss to Houston Dash AND Racing Louisville win or draw with Washington SpiritAND Bay FC win or draw with Kansas City Current OR
Draw with Houston Dash AND Portland Thorns win over Orlando Pride AND Bay FC win over Kansas City Current OR
Draw with Houston Dash AND Portland Thorns draw with Orlando Pride AND Bay FC win over Kansas City Current AND Racing Louisville win over Washington Spirit