It’s Monday, the 2025 NWSL regular season is now in the rearview mirror, which means it’s time for ESPN’s playoff Power Rankings.
Who’s best positioned for a deep postseason run? Our writers studied the action from the weekend to come up with the order of all eight playoff teams. Let’s dive in.
Next match: Sunday vs. Gotham FC, 12:30 p.m. ET, ABC (stream live with ABC on ESPN)
Kansas City was the first team to book its playoff spot and the first to seal home-field advantage through the semifinal, if it makes it that far. The Current also set new NWSL records for: most points (65), most wins (21), most road wins (10) and most clean sheets (16) in a single NWSL season. Playing San Diego in their final game, they conceded a goal to Dudinha and trailed at home for the first time in 2025, but rallied for the 2-1 victory even with Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga injured. Her absence in the postseason would be massive, but she hasn’t been ruled out. Worrying for Gotham, who play them next weekend, the Current have plenty of game-changing quality beyond her.
Next match: Saturday vs. Racing Louisville, noon ET
With a lengthy injury list that included their four top scorers (Gift Monday was an excused absence), the second-place Spirit lost their final match of the year 1-0 to Utah. Home advantage in the next round was already wrapped up, but fans will be rightfully keen to see players like Trinity Rodman return from her MCL sprain. Outside of the Current, Washington has been the most consistently elite team in 2025, but its injury list is one to watch as we hit the postseason.
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Utah Royals vs. Washington Spirit – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Utah Royals vs. Washington Spirit, 11/03/2025
Next match: Friday vs. Seattle Reign, 8 p.m. ET
Carrying forward an unfortunate theme at the top of the table, the reigning champions ended the season without their top scorer (and last year’s Championship MVP) Barbra Banda. Banda’s season-ending hip injury coincided with a concerning nine-game winless run that the team snapped at the end of September. Since that turnaround victory against San Diego, Orlando has gone undefeated in five regular season games (three wins, two draws) including wins against three teams in the top six: Washington, Portland and San Diego. It finished the year at home where it settled for a 1-1 draw against Seattle. The Pride are not in the form they were last year, but they’ve still got the juice to make a deep run.
Next match: Sunday vs. San Diego Wave, 3 p.m. ET, ABC (stream live with ABC on ESPN)
Portland’s 2-0 win against Houston was enough to seal home-field advantage in the postseason, and finish the year with three wins from their last four games. On paper, that’s solid form from the three-time champions. Still, in the second half of 2025, the Thorns have just two wins, one draw and four defeats when playing playoff teams. That includes defeats to Orlando and Gotham in their final five games.
Next match: Sunday at Kansas City Current, 12:30 p.m. ET, ABC (stream live with ABC on ESPN)
Gotham entered their final match of the year still able to clinch home-field advantage with a top-four finish, but after losing 3-2 to ninth-place North Carolina (and thanks to results elsewhere in a tightly packed table), they finished the year in eighth place. That’s devastating news for the 2023 champs, who’ll start their postseason on the road in Kansas City, where a record-setting Current have yet to lose this season. Players like Rose Lavelle are in hot form, returning from international duty (where she scored two goals this window) to score her third goal in five games for Gotham, but the team’s top scorer Esther González ended the season on the injury list. The Spanish striker’s 13 goals are well ahead of Lavelle’s five as the team’s next top scorer, and fans will be eager to see if she’s healthy for a daunting challenge in Kansas City.
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North Carolina Courage vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from North Carolina Courage vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 11/03/2025
Next match: Sunday at Portland Thorns, 3 p.m. ET, ABC (stream live with ABC on ESPN)
Sunday in Kansas City, 20-year-old Dudinha scored through the legs of fellow Brazil international Lorena to send Kansas City down a goal at home for the first time this season. That’s five goals in five games for the Brazilian, whose form is red hot heading into the postseason. San Diego went on to lose 2-1 to the league leaders, but the Wave’s form is heating up, after looking shaky during a seven game winless run (five defeats, two draws) starting in mid-August.
Next match: Friday at Orlando Pride, 8 p.m. ET
No team except Gotham earned as many draws in 2025, and fittingly, that’s how they ended the year. Seattle’s ninth draw of the 2025 regular season was a 1-1 stalemate against reigning champion Orlando, with a point secured thanks to 19-year-old Jordyn Bugg‘s 79th-minute equalizer. A draw is better than a loss, but a win could have secured home-field advantage and a more favorable matchup in the postseason. Instead, they’ll get a second-straight test with the Pride to start their postseason campaign.
Next match: Saturday at Washington Spirit, noon ET
The curse is finally broken. Louisville made club history with a 1-0 win against Bay FC on Sunday, earning a postseason berth for the first time in five seasons, narrowly avoiding a fifth consecutive ninth-place finish. With a lone goal from rookie Ella Hase (her first NWSL goal, and what a time to score it) Racing head to D.C. for their first-ever playoff game. The Spirit will be no easy test, and Audi Field is sure to deliver its advantage, but the momentum of making history could propel this consistently scrappy and solid side to cause trouble in the District.
