With two playoff spots up for grabs, the penultimate weekend of the regular season promises high-stakes drama as teams battle to extend their seasons. Both Portland Thorns and Bay FC are in position to clinch those final spots with crucial wins, but they’ll face fierce opposition from teams eager to play spoiler. It's a "do or die" scenario—if they don’t pick up points at home, four other teams remain in contention, ready to seize the opportunity and keep their playoff hopes alive. The pressure is on, and every moment counts as the race for the postseason reaches its climax.
For more on Week 24’s playoff scenarios.
How do I watch live games from the 2024 NWSL Regular Season?
- Friday night matches airing on Prime Video are available to US fans here.
- Saturday night double-headers airing at 7:30 and 10 p.m. ET on Scripps-owned ION network are available to US fans here.
- For games airing on CBS, US fans can watch here. US Fans can also stream on Paramount+ here.
- For games airing on ESPN, US fans can watch here. Matches on ESPN and ESPN2 will also stream on ESPN+.
- For games airing on NWSL+, US fans can watch here.
- Fans outside of the US can watch on NWSL+.
- Fans in Australia can watch on Optus.
Friday, October 18
Match: Seattle Reign vs. Houston Dash - 10:00 PM EST
How to watch: Prime Video
Seattle Reign host Houston Dash in a rematch of their September 21 meeting, where Houston claimed a 1-0 victory thanks to a Yuki Nagasato goal. The Dash come into this game on the back of a 2-0 win over San Diego, with Bárbara Olivieri and Ramona Bachmann each netting their second goals of the season. Meanwhile, Seattle is in a tough spell, enduring a five-game losing streak without scoring—a club-first. The Reign and Houston are both effectively eliminated from the playoffs but that won’t stop both of these teams from playing their hardest to end their season on a high note.
Saturday, October 19
Match: Kansas City Current vs. San Diego Wave FC - 1:00 PM EST
How to watch: CBS | Paramount+
Kansas City Current hosts San Diego Wave FC in the first match of Saturday. Kansas City comes in strong, having secured five clean sheets in their last six matches, allowing just one goal in that span. All eyes will be on Temwa Chawinga, who has scored in 12 of her last 13 matches and could become the first player to score against every NWSL team in a single season with 10 or more teams. San Diego will look to rebound after a narrow loss last week, buoyed by María Sánchez’s creative play, who has been one of the top chance creators in the league since her debut for the Wave. It’ll be a tactical battle and with a win, San Diego stays in the hunt for a playoff spot–a loss or draw will see them effectively eliminated.
Match: Racing Louisville FC vs. Portland Thorns - 7:30 PM EST
How to watch: ION
Racing Louisville hosts Portland Thorns in a match that both teams are going to want to grab points from–if Portland wins, they snag a playoff spot and if Racing wins, although they won’t be grabbing a playoff spot quite yet, it’ll mean their hopes are still alive. Portland comes into this game after a big win over Orlando, where Christine Sinclair scored her 10th career goal from outside the box, marking another milestone in her storied career as she ended the Pride’s unbeaten streak. But Taylor Flint has proven to be a thorn in Portland's side, scoring five goals against them in the last three seasons. With Louisville unbeaten in the last two meetings, including a win and a draw, this game promises to be a tight contest with plenty at stake for both sides.
Match: Bay FC vs. North Carolina Courage - 10:00 PM EST
How to watch: ION
Bay FC takes on North Carolina Courage in a pivotal matchup as both teams look to close out their seasons on a strong note. Bay FC’s Asisat Oshoala has been a standout in the club’s inaugural season, leading the team with seven goals, while the Courage come into this match after Olivia Wingate’s dramatic 90’+10 equalizer against Angel City, marking the team’s record-breaking 10th goal by a substitute this season. North Carolina has found recent success on the road, winning three of their last five away matches, though they’ve struggled historically when traveling west of the Rockies. Bay FC needs the win for the easiest road to the playoffs. A loss and that road becomes rockier and a draw means relying on two other results this weekend.
Sunday, October 20
Match: Washington Spirit vs. Chicago Red Stars - 5:00 PM EST
How to watch: NWSL+
The Washington Spirit host the Chicago Red Stars in the first matchup of Sunday, and with both teams already set for the playoffs, winning is more about ending the season on a high note than anything else. The Spirit have been dominant at Audi Field, winning four straight home matches, three of which were by three-goal margins. Meanwhile, Chicago enters this game riding the momentum of back-to-back road wins and a 16-match road scoring streak across all competitions, the second-longest such run in NWSL history. Makenna Morris has been a breakout star for Washington, contributing two goals in her most recent start, the first rookie this season to do so. With her firing on all cylinders plus the return of Trinity Rodman, this is surely going to be the perfect match to watch on a fall Sunday afternoon.
Match: NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Orlando Pride - 5:00 PM EST
How to watch: ESPN | ESPN+ | ESPN Deportes
Gotham FC hosts Orlando Pride in a matchup with plenty of storylines as both teams–already locked into home playoff matches–look to close the season on a high note. Gotham has been dominant at home, winning eight of their last ten regular-season matches at Red Bull Arena. Esther continues to be a clutch performer, scoring her ninth career NWSL goal in stoppage time last weekend, with all of her goals coming in the second half. Meanwhile, Orlando’s 24-match unbeaten streak came to an end last week in a 2-0 loss to Portland, their first defeat in over a year, meaning this weekend they’ll be looking to lay it all out on the pitch. Barbra Banda, who began that match on the bench and is now dangerously rested, has never seen loss when she starts. Expect Seb Hines to put her in the starting XI. This is a tough matchup for both sides and although a playoff spot isn’t on the line, the winner heads into the playoffs with some extra bravado.
Match: Angel City FC vs. Utah Royals FC - 7:30 PM EST
How to watch: NWSL+ | Paramount+ | Golazo
Angel City FC hosts the Utah Royals for the first time ever for the final matchup of the weekend. Cloé Lacasse made history for Utah last weekend by scoring the club’s first-ever hat-trick in their win over Seattle, joining an elite group of Canadian players to achieve the feat in the NWSL (hint hint, Christine Sinclair and also, Nichelle Prince). The Royals have been on a strong run, winning five of their last eight matches after a tough start to the season, and have collected more points than all but the top three teams in the league since August. Angel City, although they weren’t able to close out the game with a win last weekend, saw Christen Press return to her goal scoring ways with a late stoppage-time goal. That will surely add some momentum to her teammates as they fight for either a playoff spot or–if Bay FC won the day prior, thereby snapping up a playoff spot and eliminating both Utah and Angel City–the chance to end the season on a high note.