NEW YORK (August 9, 2023) –

The National Women’s Soccer League today announced the finalized four-team playoff bracket ahead of the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup semifinals, set to kick off Wednesday, September 6. Earning the No. 1 seed with 14 points and a 4-0-2 record in the West division, OL Reign will host No. 4 seed Racing Louisville FC, while the No. 2 seed Kansas City Current will take on the No. 3 seed North Carolina Courage.

NEW YORK (August 9, 2023) – The National Women’s Soccer League today announced the finalized four-team playoff bracket ahead of the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup semifinals, set to kick off Wednesday, September 6. Earning the No. 1 seed with 14 points and a 4-0-2 record in the West division, OL Reign will host No. 4 seed Racing Louisville FC, while the No. 2 seed Kansas City Current will take on the No. 3 seed North Carolina Courage.

Kansas City and North Carolina kick off semifinal action with an 8 p.m. ET match at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City before OL Reign and Racing meet at Lumen Field in Seattle at 10 p.m. ET to close out the round. Both matches will air live on CBS Sports Network. Headlining the playoff bracket with the No. 1 seed, OL Reign became the first team in tournament history to not allow a single goal in group play and set a new Challenge Cup record for consecutive shutout minutes after holding opponents scoreless through 675 minutes of play dating back to last year’s tournament. The Current earned their second-straight Challenge Cup playoff berth after clinching the Central division with a 4-1-1 record. Kansas City forward Kristen Hamilton made tournament history when she became the first player to record a hat trick in Challenge Cup play. Finishing atop the East division with 11 points and a 3-1-2 record, the No. 3 Courage tallied a league-best 15 goals in six tournament matches, including a six-goal performance that broke the league record for fastest four-goal, five-goal and six-goal scoring spans. Earning its first-ever playoff berth since joining the league in 2021, Racing Louisville FC solidified its place in the Challenge Cup semifinals after securing the most points among second-place finishing teams. Racing midfielder Savannah DeMelo led the team in scoring throughout group play with three goals. The winner of each semifinal match will advance to the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup final, slated to kick off Saturday, September 9, at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Championship match will air live on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+. Coverage for fans tuning in outside the U.S. will be available on Watch.NWSLSoccer.com. Priority to host the Championship match will be given to the higher seed of the two advancing finalists, pending stadium availability. As the title sponsor of the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, UKG, an HR and payroll provider that stands for equal pay, is contributing the historic $1.1 million prize pool that represents a significant step toward achieving pay parity with the U.S. men’s game and also inspired record bonus pool increases for the 2023 NWSL season. In addition to its efforts to radically increase equity and financial impact for NWSL athletes, UKG is urging organizations worldwide to make equitable pay a reality for all. A new UKG survey fielded during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ finds 7 in 10 employed Americans agree there is a pay equity problem between men and women in professional sports (71%) and in the workplace (70%), which is an issue the company is tackling head on through its partnership with the NWSL, its UKG Close the Gap Initiative, and related work with nonprofit organizations that are making tangible strides building equity of opportunity in the workplace.