The National Women’s Soccer League will begin its playoffs, leading up to the 2023 NWSL Championship, presented by Bud Light on October 22. The playoff season follows the most competitive regular season in league history, with every club earning at least 20 points of the first time. With three weeks left to play, all 12 teams remain alive. Below are important dates, rules and notes to know about the playoffs.

The National Women’s Soccer League will begin its playoffs, leading up to the 2023 NWSL Championship, presented by Bud Light on October 22. The playoff season follows the most competitive regular season in league history, with every club earning at least 20 points of the first time. With three weeks left to play, all 12 teams remain alive. Below are important dates, rules and notes to know about the playoffs.

PLAYOFF FORMAT

At the conclusion of the regular season, the top six teams will qualify for the playoffs, with the top two seeds earning first round byes in a single elimination tournament format. The quarterfinals kick off with the No. 3 seed hosting the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed hosting the No. 5 seed on October 22. After pausing for an international window, the No. 1 seed will host the winner of 4/5 matchup in the semifinals, while the No. 2 seed will host the winner of the 3/6 matchup on November 5. The playoffs will conclude with the NWSL Championship presented by Bud Light in San Diego, California, at Snapdragon Stadium on November 11.

TIEBREAKERS

The Team with the greatest number of points will be awarded the highest position in the standings. In the event teams finish the regular season with an equal number of points, the following system will be used to break the tie:

1. Goal differential

2. Most total wins (Regular Season only)

3. Most goals scored (Regular Season only)

4. Head-to-head results (total points accumulated)

5. Head-to-head most goals scored

6. Least Disciplinary Points Accumulated   

   Yellow card: 1 point   
   
   Indirect red card (as a result of two (2) yellow cards): 3 points   
   
   Direct red card: 4 points  
   
   Yellow card and direct red card: 5 points  
   
   	Only one of the above point totals shall be applied to a Player in a single Game.
   

7. Coin Flip (2 teams)/Drawing of lots (3+ teams)

PLAYOFF RULES

If the score is tied after 90 minutes of play in any playoff game, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety, followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary.

SCHEDULE & HOW TO WATCH

The NWSL’s regular season concludes on Sunday, October 15. The quarterfinals are set to begin on Sunday, October 22, with the first match airing at 5 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and the second match airing on Paramount+ at a time to be announced. Semifinal matches will take place on Sunday, November 5 at 7 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET, with both airing live on CBS Sports Network. The 2023 NWSL Championship, presented by Bud Light, will take place on Sunday, November 11 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, airing in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network. All matches will be available internationally on Watch.NWSLSoccer.com.